Western rainbowfish

Care at a glance

Overview

Western rainbowfish are hardy, active schoolers that do well in a group of six or more, with extra males adding to the color and fin displays. They swim in the middle of the tank and stay peaceful with other sturdy community fish of similar size. They adapt to a range of conditions and reward good feeding with brighter color, so offer varied meals of flake or pellet, frozen bloodworms, daphnia, and brine shrimp. Plant the sides and back and keep the center open for swimming. Aim for a tank around 115 liters or larger.

In the wild

This rainbowfish is widespread across northwestern Australia, including the Kimberley and Pilbara, where it lives in streams, gorges, pools, and billabongs that can range from clear to seasonal and turbid. It takes warm, neutral to slightly hard water, matching a pH of about 6.5 to 8 and a temperature between 22 and 27 degrees Celsius. Recreate it with fine substrate, rock and wood, hardy plants around the edges, and clean water with gentle flow.

Good to know

Melanotaenia australis is a member of Melanotaeniidae and grows to around 12 centimeters. It is a variable fish, with color differing between the many river and gorge systems it occupies across northwestern Australia. Males are deeper bodied and more colorful than females. Like other rainbowfish it is a continuous egg-scatterer, laying a few eggs a day onto fine plants and mops over a long season, with the slow-growing fry making breeding hard.

Did you know

The western rainbowfish is one of the most widespread freshwater fish in northwestern Australia, turning up in everything from permanent gorge pools to creeks that all but dry up in the dry season. Each isolated system tends to hold its own color form.

Related species

• 

  Duboulayi's rainbowfish

  Melanotaenia duboulayi

  4.7 in (12 cm)30 gal (115 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)

• 

  New Guinea rainbowfish

  Melanotaenia affinis

  4.7 in (12 cm)30 gal (115 L)68–86°F (20–30°C)

• 

  Australian rainbowfish

  Melanotaenia fluviatilis

  4.3 in (11 cm)30 gal (115 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)

• 

  Boeseman's rainbowfish

  Melanotaenia boesemani

  4.3 in (11 cm)30 gal (115 L)81–86°F (27–30°C)

• 

  Lake Kutubu rainbowfish

  Melanotaenia lacustris

  4.3 in (11 cm)29 gal (110 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)

• 

  Black-banded rainbowfish

  Melanotaenia nigrans

  3.9 in (10 cm)32 gal (120 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)