Madagascar Rainbow

[jonny5]

when it comes to medium sized schooling fish for brackish its the black banded rainbow and the madagascar rainbow that i have really only found via online resources. I know alot of other rainbows can do well in low brackish but i was wondering if the madagascar would go well with archers at around 1004-1.006sg or is it still best to keep it at a 1.002-1.003sg range?

 

[nmonks]

Melanotaenia nigrans tolerates rather than enjoys brackish water. I wouldn't keep it -- or any other Melanotaenia species -- above SG 1.003 at 25 C/77 F. You are correct that "hardy" rainbowfish species, especially Melanotaenia fluviatilis and Melanotaenia splendida, can do well in low-end brackish water conditions. But keeping them at a high specific gravity will shorten their lives.

Madagascar rainbowfish aren't brackish water fish either. It's debatable whether they should be kept in brackish water at all. In the wild they inhabit rainforest streams and the like. They will certainly tolerate SG 1.003 at 25 C/77 F, but it's not ideal. The same is true for Celebes rainbowfish, incidentally.

There are better options for schooling fish in brackish water systems. In smaller tanks glassfish, Limia, mollies, guppies and wrestling halfbeaks would work. At SG 1.003 or less, there are even some barbs, notably Puntius ticto for small tanks and Puntius filamentosus for bigger systems.

Cheers, Neale

when it comes to medium sized schooling fish for brackish its the black banded rainbow and the madagascar rainbow that i have really only found via online resources. I know alot of other rainbows can do well in low brackish but i was wondering if the madagascar would go well with archers at around 1004-1.006sg or is it still best to keep it at a 1.002-1.003sg range?

 

[jonny5]

ah ty for the info neal, seing as that pushing the SG to about .003 more than that fish would like and the fact that it comes from mountain streams, i will not be purchasing it for the purpose of brackish. Now if only i could find a beareded worm goby, whiptail banjo catfish, and a freshwater demoiselle or damnsel hehe