capekate

Hi Folks
I stopped in Petsmart today and brought home three australian rainbowfish. I thought they were pretty neat looking with the faint coloring they showed in the store. I didnt know too much about them so only picked up three today, but will go back and get three more since I read that they are a schooling fish.
I have them in the Discus tank where the temp is around 82-84*. I hope they will do ok at that temp? Any advice on these fish? I did read that they are a peaceful fish and so far they are getting along fine with the Discus. Just have to see how they get along with the cardinal tetras.
I also saw the buenos Airs (sp?) tetras. ( black diamond). It was a toss up between the two species. I really liked the black diamond and red on the tail of the tetras. But opted for the rainbow fish instead this time.

~ kate

jack11

Hi congrats on the new fish, we see them down under alot, some info for you:

max size: 3.5-4.5"
PH: 6.5-7.5
Recommended temp: 72-79 F
peaceful and spends most of time in the middle third of the tank.

did u put them in your 55 or 29G? you may need to drop the temp down unless u feel that it could harm your discus.

Jack

Tom

Which rainbows did you get, they all come from Australia? Which breed exactly? They can range from 2-6" depending on species.
Tom

jack11

tom you are right, in Australia Melanotaenia fluviatilis is commonly called the Australian Rainbowfish, however on liveaquaria the Melanotaenia splendida is called the Australain Raibowfish. either way i think kate needs to lower the temp or move them to a different tank.

Jack

Tom

I had a few different rainbows in water that was about 85F and they were really active.
Tom

capekate

Thanks for the replies!

The species is called,melanotaenia Splendida Australias. Which in my research, the western splendid photo shows my rainbows. The three seem to be very happy in the 55g Discus tank and swimming all around and being active. Its amazing that all inhabitants are getting along great including the cardinal tetras with these rainbow fish. I see no signs of distress at the temp they are in even tho I read they can do well from 72*-82*. They range in size from largest which looks like a male. I read that the mature male has a slight hump on his back, which this one has. He has wonderful color as well. He is about 2 inches in size. The next one in size is a teeny bit smaller that that and more slim lined with not much color yet. And the smallest is about 1.5 inches and still a young'n. I really like the characteristics of these guys and will go and get three more as soon as I know they will do well in that tank.
since my 29g tank is also home to more discus, I cannot lower the temp there either. And I wouldnt put them in with my angel fish. So Im hoping they will do well in the 55g. The seem like they like swimming all around from top to bottom and in and out of plants. Im very happy with this species of fish. I will take photos of them soon.

~ kate

capekate

This is an online photo of what my largest rainbow looks like.


http://members.optusnet.com.au/aquat...BarronR_NA.jpg

capekate

I just took this photo of the largest rainbow in the tank. I believe it is a male.

~ kate

Attached Images

rainbowfish.jpg.jpg (152.8 KB, 17 views)

boff

Hi the Splendida are a excelent choice of rainbow ,i wish i could get some .The one in your picture is a male ,but you will have to keep a eye on the others to see what sex they are ,i dont know if you know that you will need 1-2 females to each male, if you dont the males will hassel the female to death .
I dont think you will have any problems with keeping discus with rainbows i have seen lots of pictures of them together ,the good thing is where you have to do lots of water changes for the discus the rainbows will love it and show there best colours .

capekate

Hi Boff,
Thanks so much for the reply. It is encouraging to hear that they will do fine with the Discus. I have not witnessed any aggression to other fish by these guys and I really do like their personalities. I did some reading on them and found that the males tend to be more rounder with that slight hump on their back, so I assumed that the largest one was a male. From my other photos in the rainbow photo section you will see the others. I believe the slim lined one is a female and the smallest is still hard to tell yet, but it may be a male, still not sure. So far the three have been getting along great.. swimming together and playing in and out of the plants and thru the bubbles. I am looking forward to getting more and I will look and try to get more females in the next batch.

~ kate

boff

Yes rainbows seem to get along with all types of fish ,the only aggression that i have seen with mine is sparing with each other that does get a bit heated at times but soon calmes down .I did look at the other pictures and i think you are right about having a male and female but its diffecalt to say about the smaller one .
How many more were you thinking of getting because it seems like me you are gettting addicted to rainbows ,have a look at this site they have some amazing rainbows (thatfishshop.com) i am gutted because i live in the UK and its very hard to get good quility fish like these ones ,all the best boff.

capekate

LOL Boff... you are right! I am getting addicted to these rainbow fish and want lots more!! hahah... I have checked out that site and wow!! Those are some great fish there and a great assortment. I would like at least three or four more of the species that I already have and then a few more of another type. I am always hesitant on buying online for the reason the shipping costs so much and I really do not have a lot of extra money to spend so try and look around at what is available locally first.

~ kate

boff

I know what you mean about the shipping charges ,ime the same cant afford it but where i live on a small island don't get much choice and the shop owners don't have a clue about the rainbows they have ,so i might have to bite the bullet and order some to breed with and then sell them to them .

capekate

Hi Boff,
Thats too bad you are so limited in your choices, living on an island. That site you sent me, had some really gorgeous rainbows there. Are you going to order them from there? I would like to at some time myself when money gets available.

~ kate

boff

I would love to get some from them but i live in the UK so that's out the window .I was talking to a guy the other day online who gets his from Germany he said the fish were wild caught but are expensive, but i don't know if i want to take the chance of getting ripped off with just farm breed fish ,so i need to research this guy first .

capekate

Hi Boff,
Good luck on getting those rainbows. Are the wild caught better than the farm rasied? I thought that the wild caught fish were more sensitive to our tanks than ones that are farm raised in tanks. Also heard that the wild caught show off more color??

~ kate

boff

Hi wild caught rainbows are more sensitive and take a lot of looking after but you are reworded with there bright colours .The trouble with tank breed fish is take the Boesmans with every generation breed in tanks there colour gets weaker and weaker .

capekate

Thanks Boff,
I did hear that they were more sensitive. Considering they are wild caught I would imagine they would be.
I went to Petsmart on saturday and brought home 6 more rainbows. One didnt make it past day one but the others are all doing great. After observing them for awhile I believe I only have one mature male and possibly one immature male. All the others are females. Which is too bad, since it seems its the males that have more color. Now the one mature male thinks he has quite the harem going. lol.. I thought I would see a lot of swimming around all parts of the tank, like the original three were doing. But since bringing them home, all the females congregate at one spot at the surface. They have grouped together in solidarity against the one male. I do see them swimming around a bit especially at mealtimes and I love all the action in the 55g tank now. Now I am hoping that my xmas wish list of money for new fish will be met. I want to take a trip to a fish store off cape and look for a few more of the unusual rainbows or will have to break down and order online. Yesterday I took the one german blue ram that I have left and put him into the 55g with all the other more active fish there and I think he is very happy. He was in the 29 with the two slow swimming discus and I think he was getting pretty bored lol.
I want to look for a few more GBRs as well when I go off cape.

~ kate