This species has not yet entered the aquarium trade but is maintained by a handful of private collectors.

Though described in 2012 it was in fact first collected in the latter half of the 19th century with Day (1875-1878) having mentioned the presence of Badis dario in ‘Wynaad’ and its occurrence “along the Western Ghats” (the chain of mountains in southwestern India).

This species is euryhaline and mostly inhabits lowland, often coastal, habitats containing still or slow-moving brackish or freshwater.

It displays a preference for habitats with surface vegetation or overhanging cover and is commonly found in mangrove swamps and rice paddies.