TankBud

Sepik rainbowfish

Glossolepis multisquamata

Also known as Multisquamata Rainbow

FreshwaterFish

Sepik rainbowfish (Glossolepis multisquamata)
Rino Porrovecchio from Palermo, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
79–86°F
26–30°C
pH
6.2–6.8
Adult size
5.5 in
14 cm
Minimum tank
55 gal
208 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Egg depositor · Medium
Rarity
Common
Family
Melanotaeniidae
Origin
Northern New Guinea (Sepik, Ramu and Mamberamo river floodplains), Papua New Guinea and Western Papua, Indonesia

Overview

The Sepik rainbowfish is one of the larger rainbowfish, a mostly peaceful schooling fish for a long, planted community tank. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

Most rainbowfish want neutral to hard, alkaline water, but the Sepik rainbowfish is the odd one out. It is a floodplain fish, and it struggles in the alkaline conditions that suit its relatives.

Caring for the Sepik rainbowfish

Sepik rainbowfish are fast, active swimmers that cruise the middle of the tank all day. Give them at least 55 gal (208 L) with a long footprint, around 120 cm or more. Plant the back and sides densely and leave open swimming space down the middle.

Keep the water soft, at 79 to 86°F (26 to 30°C) and a pH of 6.2 to 6.8. They are strictly freshwater fish, so never keep them in alkaline, salted or brackish water. Add a little current and keep oxygen levels high. Feed a varied diet of quality flakes or small pellets, plus frozen foods such as daphnia and bloodworms.

Keep a group of six or more, with at least two to three females per male. The extra females spread out aggression and bring out the males' color. They are mostly peaceful but can dominate smaller or more timid rainbowfish, so pair them with robust tank mates of a similar size.

Sepik rainbowfish spawn continuously, scattering eggs into fine-leaved plants over and over rather than in one batch. Spawning is the easy part once they are well fed. The eggs hatch into tiny fry, and growing those out is where most keepers get stuck. Overall, breeding them rates medium in difficulty.

Good to know

The Sepik rainbowfish, Glossolepis multisquamata, belongs to the rainbowfish family Melanotaeniidae. It also goes by the name multisquamata rainbow. It lives a long time for an aquarium fish, up to around 10 years.

In the wild

Sepik rainbowfish come from the river floodplains of northern New Guinea. They live across the Sepik, Ramu and Mamberamo systems, in Papua New Guinea and Western Papua, Indonesia. These floodplain waters are warm, soft and slightly acidic.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Sepik rainbowfish is a mostly 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 Sepik rainbowfish need?

A Sepik rainbowfish needs at least 55 gal (208 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Sepik rainbowfish need?

A Sepik rainbowfish is comfortable at 79–86°F (26–30°C) with a pH of 6.2–6.8.

What does a Sepik rainbowfish eat?

A Sepik rainbowfish eats a varied diet of quality flakes or small pellets. Add frozen foods such as daphnia and bloodworms.

How big does a Sepik rainbowfish get?

An adult Sepik rainbowfish reaches about 5.5 in (14 cm).

Does a Sepik rainbowfish need a group?

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

How does a Sepik rainbowfish breed?

Sepik rainbowfish spawn again and again, laying eggs in fine-leaved plants rather than in a single batch. Raising the tiny fry is the hard part, and breeding rates medium overall.

Related species