Susi rainbowfish

Melanotaenia susii

Also known as Susi Creek rainbowfish, Susii Creek rainbow

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–84°F (24–29°C)
pH: 6.8–8.0
Adult size: 5.5 in (14 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Bird's Head Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia
Family: Melanotaeniidae

Overview

A big rainbowfish that wants length above all, kept in a school of six or more in a long tank where the group can really move. It is peaceful for its size and mixes well with other large, calm fish such as bigger rainbowfishes, robust barbs, and peaceful catfish. Feed it generously on a varied diet of flake and granules with frozen bloodworm, daphnia, and brine shrimp. Give a group at least 160 liters, and the longer the tank the better a full-grown school will look.

In the wild

The Susi rainbowfish comes from Susi Creek on the Bird's Head Peninsula, a clear karst stream close to the creek that gives the related Klasio rainbowfish its name. Keep it in neutral to alkaline, moderately hard water at a pH of 6.8 to 8.0 and 24 to 29 degrees Celsius, with steady flow, a sandy bottom, and open swimming space for a large, active school.

Good to know

Melanotaenia susii, family Melanotaeniidae, was described in 2015 as one of eight new rainbowfishes from the Bird's Head Region, and at about 14 centimeters it is one of the largest of those recent discoveries. Breeding is of medium difficulty, in the usual rainbowfish way of scattering adhesive eggs onto fine plants or spawning mops over several days.

Did you know

It and the Klasio Creek rainbowfish live in separate karst creeks only a short distance apart on the Bird's Head Peninsula, two distinct species divided by the region's underground limestone plumbing.