Millennium rainbowfish

Glossolepis pseudoincisa

Also known as Tami River rainbowfish, Glossolepis pseudoincisus

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–84°F (24–29°C)
pH: 7.0–8.2
Adult size: 3.6 in (9.2 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Tami River system, Papua, Indonesia
Family: Melanotaeniidae

Overview

One of the more forgiving of the rarer rainbowfishes, this is a hardy, peaceful schooler that colors up fast when settled. Keep a group of six or more with a mix of males and females, and the males turn deep red as they display through the morning. It suits a robust community of similarly sized peaceful fish. Feed a varied diet of flake and granules with frozen bloodworm, daphnia, and brine shrimp to fuel the color. A group does well in around 160 liters of hard, open water.

In the wild

The millennium rainbowfish comes from the Tami River area near the border of Papua and Papua New Guinea, where it was found in a still oxbow lake off the main river. Give it hard, alkaline water, a pH of 7.0 to 8.2 at 24 to 29 degrees Celsius. A planted tank with driftwood and open swimming space, balanced between cover and room to cruise, suits it well.

Good to know

Glossolepis pseudoincisa, family Melanotaeniidae, reaches about 9 centimeters, and mature males flush an intense blood-red. The name means false incisus, because the fish so closely resembles the popular red rainbowfish, Glossolepis incisus, that the two are easily confused. Breeding is of medium difficulty, the fish laying adhesive eggs on plants or mops over successive days.

Did you know

Displaying males can turn an even deeper, brighter red than the famous red rainbowfish it is named after, which is how it earned its scientific name meaning false incisus.

Tank mates

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