Rainbow Fish

[tom130691]

done some reading but i require some more info
will they survive on flake as they dont seem to like it much?
do they have any special requirements ?
what fish go well with these?
i am debating breeding them but need Java moss or similar any info on this would be usefull

tank is 64 litre they only two fish in it atm aprox 2cm each

 

[Wills]

Rainbow fish are a type of shoaling fish, there are many varieties and species of rainbow fish. Some are suitable for your 64ltr tank but there are some that grow to quite a decent size like the reds or the bosmani.

The smaller ones like the dwarf neon, threadfinned or forktailed could work in your tank and stay around 2 inches. But the bigger ones are mature at 5-6 inches and need at least a 4 foot tank. The thing that both need is schools of at least 5, they also need weekly water changes of around 50% as they are quite delicate to nitrates. As far as I know flake is okay but as with all fish a varied diet is always good

With the breeding if its the larger species you have your going to need a bigger tank and wait till they get to adult size if its the smaller its possible in your tank but quite hard as they are egg scatterers which is what the moss is for but if the parents or other fish see the eggs they will eat them.

So yeah let us know which species these are

 

[tom130691]

Rainbow fish are a type of shoaling fish, there are many varieties and species of rainbow fish. Some are suitable for your 64ltr tank but there are some that grow to quite a decent size like the reds or the bosmani.

The smaller ones like the dwarf neon, threadfinned or forktailed could work in your tank and stay around 2 inches. But the bigger ones are mature at 5-6 inches and need at least a 4 foot tank. The thing that both need is schools of at least 5, they also need weekly water changes of around 50% as they are quite delicate to nitrates. As far as I know flake is okay but as with all fish a varied diet is always good

With the breeding if its the larger species you have your going to need a bigger tank and wait till they get to adult size if its the smaller its possible in your tank but quite hard as they are egg scatterers which is what the moss is for but if the parents or other fish see the eggs they will eat them.

So yeah let us know which species these are

mine are one of the smaller i cant remember the name i no the males have red fins and more colour than females that have yellow/orange fins shows a few different colours in the light so i guessing its neons
also in the shop it said max size 5-7cm

i have a separate empty 15litre tank i can use for keeping the eggs and fry safe

as for the schools they only had like 5-6 in the shop mixed in with some other fish may have been platys not sure thought will the school with other schooling fish ?
this explains there behaviour one was hiding alot other was racing about then they found each other and not go around not far from each other

 

[tom130691]

pic of the one i think is male

 

[Wills]

Ah cool they sound like the dwarf neons which is good news. Like I said they are a schooling fish, and with schooling fish they need to be kept with their own species you cant really mix schooling fish of different species. If you can I would try and track down an other 4-6 of them, your tank is about 15 gallons so you still have room to add in a few more fish. Though if you want to try and breed them get a bigger school the more confident and happy they are the more likely they are to breed. In your tank you could probably go upto 12/13 of them the bigger schools look amazing and natural as well especially with all that blue just stunning!

Wills

 

[tom130691]

ok mate there a pic now lol
and i dont just want a tank so these tbh but i could get a few more to make a small school then get some bottem feeders and eventualy a pleco or sumthing when the tank has matured

 

[minxfishy]

Yep they are Melanotaenia praecox (Dwarf neon rainbowfish) and as Wills has pointed out, they need to be in a group of 6 minimum really to be happy, as they are shoaling species and can be skittish if not in a large enough group. The 64L is large enough for that size group, with some corydoras for bottom dwellers.

They arent particularly picky food eaters, but they do require vegetables in their diet, either via veggie wafers or things like lettuce, cucumber, peas etc, plus being rainbowfish they need 50% water changes once a week to keep them healthy.

 

[drobbyb]

You are right that they need more than just flake. Sure, they can survive on tropical flakes, but they really need about 60% vegetable matter in their diet. This can be achieved by feeding a high quality spirulina flake as well as cooked shelled peas. Only feed frozen foods once or twice a week as the animal protein can block their intestines resulting in bloat.

The picture is a male for sure. You need to keep at least 6 rainbows because they like the company of their own kind, and need the interaction to be healthy.

Success in rainbows requires a few things: 50% waterchanges every week at a minimum, a varied nutritious diet, and at least 6 members in the group. As long as these needs are met, they will live for a long time and provide you with many hours of enjoyment.


I see Minx has beat me to the punch! Grr...I need faster typing skills!

 

[tom130691]

ok i will chop the end of the cucumber up for them lol was going to do this any ways but wasnt sure if they would eat it
will get my hands on some more next week probably another 2 as it is a new tank and i think it may still be cycling and i dont want to cause an ammonia spike this is why i only got 2 in the first place

how do i feed cucumber just stick the end in? slices? or chop it up into smaller parts?
as for peas when my mate over does them for his dinner ill nick them

and the other will deffo be female then fins are yellow and is not as wide (did the reading)
hence asking about breeding a little family of these is growing on me and possibly even sell a few fry as a few extra ££ for a "skint" student

 

[drobbyb]

I breed rainbows. If you want a detailed rundown of how to do it, check out this thread found here.

 

[tom130691]

I breed rainbows. If you want a detailed rundown of how to do it, check out this thread found here.

added to favourites for future reference

one last question any fish i shouldn't put in the tank with rainbows?

 

[drobbyb]

Rainbows go well with most community fish. They are really fast fish so they can get out of the way of another fish that may be trying to nip them. Each fish will have it's own personality and behavior patterns. They work on a hierarchy with one dominant male and subordinate males. If you are going to have both sexes you should have more girls than boys. Otherwise the males will harass the females trying to mate, sometimes to the point of death.

Edited to add this website found here. Very good information there. Has species profiles and pictures for every known species as well as care and breeding.

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

how do i feed cucumber just stick the end in? slices? or chop it up into smaller parts?
as for peas when my mate over does them for his dinner ill nick them

Get a 'screwcumber' from ebay (they go for about £4) Screwcumber My pleco loves it!

 

[tom130691]

how do i feed cucumber just stick the end in? slices? or chop it up into smaller parts?
as for peas when my mate over does them for his dinner ill nick them

Get a 'screwcumber' from ebay (they go for about £4) Screwcumber My pleco loves it!

cheer mate i broke my paypal 2day though i think lol
i put some cucumber in last night just the soft centre bit it was floating around they went bothered woke up today all gone

 

[GAB99]

i thought snce M. praecox was so active it needed more than 15 gallons, i forget who but some people said my shoal of 6 was too big for my 20? doesnt matter now though if you check out my thread.

sorry for hijacking just 1 quick question, how long do they have to be by themselves to start showing any detrimental effects? im stocking M. boesemani and i only have 2 at the moment