Family: Melanotaeniidae
Distribution: Found in the northern and southern drainage systems of the Markham, Ramu, Sepik and Upper Purari rivers of Papua New Guinea, in areas up to 1525 metres (5000 feet) above sea level, the Highlands Rainbowfish prefer deep, clear backwater streams and pools.
PH: 7.5 – 8.0
Temperature: 22°C – 26°C (72 – 79F)
Hardness: 10-17dH
Description: With a variance of delicate olive or mauve back highlights and silver body flecks, the Highlands Rainbowfish can grow up to 9 cm (3.5 inches) long. The females are generally smaller and less colourful.
Diet:
Highlands Rainbowfish need a varied diet suitable for omnivorous fish. Provide a mixture of live and processed foods. Live meaty foods will keep the colours on your fish vibrant and allow for spawning. A diet lacking in live meat will result in colour loss. Highlands Rainbowfish will also eat green filamentous algae, flake, frozen and freeze dried foods.
Breeding:
Start the spawning process by getting your Highlands Rainbowfish into breeding condition by providing them large quantities of live, meaty foods.
Set up a separate breeding tank with lots of fine leaved plants such as Cambomba, Java Moss, or Riccia. For best results, take the water temperature to its upper echelons of the recommended range and the breeding pair should begin to spawn among plant leaves. Once hatched, remove the fry to a separate tank to avoid predation. Raise the slow-growing fry on small live food, such as baby brine shrimp, or crushed flakes.
Comments: Highlands Rainbowfish are easy to keep in a community aquarium. Provide good filtration, ample sunlight and a 40 gallon well-planted tank for best results. Highlands Rainbowfish do well in a species aquarium or a large community tank.
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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, CorydorasCatfish (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 11:05:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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