Painted rainbowfish

Melanotaenia picta

Also known as Aru rainbowfish, Picta rainbow

FreshwaterFish

Painted rainbowfish (Melanotaenia picta) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 77–86°F (25–30°C)
pH: 6.8–8.0
Adult size: 4.2 in (10.7 cm)
Minimum tank: 29 gal (110 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Common
Origin: Kobroor Island, Aru Islands, Indonesia
Family: Melanotaeniidae

Overview

An island rainbowfish for hard-water tanks, and one worth breeding deliberately, since exports are small and infrequent. Keep six or more with a mix of sexes in a 110 liter tank; males display at dawn and color hardest when there is competition. Give it open swimming length with planting at the sides. Feed flake, granules and small frozen foods. Warm, hard, alkaline water suits it best.

In the wild

Melanotaenia picta is restricted to Kobroor Island in the Aru Islands of Indonesia, in warm, hard, alkaline streams. Keep it at 25 to 30 degrees Celsius and pH 6.8 to 8.0, with clean, moving water and open space.

Good to know

Melanotaenia picta reaches about 10.7 centimeters. It is an island endemic with a very small natural range, which is why aquarium populations matter and why a maintained breeding line is worth more here than in a widely distributed species. It is an egg scatterer that attaches eggs to fine-leaved plants or spawning mops.

Did you know

Its home islands sit on the drowned land bridge between Australia and New Guinea; this painted fish is a survivor of rivers that once ran across dry Sahul.

Tank mates

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