Family: Melanotaeniidae
Distribution: Melanotaenia splendida inornata hail from the floodplain rivers and clear streams near the Gulf of Carpentaria, and the northernmost parts of Northern Queensland and Northern Territory. They are abundant in these areas.
PH: At least 6.5 – 8.0
Temperature: 24°C -33°C (75 – 91F)
Hardness: 8 -10 dH
Description: Reaching a length of up to 15cm in the wild and 12cm in captivity, these gorgeous fish have an intricate chequered pattern of black and yellow streaks. Throw in a veritable mix of radiant silvery grey and pink with red, blue and yellow along the sides of its body, and you have a Rainbowfish deserved of its name. Along with this beautiful array of colours, the Chequered Rainbowfish has exceptionally long dorsal and anal fins.
Diet: Feed the carnivorous Chequered Rainbowfish up to twice a day on a nutritious balanced diet of live and processed food. While they prefer meaty foods, they will live happily on an omnivorous diet.
Breeding: Melanotaenia splendida inornata will readily spawn in the aquarium environment, with the females releasing up to 100 eggs per week. As they are so easy to breed, be prepared with the amount of fish you will end up with! If you have an excess, the fry could always be used as live food.
Start by setting up a separate breeding tank with lots of fine leaved plants or spawning mops. Once hatched, remove the fry to a separate tank to avoid predation. Raise the fry on small live food, such as baby brine shrimp, or crushed flakes.
Comments: The popular Chequered Rainbowfish is a great fish for beginners as they are very hardy. For best colouration, include a couple of males in a school of females. Like other Rainbowfish, they are active, vivacious swimmers so will appreciate a long, well-planted tank for open swimming. Aim for a 55 gallon aquarium.
Tip:
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, 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 12:44:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Comments on this entry are closed.