Bleher's rainbowfish

Chilatherina bleheri

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 7.0–8.0
Adult size: 4.7 in (12 cm)
Minimum tank: 53 gal (200 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Common
Origin: Lake Holmes (Danau Bira), lower Mamberamo River system, Irian Jaya (Indonesian New Guinea)
Family: Melanotaeniidae

Overview

Keep them in a group of six or more in a tank of at least 200 liters, with the length mattering more than the volume since they are big and constantly on the move. Running more males deepens the color and brings out natural sparring, which looks dramatic but does no real harm. They are peaceful and community safe, holding to the middle of the water column, though their size and energy can overwhelm very small or timid tankmates. Hold the temperature from 23 to 27 C with clean, well oxygenated, moderately hard water at a pH of 7 to 8. Feed quality flakes and pellets along with frozen foods like brine shrimp and daphnia to bring out their color, and pick robust, similarly sized fish to go with them.

In the wild

Bleher's rainbowfish come from Lake Holmes, also called Danau Bira, in the lower Mamberamo River system of Irian Jaya in Indonesian New Guinea. That water is clean, well oxygenated, and moderately hard, sitting on the neutral to slightly alkaline side, so keep the pH between 7 and 8 with a hardness around 8 to 15 dH. Hold the temperature from 23 to 27 C. They are large, very active midwater swimmers, so give them a long tank of at least 200 liters, ideally around four feet, with open swimming lanes down the middle and planting pushed to the back and sides.

Good to know

This is a rainbowfish in the family Melanotaeniidae, reaching about 12 cm as an adult. It is an egg scatterer that lays onto fine-leaved plants or spawning mops over a stretch of days, with no parental care. The eggs and fry are easy to raise once you have a dedicated setup, which is why breeding is moderate rather than simple. It is endemic to a single lake system, so wild stock comes from one small place.

Did you know

This fish lives in only one place in the world, the Lake Holmes system in Irian Jaya, which makes the aquarium population worth keeping clean and going. Males flash their best color first thing in the morning and flare at each other to settle who looks best, so a group with several males gives you that display without any of them getting hurt.