Batanta rainbowfish

Melanotaenia synergos

Also known as Synergos rainbowfish

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 77–86°F (25–30°C)
pH: 6.8–8.0
Adult size: 3 in (7.7 cm)
Minimum tank: 29 gal (110 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Batanta Island, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Family: Melanotaeniidae

Overview

A compact, peaceful rainbowfish that suits a midwater community without the space demands of the larger species. Keep a school of at least six, ideally more, so the fish shoal naturally and the males show their blue as they display to each other. It gets along with small, calm tankmates and appreciates gentle company rather than boisterous fish. Offer a varied diet of fine flake and small granules with frozen daphnia, cyclops, and brine shrimp. A tank of around 110 liters gives a group room to swim.

In the wild

The Batanta rainbowfish is found in clear streams on Batanta Island in the Raja Ampat group of West Papua, better known above water for its coral reefs than its creeks. Give it warm, neutral to alkaline water, 25 to 30 degrees Celsius at a pH of 6.8 to 8.0, with plants, some flow, and open midwater. Fine gravel or sand and a few pieces of wood complete the setup.

Good to know

Melanotaenia synergos is a rainbowfish, family Melanotaeniidae, described by Allen and Unmack in 2008, and it reaches about 7.7 centimeters. Displaying males glow blue-violet over silver flanks. Breeding is of medium difficulty: like its relatives it lays adhesive eggs on plants or spawning mops daily over a week or more, with the fiddly part being raising the pinhead-sized fry.

Did you know

Its name is a thank-you. The species is named for the Synergos Institute, a nonprofit, marking the group's twentieth anniversary, and the word synergos is Greek for working together.

Tank mates

Batanta rainbowfish is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.