Sentani rainbowfish

Chilatherina sentaniensis

Also known as Lake Sentani rainbowfish, Sentaniensis rainbow

FreshwaterFish

Sentani rainbowfish (Chilatherina sentaniensis) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 77–86°F (25–30°C)
pH: 7.0–8.2
Adult size: 4.5 in (11.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Sentani, Papua, Indonesia
Family: Melanotaeniidae

Overview

This is as much a conservation project as a display fish, and it is kept the same way as other rainbowfishes: a school of six or more in a roomy midwater tank, peaceful alongside other calm fish of similar size. If you can, breed it and keep strains unmixed, since aquarium populations matter for its future. Care itself is straightforward, with a varied diet of flake and granules plus frozen bloodworm, daphnia, and brine shrimp. A group needs a tank of at least 160 liters with open swimming room.

In the wild

The Sentani rainbowfish is endemic to Lake Sentani near Jayapura in Papua, a warm, alkaline lake ringed by hills. Keep it warm, 25 to 30 degrees Celsius, in hard, alkaline water at a pH of 7.0 to 8.2. A tank with open swimming space, planted margins, and some structure reflects its lake home, though the fish spends most of its time cruising the midwater.

Good to know

Chilatherina sentaniensis, family Melanotaeniidae, reaches about 11.5 centimeters and is critically endangered in the wild. Lake Sentani has suffered from introduced predatory fish, pollution, and deforestation, and pure wild fish are now very scarce. Aquarium lines descend from early exports. Breeding is of medium difficulty, the fish scattering adhesive eggs onto plants or mops.

Did you know

Collectors took a large group from Lake Sentani in the 1950s, but later surveys in the 1980s and 1990s struggled to find any, so the aquarium strains kept by hobbyists may now hold a real part of the species' future.

Tank mates

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