Melanotaenia Australis
Western rainbowfish/Australian rainbowfish
Melanotaenia australis
Family: Melanotaeniidae
Distribution: Found in the Kimberly and Pilbara regions of Western Australia and both the eastern and western parts of Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australian rainbowfish live in lakes, pools in drying waterways, lagoons, marshlands, creeks and rivers. Melanotaenia australis is considered to be one of the most abundant species of Rainbowfish in Australia.
PH: 6.0 – 8.0
Temperature: 23°C – 32°C (73 – 90F)
Hardness: 3 – 30DH.
Melanotaenia australis are used to significant changes in water hardness. Ideally keep your Australian rainbowfish in hard water from April through to October then gradually make the water softer to mimic the coming of the ‘wet season’ in their natural habitat. Ensure that all changes to water conditions are gradual.
Description: The Australian Rainbowfish can reach a length of 10 cm (4 inches). This hardy schooling fish is noted for its pair of zigzagging blackish lines that can be seen on the lower sides of the body. Its main body colour varies depending where it comes from and can range from brown, olive, black and white, with either indistinct or distinct double or single orange-red stripes.
The males are usually longer, more vibrantly coloured, have bigger dorsal fins and are deeper bodied than the females.
Diet: In the wild, Melanotaenia australis thrive on an omnivorous diet with a preference for insects, worms, aquatic larvae and crustaceans. They are not fussy eaters and will take most aquarium foods. For optimum health, choose a combination of live and frozen food for their aquarium diet.
Breeding: Australian Rainbowfish reach sexual maturity when they are around 4 cm (1 ½ inches) and are moderately easy to breed. Set up a separate breeding tank of approximately 30 litres (8 gallons), and provide an abundance of java moss or similar in your set up. Be
prepared for vigorous and aggressive chasing. Provide a couple of females for each male to reduce the stress of the chase. Eggs will be deposited daily and the vegetation will be used as the spawning medium. As long as your fish are well fed and the vegetation plentiful, you may not need to remove the parents. Even with these safeguards, the parents could still eat their young.
Tip: The Australian rainbowfish are often overlooked by people searching for a colourful addition to their aquarium community. Seemingly the perfect fish – adaptable, peaceful, full of energy – people will still walk past them because as juveniles their colour lacks the vibrancy that it will exhibit in adulthood.
Comments: Australian rainbowfish are a popular choice for both beginners and the more advanced fish enthusiasts. Its highly adaptable, hardy, social nature makes it an easy and rewarding fish to keep.
Opt for gentle water movement, driftwood and live plants when setting up your aquarium.
This popular Australian prefers an active social life rather than that of solitude ensuring that they will thrive in a school of fellow rainbowfish. They are active swimmers so be sure to provide open swimming areas.
Perform frequent partial water changes to ensure optimum health of your fish.
Article/Books:
Culturing Live Foods: A Step-By-Step Guide to Producing Food for Your Home Aquarium
Setting up a Tropical Aquarium Week by Week
Today’s Essential Guide to Growing Aquarium Plants: The Aquamaster Series
Recommended Compatible Species:
Rainbowfish are a great community species in terms of their temperament and therefore 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 2009-11-03 23:21:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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