Common name(s): Western rainbowfish

Scientific name: Melanotaenia australis

Family: Melanotaeniidae

Origin: Western and north-western Australia

Maximum size: 4” (10cm)

Care: These rainbows are very fast swimmers and tank of at least 40” is needed. Provide large plants for them to hide and swim through. They originate from streams and rivers so a high flow and oxygen is needed. They do fine in temperatures of 21*C – 26*C.

Feeding: They should take dry food like flake but supplement with frozen and live food. They especially love bloodworm.

Breeding and sexing: Males are a lot more colourful than the females who often have plain fins. Females produce about 150 eggs. Fry hatch in about a week.

Comments: They need to be in shoals, they shoal tightly. They can sometimes be seen shoaling with other similar sized fish. They use all levels of the tank and are good dither fish.

I keep mine with pearl danios, leopard danios, weather loaches and a male Geophagus brasiliensis in a 400litre tank. (Not finished stocking)

Male:



Female:

Mine are about 2, 2.5 inches. ( 5 - 6.5 cm)

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