Within six months of its appearance in the aquarium trade, the species was falsely reported as having become so rare, collectors were obtaining only a "few dozen fish per day". Initially, only a small number of aquarists managed to breed the fish successfully, while nearly all the fish offered for sale were wild-caught. The (unfounded) concern over the wild populations led British fishkeeping magazine "Practical Fishkeeping" to request that only aquarists prepared to breed the fish should buy any fish they see for sale, to reduce pressure on the wild stocks by diminishing the demand for them in the UK. As the species seems adapted to living in and colonizing small, possibly ephemeral pools, it seemed not very well able to withstand prolonged and intense exploitation—if the stock in all pools at one location is entirely fished off, it is unclear in how far the fish would be able to recolonize them. Conversely, if only part of a local subpopulation is removed, pools from which all celestial pearl danios have been removed likely will be recolonized with a healthy population again after one year or so.