Burmese Spotted Gold Danio (Danio tinwini)

Choose a Burmese Spotted Gold Danio for a small, busy shoal

The Burmese Spotted Gold Danio is Danio tinwini, a tiny schooling fish from northern Myanmar with a golden body, rows of dark spots and spotted fins. Seriously Fish lists the trade names it has been sold under, including "Danio sp. Burma", "spotted", "gold ring", "fire ring" and TW02, and it may also appear as Brachydanio tinwini. Kullander and Fang described it scientifically in 2009.

It is known only from the Mogaung Chaung, a tributary of the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) River in Kachin State. Little is recorded about its habitat, and Seriously Fish presumes it lives in the slower edges of well-oxygenated streams and small rivers. It is one of the smallest danios: Seriously Fish gives a maximum of 30 mm standard length, and FishBase records 2.2 cm for males and 2.6 cm for females, measured without the tail.

Tell it apart from similar spotted danios

These look-alikes all come from Myanmar and are easily mixed up when small. The gallery images are representative, prepared from a reference photograph, and do not show the exact fish supplied; spot pattern and gold tone vary between fish.

Select the number of fish for a full shoal

One purchase quantity supplies one live Burmese Spotted Gold Danio in the standard size offered. It is a schooling species, so order the whole shoal at once: Seriously Fish recommends at least eight to ten, and says a larger group makes the fish less nervous and lets the males show their best colours.

Sex is not specified. Mature females are rounder-bellied and slightly larger than males, which is easiest to see when they are in spawning condition and the males intensify in colour. Plan the shoal without counting on a particular ratio of males to females.

Work from the shoal you intend to keep

• Eight fish: the lower end of the recommended shoal.
• Ten to twelve fish: a fuller, calmer shoal that shows better colour and behaviour.
• Larger groups: welcome in a longer aquarium, provided the filter and water changes keep pace.

Check our current delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee policy before ordering, and have the aquarium mature and ready for the whole group on the delivery day.

Plan a small but well-proportioned aquarium

Seriously Fish gives a minimum base of 45 × 30 cm, about 41 litres, for a group, and OATA suggests at least 45 litres for a small shoal of the smaller danios. These are minimums. Danios swim constantly, so length matters more than height, and a longer tank gives a shoal of ten more room to move and keeps water conditions more stable.

The fish's small size makes it suitable for a nano or small community aquarium, but not for a bowl or an unfiltered container: OATA treats a filter as essential for any tank size. Our stocking calculator checks how many small fish your tank can hold, and our nano tank fish range shows other species for small aquariums.

Use a three-step space check

1. Measure the base: at least 45 × 30 cm, and longer if you can.
2. Count every shoal: eight to ten Burmese Spotted Gold Danios plus the full group of every other schooling species.
3. Plan for adults: allow about 3 cm per danio and each companion's full adult size.

Build a planted stream with a very tight lid

Seriously Fish recommends a well-planted aquarium with a darker substrate, laid out like a flowing stream with rocks, gravel and driftwood. Flow should be moderate, not a torrent. Hardy plants such as Java fern (Microsorum), Bolbitis and Anubias grow well attached to wood and stone and give the shoal cover without crowding the swimming space.

This danio jumps, so Seriously Fish advises a very tight lid. Close every gap around cables and filter pipes; a 3 cm fish can escape through a surprisingly small hole.

Divide the footprint by function

Keep a gap between the plants and the front glass so that you can watch the shoal and reach the substrate with a siphon. Trim fast plants before they close the open swimming lane.

Set water values inside the shared range

Seriously Fish gives 18–26°C, pH 6.5–7.5 and 1–5 dGH for this species, but also notes that it has no special water chemistry needs in a community aquarium. OATA's general danio range is 17–27°C, pH 6.5–8.0 and 4–12 dGH. The sources disagree on hardness, so aim for stable water inside the shared temperature and pH band rather than chasing a very low hardness.

OATA notes that danios often need no heater in a centrally heated home, but some do. Use a heater with a thermostat if the room can fall below 18°C, and keep the tank out of direct sun so it does not overheat in summer. UK tap water ranges from soft to very hard depending on where you live; our water matcher compares your supply with this fish.

Separate habitat values from waste readings

These limits come from OATA's danio care sheet. Test them weekly, and more often while the tank is new or after adding fish.

Filter gently and change water every week

Choose a filter that gives the moderate current and oxygen this stream fish likes without blasting a 3 cm fish around the tank. Cover the intake with a fine sponge so that small fish cannot be drawn in.

Follow a weekly maintenance sequence

1. Test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, plus pH and hardness while the tank is settling.
2. Change about 25% of the water each week, as OATA recommends, siphoning waste from the substrate.
3. Treat new water with a tap water conditioner and match its temperature.
4. Rinse filter media in removed tank water, never under the tap, so the beneficial bacteria survive.
5. Trim plants that block the open swimming area.

Small, regular changes keep temperature and hardness steady, which suits this fish better than occasional large changes.

Feed tiny foods in a measured daily meal

In the wild it is presumed to eat mainly insects and their larvae. In the aquarium Seriously Fish describes it as largely unfussy: feed a good-quality dried staple and add small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and Artemia. Choose food small enough for a fish with a very small mouth: crushed flake, micro-granules and baby brine shrimp suit it better than large pellets.

Build one measured meal

• Use the right particle size: every fish should swallow its food easily.
• Feed once a day: OATA advises offering only what the fish finish within a few minutes.
• Spread the portion: scatter it across the surface so the whole shoal feeds, not just the boldest fish.
• Rotate foods: alternate the dried staple with small frozen or live foods during the week.

Introduce the shoal to a mature aquarium

Confirm a mature filter, zero ammonia and nitrite, and a steady temperature within 18–26°C before the fish arrive. Use OATA's floating bag method: dim the lights, float the sealed bag for about 10 minutes, add small amounts of tank water to the bag over up to 20 minutes, then release the fish while keeping the bag water out. Our step-by-step acclimatisation guide explains each stage.

Use a first-week checkpoint plan

New fish often stay close to the plants at first. A shoal that swims openly together and feeds eagerly is settling well.

Watch the shoal and act on changes

OATA describes healthy danios as having clear, bright eyes, undamaged fins and scales, no lesions or bumps, normal swimming and steady breathing. Learn what your shoal looks like when all is well, so that changes stand out.

Pair each observation with an action

Do not treat on a guess. Record the readings and what you saw, and contact us with them if the problem continues.

Choose tank mates for a tiny, peaceful fish

Seriously Fish describes it as generally peaceful and suited to a community aquarium, provided its small adult size is considered. OATA adds that the constant activity of danios can stress very timid species, and warns against keeping danios with larger goldfish, which may eat them.

Decide from the suits and avoid list

Good companions to consider from our range include the Neon Green Rasbora, another tiny schooling fish. If you like small Myanmar danios, compare it with the Orange Finned Danio, the Hikari Danio, the Celestial Pearl Danio and the Emerald Dwarf Danio; our Celestial Pearl Danio care guide covers a similar small-danio set-up. Browse more in our rasboras and danios, the danios, rasboras and minnows category, all Danio species and our guide to small tropical fish. Check every companion's adult size and water range before mixing.

Breed it in a separate set-up

It is an egg-scattering spawner that shows no parental care. Fry may appear in a dense, mature planted tank, but Seriously Fish says a controlled set-up produces far more. Use separate, dimly lit containers with mesh or matting over the base so the eggs fall out of the adults' reach, very soft, slightly acidic to neutral water, a temperature near the top of the range, and adults conditioned on live and frozen foods.

The eggs hatch in about 24–36 hours. Feed the fry on Paramecium or a very fine dry food of 5–50 microns at first, then move them on to Artemia nauplii as they grow.

Answer Burmese Spotted Gold Danio buying questions

Is the Burmese Spotted Gold Danio the same as Danio sp. Burma?

Yes. Seriously Fish lists "Danio sp. Burma", "spotted" and "gold ring" among the trade names used for Danio tinwini, described scientifically in 2009 from northern Myanmar.

How big does it get?

It is a very small danio. Seriously Fish gives a maximum of 30 mm standard length, and FishBase records 2.2 cm for males and 2.6 cm for females, measured without the tail.

How many should I keep?

At least eight to ten. It is a schooling fish, and a larger group is less nervous and lets the males show their best colours.

What size aquarium does a shoal need?

Seriously Fish gives a minimum base of 45 × 30 cm, about 41 litres, and OATA suggests at least 45 litres for a small shoal of the smaller danios. A longer tank gives more swimming room.

Does it need a heater?

Seriously Fish gives 18–26°C. OATA notes that danios often need no heater in a centrally heated home, but use one if the room can fall below 18°C, and keep the temperature steady.

Does it need soft water?

Seriously Fish lists 1–5 dGH but also says it has no special water chemistry needs in a community tank, and OATA gives 4–12 dGH for danios generally. Stable water at pH 6.5–7.5 matters more than chasing a number.

What should it eat?

A good small flake or micro-granule every day, plus small live or frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and Artemia. Offer only what the shoal finishes within a few minutes, once a day.

Can it live with other community fish?

Yes, it is peaceful, but choose tank mates that suit its tiny adult size. Avoid fish big enough to eat it, including larger goldfish, and very timid fish that its constant activity might stress.

Consult the care references

• Seriously Fish: Danio tinwini: trade names, range, size, aquarium base, water values, diet, schooling, sex differences, breeding and identification.
• FishBase: Danio tinwini: recorded lengths for males and females, family and distribution.
• Seriously Fish: Danio nigrofasciatus: the dwarf spotted danio, a look-alike.
• Seriously Fish: Danio aesculapii: a barred and spotted look-alike from western Myanmar.
• OATA: How to look after danios and white cloud mountain minnows: UK guidance on water quality, tank size, feeding, maintenance, acclimatisation and health.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery policy: current dispatch and Live Arrival Guarantee terms.