Oh that does look like my fish! I thought I bought a boesemani. Which is what I paid for
maybe a baby one, it does not look like a madagascanOh that does look like my fish! I thought I bought a boesemani. Which is what I paid for
Thank you! I don’t mind not getting the right fish, but I paid a lot more for a supposed boesemani. Like 5 times more.Not Melanotaenia boesemani.
Possibly a hybrid or true species from the Australian Melanotaenia splendida group. (Melanotaenia splendida splendida, M. s. inornata, M. s. tatei). You will have to wait 12 months before they are full grown and show adult colouration.
The following link has all the known rainbowfishes from Australia and New Guinea.
Melanotaeniidae and Pseudomugilidae
A website dedicated to Rainbowfishes of Australia and New Guinearainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au
Unless you buy true species of rainbowfish from reputable suppliers, you can end up with anything, including hybrids that are quite common in America and Europe.
The last picture shows a young male above and a young female below.
Hopefully they’ll give me credit towards my next purchase. The two of them get along and swim with each other all the time. 
www.seriouslyfish.com
Haha I like your enthusiasm! I’ll call tomorrow and ask. But I’ve learned unless you go to a reputable dealer the people at big commercial stores usually have no clue. And even the private places are clueless about things. I picked out a boesemani in the tank but whoever scooped got the wrong one. Then I also didn’t look good at the bag but it’s hard to tell once they’re in bags. I knew once I got it home it wasn’t right. But she’s taken a liking to the tank.Melanotaenia splendida splendida (Eastern Rainbowfish)
There are currently 4 described subspecies of Melanotaenia splendida. The principle differences are generally in colour, pattern and fin counts, although even these vary depending on the locality of the fish. M s. splendida in particular also exhibits a wide variation in colour and patterning...
I would complain to the store, they have misled you. Maybe get a refund? Then never return!
About 4 inches unless you put them in a huge pond or tank. The biggest I have seen were 5 inches and they were wild caught straight out of a river. The size includes the tail.
