Danios are very similar to barbs but are much slimmer-bodied. They are Asian fishes and are found in large shoals in fast flowing waters. In the aquarium they prefer the upper layers of the water and may be seen cruising around all day. Most people buy just a couple, but with only two much of the beauty is lost as the fishes have no others to display to. They are peaceful, ideal community fishes.
African and Asian barbs have been exploited by the aquarium trade for many years. Wild stocks of some species such as Barbus titteya (Cherry Barb) from Sri Lanka are very low, but the species is still widely available in the hobby, due to captive breeding. The majority of the small barbs are bred by the thousand in fish farms in the Far East, South Africa, eastern Europe, and Florida. Captive-bred fishes are easier to transport and not as sensitive to changes in water conditions as wild fishes, and so are easier to acclimatize.
