TankBud

Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish

Melanotaenia parva

Also known as Sunset Dwarf Rainbowfish

FreshwaterFish

Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish (Melanotaenia parva)
Dirk Godlinski · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
7.0–8.0
Adult size
3.1 in
8 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Egg depositor · Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Melanotaeniidae
Origin
New Guinea

Overview

The Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish is a small, peaceful rainbowfish for a planted community tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

The Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish is restricted to one small lake, which leaves it exposed to any change in its only home. Falling water levels and habitat pressure have raised real concern for its future in the wild.

Caring for the Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish

Keep Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish in a group of six or more, in a tank of 29 gal (110 L) or larger. Plant the edges with hardy plants and leave open water for swimming. A fine substrate with some wood or rock suits them.

Keep the water clean and gently moving, at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 7.0 to 8.0. Feed varied meals of flake or small pellet, with frozen bloodworms, daphnia and brine shrimp. Their color deepens with age and a good diet.

Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish are peaceful and mix easily with other calm community fish. Males are more colorful and a touch deeper bodied than females.

They scatter a few eggs a day onto fine plants or mops over a long period. The eggs are left to hatch on their own, and the small fry grow slowly. Breeding them is hard.

Good to know

Melanotaenia parva belongs to the family Melanotaeniidae and stays small for a rainbowfish. Its species name, parva, means small. It is also called the sunset dwarf rainbowfish, after the pink and yellow tones of mature males.

In the wild

The Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish lives in Lake Kurumoi and its surrounding waters, in West Papua on the western side of New Guinea. The lake is warm, clear and hard, with neutral to alkaline water.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish need?

A Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish need?

A Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.0.

What does a Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish eat?

A Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish eats flake or small pellet, with frozen bloodworms, daphnia and brine shrimp. A varied, good diet deepens its color as it ages.

How big does a Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish get?

An adult Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).

Does a Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish need a group?

Yes. A Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How can you tell a male Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish from a female?

Males are more colorful than females and a touch deeper bodied.

How does a Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish breed?

Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish scatter a few eggs a day onto fine plants or mops over a long period, and the eggs hatch on their own. The small fry grow slowly, which makes breeding them hard.

Related species