Rainbowfishes in nature
The Melanotaeniidae or Rainbowfishes are a group of small and medium-sized freshwater fishes from Australia and New Guinea. They are related to the blue-eyes. Rainbowfishes tend to be high-backed and quite flattened on the sides. Different species of rainbowfish are known in aquaristics, but they all have in common that they have relatively small mouths for their body length. Some species like the Butterfly Rainbowfish can be kept well with larger or well-reproducing shrimp, and there are even nanofish among the rainbowfish. You can read more about these great little fish in our blog "The Nanofish Encyclopedia".
Rainbowfish in the aquarium
in aquaristics, the rainbowfish from Papua and Australia have been known for a long time. They fit perfectly in community aquariums, but keeping them in a species tank is also suitable for these beautiful aquarium fish. They are relatively robust, occur perfectly in soft to medium-hard water (please note the information on water values with the respective item descriptions) and do not go to plants, snails or adult shrimps. However, juvenile shrimp may eventually be preyed upon.
Only the largest species like the Salmon Red Rainbowfish or the Orange Blue Rainbowfish will also eat larger shrimp and should therefore not be socialized with them.
The aquarium should be well planted in places, but also provide room to swim around. Rainbowfish are rather quiet, but they also like to "make a run".
The feeding of rainbowfish
most rainbowfish are not pure carnivores, but prefer as omnivores, a mixed diet with vegetable as well as animal components. In general, the colorful aquarium jewels are not demanding eaters, they can also be ideally satisfied with a high quality food for omnivorous aquarium fish such as the tasty NatureHolic main feed according to a special recipe. Live food should also be on the menu from time to time. The best thing to do is to order it now!
Rainbowfish offspring
The breeding of aquarium fish from the rainbow family is not particularly difficult. It is best done in a separate breeding aquarium. Rainbowfish, which are generally found in aquaristics, can sometimes even be bred in the aquarium if the stocking is right, but unfortunately rainbowfish are spawn predators. The females lay single adhesive eggs, which soon hatch into fish larvae that can be fed directly with Artemia nauplii or initially with infusoria and microworms, depending on their size.
Conclusion
the beautiful colorful Rainbowfish are an enrichment for every freshwater aquarium, be it a species tank or a community tank with other calm fish. Rainbowfish have an interesting social behavior and interact with their conspecifics - therefore you should always keep them in a group and allow them at least 6-10 conspecifics. In our online store you can find rainbowfish species with a long tradition in aquaristics for sale, but you can also find rare rarities from this fascinating fish family at Garnelio.