Best website for accurate information on everything fish?

[Byron]

The difference being there is a fish called The Australian Rainbow, but as far as I know there isn't a fish called The South American Tetra

There is no fish called the Australian Rainbow. This is not a scientific species name, so it is totally irrelevant. So is the name "neon tetra" for that matter. It just so happens that enough people "assume" neon tetra refers to Paracheirodon innesi, but that does not make it any sort of formal name. In North America, "cardinal tetra" is generally a common name for P. axelrodi, but in Europe this fish is (or used to be) known as the red neon, not the cardinal. The similar species P. simulans is called false neon and green neon. More than once I have seen hobbyists get these names mixed up with "green fire tetra" which seems more often to be used for a totally different fish, Aphyocharax rathbuni, but they thought it was P. simulans.

 

[itiwhetu]

Thank you, Byron. I was trying to help some of the new members to this hobby. But that is not what this forum site is about obviously. I am sure that anyone who calls there fish a Rainbow will find your post helpful.

 

[Colin_T]

A lot of shops do sell rainbowfish as Australian rainbows, and it can include any species of rainbowfish. Neon tetras are neon tetras all around the world. But rainbowfish tend to get dumped into one name and called Australian rainbows. This can be a problem for beginners who buy some "Australian rainbowfish" from their local pet shop and end up with something from New Guinea or a species that comes from soft water or extremely hard water or even brackish water.

Perhaps seriously fish could put a note in with Australian rainbowfish to mention it is a common name that shouldn't be used because it covers too many species from different water chemistries, or something like that.