Celebes Rainbowfish
Marosatherina ladigesi
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 8 cm
- Minimum tank
- 68 litres
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C
Species profile
Boeseman’s Rainbowfish
Melanotaenia boesemani
Common names: Boeseman's Rainbowfish, Boesemani Rainbowfish
Recognized speciesRainbowfish
Adult size
Up to 11 cm
Typical adult length 9–11 cm.
Up to 11 cm
Countries of origin
Good fit for your tank?
Good fit for
- A long, warm community aquarium with hard water
- A keeper prepared to wait for colour to develop
- A group of active, medium-sized fish
Think carefully if
- Your water is soft or acidic
- Your tank is short
- You keep small fish, shrimp, or slow, long-finned fish
A striking rainbowfish from western New Guinea, blue-grey at the front and orange at the rear. It needs warm, hard water and a long aquarium, and its colours take time to develop.
Appearance and Identification
A deep-bodied fish with a blue-grey head and shoulders, fading to orange or yellow at the rear, and with dark bars in the middle. Young fish are silvery and plain.
The two-tone body is distinctive in adults. Hybrid rainbowfish are common in the trade, so buy from a seller who keeps lines separate if purity matters to you.
Mature males are larger, more brightly coloured, and develop deeper bodies. Females are slimmer and plainer.
Tank Requirements
- Suggested filter
- About 440–550 litres an hour
- Suggested heater
- About 100–175 W for this tank
- Minimum tank volume
- 110 litres
- Minimum tank length
- 120 cm
- Minimum group size
- 6
- Recommended group size
- 8
- Activity level
- Very active
- Flow preference
- Moderate
- Planting preference
- Moderately planted
- Lid recommended
- Yes
- Jumping risk
- Moderate
Provide long swimming lanes with plants along the edges and good water movement. A lid helps, because this fish may jump when startled.
Behaviour and Tankmates
Very active and social. Males display to each other and to females, particularly early in the day.
Keep at least 6 to 8, and preferably more, with females included.
Not strongly territorial, although males display and may chase each other.
Good with robust fish that like hard water, including other rainbowfish and larger, peaceful barbs. Avoid very small fish, shrimp, and slow fish that it may stress.
Water Parameters
Warm, hard, alkaline water suits this fish. Plan tankmates that are comfortable at this temperature.
Parameter caveat
Acclimate slowly, and keep nitrate low with regular water changes.
Feeding
- Diet types
- Insectivore, Omnivore
- Feeding frequency
- Once or twice daily
- Preferred foods
- Quality flake or small granulesUse as the staple, and feed small amounts because these fish rarely chase food to the bottom.
- Frozen or live daphnia, brine shrimp, and bloodwormOffer a few times a week for colour and condition.
- Spirulina or vegetable flakeAdds plant matter that a meat-heavy diet lacks.
An omnivore that takes small foods mainly from the upper water.
A varied diet has a strong effect on colour in this species.
Breeding
- Breeding type
- Egg Scatterer
- Breeding difficulty
- Moderate
- Breeding temperature
- 28 °C
- Breeding pH
- 7.5
- Brood or egg count
- A small number of eggs each day over several days
- Incubation
- 9 days
- Parental care
- None
- Baby foods
- Infusoria or parameciumNeeded for the first days after fry become free-swimming, because the fry are very small.
- Fine powdered fry foodUse sparingly as a supplement, and siphon out anything left uneaten.
- Newly hatched brine shrimpIntroduce once the fry are large enough to swallow it, usually after several days.
- MicrowormsA useful next step for fry that are still too small for brine shrimp.
An egg scatterer. Condition adults in a group, then pair the best-coloured fish in a bare tank with fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. Eggs hatch in 7 to 12 days, and fry need infusoria before they can take brine shrimp.
Habitat and Origin
- Geographic origin
- Indonesia, Oceania
- Natural habitat
- Clearwater, Lake
- Aquarium contexts
- Breeding Aquarium, Large Aquarium
- Audience level
- Intermediate
Classification
- Profile type
- Recognized species
- Genus
- Melanotaenia
- Family
- Melanotaeniidae
- Species group
- Fish, Rainbowfish
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Checkered Rainbowfish
Melanotaenia splendida inornata
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 15 cm
- Minimum tank
- 108 litres
- Temperature
- 20–30 °C
Deepwater Creek Rainbowfish
Melanotaenia splendida Deepwater Creek
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 15 cm
- Minimum tank
- 108 litres
- Temperature
- 20–30 °C
Desert Rainbowfish
Melanotaenia splendida tatei
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 15 cm
- Minimum tank
- 108 litres
- Temperature
- 20–30 °C