Original story by Rachel Reilly, Daily Mail
Now that’s what you call a tiddler! Aquarium manages to breed one of the world’s smallest fish – that grows to just 10mm long
The tiny Danionella translucida from Burma (pictured) is just 10mm long when fully grown, and its tiny babies are so small they are almost invisible to the naked eye.
DANIONELLA TRANSLUCIDA
The fish are found in Southern Myanmar in small shallow muddy streams.
One recorded habitat is known as Bala Stream. Here the water has a pH of 7.2 and is medium-hard.
They are found with various barbs and rasboras, and are highly likely to be at the bottom of the food chain due to its size.
The maximum recorded is 12mm. Males are larger than females.
Eggs are reported to be 0.5mm in diameter (relatively large for the size of fish), and only a few are laid at any one time.
Their estimated lifespan is 2-3 years, but accurate data is still lacking on this.
The Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire is celebrating a tiny triumph after successfully breeding one of the world’s smallest species of fish.
The tiny Danionella translucida, from Burma, is just 10mm long when fully grown, and its tiny babies are only 2mm long and almost invisible to the naked eye.
The creatures is also transparent, allowing to see the fish’s internal organs.
Staff at the aquarium were amazed when they noticed the tiny babies swimming with their parents in the display tank.
Steve Chester, our Freshwater Aquarist, told MailOnline: ‘I am delighted to have the chance to work with this very rare fish.
‘Little is known on the natural breeding cycle and as a team we are working hard to increase our knowledge on the life cycle and breeding habits of this fish, with a view to sharing our findings with other public aquariums and researchers.’
Mr Chester added: ‘Their size and the fact that in the wild they live in a small area makes them particularly vulnerable to environmental change.’
The creatures, which are just 2mm long when hatched, are also transparent, revealing the fish’s internal organs.
‘Establishing a viable breeding populationwill help secure their survival.’
Found in Southern Myanmar in small shallow muddy streams, the tiny Danionella translucida eggs are reported to be 0.5mm in diameter.
Only a few are laid at any one time and the fish’s estimated lifespan is two to three years.
Staff at the aquarium were amazed when they noticed the tiny babies swimming with their parents in the display tank.
‘Due to their scarcity, little is known about their breeding habits,’ said Dave Wolfenden, curator at the Blue Planet Aquariam.
‘Bolton Museum has been assisting with our breeding programme, and we are continuing to record breeding habits to increase knowledge on the species.’
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