About Danio albolineatus (Blyth, 1860)
The pearl danio, scientifically named Danio albolineatus (Blyth, 1860), is a tropical freshwater ray-finned fish that belongs to the family Danioinidae. It is native to Sumatra, Myanmar, Thailand, and Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam, and is sometimes kept in aquariums by fishkeeping hobbyists. It reaches a maximum total length of 2.6 inches (6.5 cm), and has a typical lifespan of around five years. Its body can be brownish-yellow, pink, or silver, and it has two stripes that are either light yellow or white, or blue or red. The fish has an iridescent appearance, and female pearl danios have two pairs of barbels. In the wild, pearl danios live along the surface of small, clear rivers and hill streams. They inhabit tropical climates in water with a pH between 6.0 and 8.0, water hardness between 5 and 19 dGH, and temperatures between 68 and 77 °F (20 to 25 °C). In the wild, their diet consists primarily of external insects and zooplankton. Pearl danios are egg-laying fish. Golden varieties commonly sold in aquarium shops are actually semi-albino pearl danios. The blue-redstripe danio (D. pulcher) and the Kedah danio (D. tweediei) were previously considered to be the same species as the pearl danio, but Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes now recognises both as separate, valid species.
