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Rasboras & Danios · Buying Guide

Galaxy Rasbora (Celestial Pearl Danio): UK Care & Buying Guide

Galaxy rasbora (celestial pearl danio) for sale UK — care, tank size, tank mates and water for this jewel-spotted nano fish. Live stock, live arrival guarantee.

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Hannah NielsenBy Hannah NielsenUpdated 10 June 202610 min read
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Ideal water conditions at a glance

The shaded band shows the range galaxy rasbora is comfortable in. Match it to your tap water before you buy.

Temperature20–24 °C
18 °C32 °C
pH6.5–7.5
59

The jewel of the nano tank

Few fish earn their nickname like the galaxy rasbora. A deep blue-green body scattered with pearl-white spots, fins barred in red and black — and all of it packed into a fish barely two centimetres long. It arrived in the hobby in 2006 under the trade name "galaxy rasbora", was almost collected to extinction within a year, and is now widely captive-bred and correctly known as the celestial pearl danio.

If you keep a planted nano tank, this is one of the best small fish you can stock. A group settled into a mature, well-planted 30–40 litre aquarium, with cherry shrimp grazing below, is one of the most rewarding small displays in freshwater fishkeeping.

Care at a glance

Galaxy rasboras want slightly cooler water than most tropical fish — 20–25 °C is ideal, which means they pair beautifully with cherry shrimp and other temperate nano species but not with warmth-loving fish like discus or rams. They're micro-predators: small mouths, so feed accordingly. And they're shy, so dense planting is not optional — a sparse open tank leaves them hiding and washed-out.

A note on temperature

In a centrally heated UK home a galaxy rasbora tank often needs only a low heater setting, or none in summer. Their preference for 20–25 °C is one of the reasons they suit nano aquascapes, which run cooler than fish-house tropicals.

Tank mates

Match them with peaceful nano species and invertebrates. The classic planted-nano community is galaxy rasboras up top, a chili rasbora or ember tetra shoal through the middle, pygmy corydoras working the bottom, and a colony of cherry shrimp throughout.

Read our harlequin rasbora care guide and cherry shrimp care guide for the two easiest companions to start with.

Buying galaxy rasboras in the UK

Every fish ships in an oxygen-charged bag inside an insulated box, dispatched Wednesday for Thursday delivery (or Thursday for Friday when a week overflows), covered by our live arrival guarantee. Because galaxy rasboras are small and shy, give them a quiet, dimly lit, planted tank to settle into on arrival — drip-acclimate, lights off, and don't add them to a brand-new uncycled tank.

Browse the wider range: rasboras & danios, nano tank fish, or the full tropical fish for sale UK listing.

Related categories

Visual route into the rest of our UK live-fish range.

Rasboras & Danios

Rasboras & Danios

Harlequin, Chili, Galaxy, Zebra and Celestial rasboras and danios for planted and nano tanks — peaceful shoalers for UK tap water, priced in groups.

Nano Tank Fish

Nano Tank Fish

Best nano tank fish for UK aquariums — species that thrive in tanks under 40 litres. Micro schoolers, dwarf species, shrimps.

Planted Tank Fish

Planted Tank Fish

Planted-tank fish for sale UK — peaceful, plant-safe species that showcase aquascaped layouts. Tetras, rasboras, dwarf cichlids, shrimps.

Schooling Fish

Schooling Fish

Tetras, rasboras, barbs, danios and rainbowfish in shoal-friendly quantities — these species only settle in groups of six or more. Group prices per listing.

Frequently asked questions

Yes — they're one species, Danio margaritatus. 'Galaxy rasbora' was the trade name when it was discovered in 2006; 'celestial pearl danio' (CPD) is the scientifically correct name, since it's a danio, not a true rasbora. You'll see both used; we list ours under both so you can find it either way.
Ten or more. They're a shy shoaling fish that only shows confident colour and natural behaviour in a group. Aim for roughly two females per male — males display and gently spar, and too few females lets a dominant male harass the rest.
A planted 30-litre nano comfortably holds a group of 10. Their small size makes them ideal for aquascaped nano tanks, but they're nervous in open water — dense planting and some floating cover bring them out.
They're easy once a tank is mature and stable, but they're not a first-week fish — add them to a cycled, planted tank that's been running a month or more. Their preference for slightly cooler, stable water and small live/frozen foods makes them better as a confident beginner's second species.
Other peaceful nano fish and invertebrates: chili rasboras, ember tetras, pygmy corydoras, otocinclus and cherry shrimp are all excellent. Avoid fin-nippers and anything large enough to eat a 2 cm fish — no bettas in the same tank, no larger tetras or cichlids.
They're micro-predators with small mouths. Feed micro-pellets, finely crushed flake, and small frozen or live foods like baby brine shrimp, daphnia and cyclops. Variety brings out the red in the fins and keeps females in breeding condition.

Sources & further reading

Material factual claims cite the sources below; store policy and cautious inference are labelled in the article. Sources are grouped by type so you can judge their weight at a glance.

Scientific database (1)

  1. [1]
    Froese, R. and D. Pauly (Eds.) (2024). Danio margaritatus. FishBase. View source

    Species-level care and distribution data for the celestial pearl danio.

Hobbyist reference (1)

  1. [2]
    (2024). Danio margaritatus (Celestial Pearl Danio) profile. Seriously Fish. View source

    Well-sourced care profile — tank size, temperature and behaviour cross-checked here.

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