Mountain Rainbowfish
Melanotaenia monticola
Family: Melanotaeniidae
Distribution: Unlike other Rainbowfish, the Mountain Rainbowfish habitat includes high altitude tributuitars with fast-flowing waterways practically void of aquatic vegetation. Specifically it lives in the upper Purari and Kikori river systems in Papua New Guinea’s Southern Highlands.
PH: 7.5– 8.0
Temperature: 17°C – 25°C (63 – 77F)
Hardness: 16dH
Description: With blue-grey to green variances on the back and a coppery-golden sheen to their scale margins, Mountain Rainbowfish are very beautiful. The male fish is further adorned with a pale lilac breast and fin colouration. They grow up to 10cm (4 inches).
Diet: The omnivorous Mountain Rainbowfish needs a varied vegetable and protein based diet to stay healthy. For example, mix high quality flakes with live food such as larvae, worms or brine shrimp.
Breeding: The lovely Mountain Rainbowfish will spawn readily in aquariums, particularly if you keep the temperature over 20C (68F). However, they will spawn in lower temperatures.
Get your breeding pairs into condition by feeding them larger quantities of meaty food. You will know when your male Mountain Rainbowfish is ready to spawn because overall colouration and coppery scale edges will darken and become more intense and an orange colour will appear on the top of his head. Set up a separate breeding tank with lots of fine leaved plants, like java moss, or spawning mops.
The eggs will hatch within 12 days and should be removed to a separate tank to avoid predation. Feed on baby brine shrimp or similar.
Comments: Keep the oxygen levels high and keeping Melanotaenia monticola should be relatively straight forward. Good filtration is imperative, as is hiding places, and fresh water changes. Rock, plant and driftwood cover is perfect in this case. Create your aquarium environment with their natural habitat in mind. Mountain Rainbowfish are suited to both species and community tanks.
Article/Books:
Recommended Compatible Species:
Rainbowfish are a great community species in terms of their temperament and apart from other Rainbowfish species they also live happily with most Tetra species (particularly the Neon Tetra and Black Tetra). They are also great tank mates with Discus, Corydoras Catfish (particularly Corydoras Sterbaiand Corydoras aeneus) Angelfish, Clown loach, the common Guppyand Platy and most Gourami(such as the Blue Gourami and Dwarf Gourami like the Honey Gourami) Also can live happily with most Danio(particularly the Zebra Danioand Pearl Danio) and also many Killifish make great tank mates. One thing you should take into consideration when housing rainbows with these recommended species is the water quality. Temperature and Hardness are similar but P.H. can be quite different, although it is not ideal, if you keep your water at a P.H. of 7 this should keep your community happy.
Rainbowfish are schooling fish and should be kept in groups consisting of at least six individuals, preferably no less than 10-15. Mix it up with enough females to give them a rest when the males are on the chase, but provide enough males to bring out their vibrant colours when they are in competition for female attention. Whilst this is beneficial to the health and wellbeing of the fish, a large school is rewarding for the aquarist because a school of iridescent Rainbowfish is more dramatic to the eye than a few shy fish peeking out from behind dense vegetation.
Originally posted 2009-11-22 12:09:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
