Adding fish 8/27/09
I have 2 angel fish and 2 Bolivian rams in on tank, would it be ok to add 2 Danios?
Malwina
<In theory, yes, this species mix should be fine. But Danios should be kept in groups of 6 or more specimens. In smaller groups, Danios are aggressive and can be nippy, e.g., nipping the fins of the Angelfish. This also depends on the size of the tank. Two Angels, two Bolivian Rams, and 6 Danios would need a tank at least 20 gallons in size, and ideally 30 gallons or larger. Cheers, Neale.>

Are Galaxy Rasboras really being captive bred? 3/31/09
Hello,
<Hi,>
Last week, I came across a few Galaxy Rescores at one of our local box stores for $10 each - pretty steep. I have never seen these in any of our LFS. I was interested in getting a few to go with our new Betta in an established 10 gallon planted tank and started doing some homework. He is all red and the Galaxy Rescores would be spectacular with him. From everything I read online, I can provide parameters suitable for this fish.
<Great.>
In my research, I came across all the controversy on the web about how endangered they are or might be and wanted to get the straight talk from a reliable source that might have more current info.
<The problem is little news on stuff that matters, let alone tropical fish, comes out of Burma. It's a closed country. News on new populations come from the Burmese fishery agency, and who knows how honest they are when it comes to hard currency-earning exports such as these fish. Our own governments essential delude themselves all the time on things like Cod fisheries, so I'd have to assume the Burmese government is just as bad, if not worse.>
I found only a few threads on WWM regarding these fish, but none mentioned them being in an endangered status.
So here goes:
To the best of your knowledge, is there a real problem for these little fish as far as being over-fished in their native habitat?
<No one knows for certain, but is certainly probable, and there are reliable reports the original location was overfished very quickly.>
Or was it just a story that got started to drive the prices up?
<No.>
A lot of what I read says that the breeding habits of these fish is not well known, so would it be safe to assume that they might not actually be many breeders having a lot of success even 2 years since their discovery?
<That the fish can be bred, and that it is actually being bred on a commercial scale are different things. Cardinal tetras can be bred, yet virtually all the cardinals in the hobby are wild-caught. For so long as the demand is there, and the price of wild fish is less than captive bred fish, the market will take wild fish in preference.>
I also read that the Myanmar Govt. has banned all exportation of these fish, but we all know it happens.
<Quite.>
I called the corporate offices of the store to ask if they were captive bred, or wild caught. I didn't say which I was looking for. The woman said she would check and get back to me. She called back a few hours later and said they were indeed captive bred in Florida, which is where I am.
<May well be, but to be honest, I'd not trust that without knowing the breeder's name; unless they're speaking to an informed branch of the Press, "marketing" people tend to have, let's say, a flexible relationship with
the truth.>
I neglected to ask for the name of the breeder, but that might have been considered proprietary information and she might not have told me anyway. So I had no way to verify that they are indeed captive bred.
<Indeed.>
So in your opinion, would this be a reasonable choice of fish to add to our Betta tank?
<Possibly; Bettas prefer warmer, stiller water to these Danios, which prefer cooler, somewhat flowing water, much like other Danios. So while I dare say you could mix them, it wouldn't be my first choice.>
If so, do I just go for it and in giving them a new home, we could try to breed them and help out this little fish breed in our small way?
<If they're captive bred, then keeping/breeding them would certainly be worthwhile.>
Or do I assume they are wild-caught and boycott as so many articles suggest?
<Rather than assume either way, see if you can confirm they're captive bred. In the meantime, do see here:
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=1267 >
As always - Thanks again.
Sandy
<Cheers, Neale.>