Lake Wanam rainbowfish
Glossolepis wanamensis
Also known as Emerald Rainbowfish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 77–86°F (25–30°C)
- pH
- 7.0–8.0
- Adult size
- 3.9 in (10 cm)
- Minimum tank
- 25 gal (95 L)
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Schooling
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- New Guinea
- Family
- Melanotaeniidae
Overview
Lake Wanam rainbowfish are active, peaceful schoolers best kept in a group of six or more, where mature males develop the deep emerald-green sheen that gives them their other name. They swim through the middle of the tank and mix well with other calm fish that share their taste for warm, hard water. Good color needs age, space, and steady feeding, so give young fish time and a varied diet of flake or pellet with frozen bloodworms, daphnia, and brine shrimp. Plant the edges and keep open water in the center. Aim for a tank around 95 liters or larger.
In the wild
This species is found only in Lake Wanam, a small lake near Lae in Papua New Guinea. The water is warm, clear, and hard with an alkaline lean, matching a pH of about 7 to 8 and a temperature between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. Recreate it with fine substrate, wood and stone, hardy plants along the sides, and clean, well-oxygenated water kept reliably warm.
Good to know
Glossolepis wanamensis belongs to Melanotaeniidae and grows to around 10 centimeters, with males far greener and deeper bodied than the silvery females. It sits in the genus Glossolepis alongside the well-known red rainbowfish rather than in Melanotaenia. Like other rainbowfish it is an egg-scatterer that spawns over an extended period, attaching small eggs to fine plants and mops by short threads and giving no parental care once they are laid.
Did you know
The Lake Wanam rainbowfish lives in just one small lake and is considered critically endangered in the wild, hit hard by introduced fish. Aquarium populations now play a real part in keeping the species going.
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
- Imperial Tropicals Freshwater fish and inverts bred at a Florida hatchery
- The Wet Spot Tropical Fish Large freshwater selection from a longtime Portland fish store
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
Freshwater fish · Rainbowfish · Schooling fish · Community fish
Keeping Lake Wanam rainbowfish?
Track water tests, reminders and stocking fit.
Related species
Red rainbowfish
Glossolepis incisus5.5 in (14 cm)34 gal (130 L)72–77°F (22–25°C)
Sepik rainbowfish
Glossolepis multisquamata5.5 in (14 cm)55 gal (208 L)79–86°F (26–30°C)
Black-banded rainbowfish
Melanotaenia nigrans3.9 in (10 cm)32 gal (120 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
Australian rainbowfish
Melanotaenia fluviatilis4.3 in (11 cm)30 gal (115 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
Boeseman's rainbowfish
Melanotaenia boesemani4.3 in (11 cm)30 gal (115 L)81–86°F (27–30°C)
Lake Kutubu rainbowfish
Melanotaenia lacustris4.3 in (11 cm)29 gal (110 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)