Rainbowfish Suggestions

i'm wanting a school of rainbows to add to my new tank. I really love their colors and tiny heads. but which kind will be best? I also need tips from people who have kept these before. unfortunately most of the rainbows i've seen around here go for $10, and i'm not keen on spending $100 for a school of 10. are there possibly any generally cheaper ones?

my water is hard and basic, and the tank will be 79 degrees. it's a 75 gallon.

 

I'm keeping forktail rainbows. I got them at the LFS during a half-off sale--- otherwise, like you say, super expensive. Aquatic Arts has them for somewhat lower prices, still not cheap: . I ordered plants from them and was happy with the results, haven't done fish though.

 

I have BosemanI rainbows, cheapest I've seen so far, but they're $10 each

 

I'm keeping forktail rainbows. I got them at the LFS during a half-off sale--- otherwise, like you say, super expensive. Aquatic Arts has them for somewhat lower prices, still not cheap: . I ordered plants from them and was happy with the results, haven't done fish though.

I have BosemanI rainbows, cheapest I've seen so far, but they're $10 each

that's a shame. I really want these guys, but I don't even think I want to pay $60 for a group of 6. maybe (hopefully) I'll see some good deals at my LFS later on.

 

that's a shame. I really want these guys, but I don't even think I want to pay $60 for a group of 6. maybe (hopefully) I'll see some good deals at my LFS later on.

Keep in mind, with rainbows, you don’t need 6 of each kind. You can get by on just a couple of each. Just so long as you end up with a decent sized school. As long as you have 6-8 of the same “body shape” you should be good. Just don’t try to breed different species.

 

Keep in mind, with rainbows, you don’t need 6 of each kind. You can get by on just a couple of each. Just so long as you end up with a decent sized school. As long as you have 6-8 of the same “body shape” you should be good. Just don’t try to breed different species.

oh really? that's cool! I'll look into that. i'm a big fan of boesemanI and turquoise, if I can ever find a good deal I'll look into that

 

oh really? that's cool! I'll look into that. i'm a big fan of boesemanI and turquoise, if I can ever find a good deal I'll look into that

Also consider threadfins. Although, they are a different body shape, so they won’t really school together. I only have two and they seem ok, but I want more! They are amazing. I don’t remember what I pad for mine. But I will add to them as room in my tank opens up. Sadly, I am way overstocked at the moment.

 

Yes rainbows are one of the few fish that will school across different species.

oh really? that's cool! I'll look into that. i'm a big fan of boesemanI and turquoise, if I can ever find a good deal I'll look into that

Find a petco where they'll never get sold, have them order some fish for you. Wait 5 months then they half the prices. (Totally joking by the way, that would be majorly frowned upon)

 

I currently keep BoesemanI and Turquoise bows (3 of each).

In a 75 gallon tank you could totally keep 8-10 Melanotaenia (Personally I would do 2 boesemani, 2 Turquoise, 2 Red Iranian, 2 AxelrodI (yellow), and 2 Coen River).
In addition to that you could have a school of 15-20 Pseudomugil (Blue-eye) rainbows, I personally like the Furcata (forktails) and Gertrudae (Spotted).

Be weary of where and what kind of BoesemanI you buy. There are multiple strains and they won't all color up the same.

Also, no... they are not cheap. If you find them cheap... you should be wondering why they're cheap and steer clear, as there is no shortage of demand for rainbows.

 

as much as I love them, I don't have that much money to spare on them. I guess I'll have to look at something else

 

Another option is to ask about rainbow breeders here.

I trust the quality of what I buy here from other hobbyists much more than a big box store or a random ebay seller.

You may find someone who breeds them here who might give you a break if you really want them.

 

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/irian-red-rainbowfish-price-reduced.394098/

Looks like you can get a whole school from Alex Pasquale.

I'm not sure where you live, but local Aquarium Club's may have auctions or things like that.

I checked out an auction near me that had a ton of rainbowfish through local hobbyist breeders.

 

Oh his fish are beautiful, I would highly recommend him and I'm pretty sure the pair he bred was wild caught. That means your fry would be some first strain rainbows

 

I live in oklahoma, and i'm not sure if there are any aquarium clubs or breeders near me. I kinda want to shy away from ordering online.

I remember there was this LFS I saw that had a whole bunch of cichlids, maybe I could go check that out. but most likely they won't have them any cheaper.

 

I live in oklahoma, and i'm not sure if there are any aquarium clubs or breeders near me. I kinda want to shy away from ordering online.

I remember there was this LFS I saw that had a whole bunch of cichlids, maybe I could go check that out. but most likely they won't have them any cheaper.

I've never had a fish die that I've ordered online. Have had 5 die from LFS. Just some food for thought.

Finding a group would take a little research.

My Cockatoo dwarf cichlids were 17.50 a piece. Double the amount of any rainbow I've ever bought.

 

You have access to much better quality fish if you go through local breeders or breeders online. I rarely have deaths with those I buy directly and I see the full lifespan of the fish which is generally half to 3/4 for store bought.

PM sent btw

 

Here's a good way to look at ordering online if you're worried. An lfs will not be hard pressed to buy and sell the healthiest fish as they can take losses. A breeder with a live arrival guarantee though, will want to send you the healthiest fish they can because they can't take the loss of replacing it for you as well as an lfs would

 

Haven't used Sarcasm Included personally, but the next fish I buy will be from him. Even waiting for them to be ready. He seems to know his stuff.

 

the problem is that I am under my parents' roof, and they have a thing against ordering online, unless it's amazon or ebay. I'll see if I can reason with them. I also don't make my own money (I would if I could) so I can't afford a whole lot.

sorry that i'm being a bother, if it were up to me, I would order online.

 

the problem is that I am under my parents' roof, and they have a thing against ordering online, unless it's amazon or ebay. I'll see if I can reason with them. I also don't make my own money (I would if I could) so I can't afford a whole lot.

sorry that i'm being a bother, if it were up to me, I would order online.

Totally understand, I have the exact same situation here. So I just ask my grandparent that live a mile up the road to order them, then I smuggle them home after school

 

the problem is that I am under my parents' roof, and they have a thing against ordering online, unless it's amazon or ebay. I'll see if I can reason with them. I also don't make my own money (I would if I could) so I can't afford a whole lot.

sorry that i'm being a bother, if it were up to me, I would order online.

Fair enough! That makes a lot more sense. If they say no I'd try to find a local hobby group/auction.

 

Fair enough! That makes a lot more sense. If they say no I'd try to find a local hobby group/auction.

maybe I should have said something earlier, sorry about that. I'll see if I can find any (time to do my homework)

Totally understand, I have the exact same situation here. So I just ask my grandparent that live a mile up the road to order them, then I smuggle them home after school

lol!

 

maybe I should have said something earlier, sorry about that. I'll see if I can find any (time to do my homework)lol!

No need to apologize, just trying to help an aspiring rainbow enthusiast!

 

maybe if I can get a summer job or start breeding the fish I have (planning to breed gouramis soon) I can buy the rainbows at the normal store price, (still considering the other options of course)

also, one more question, will turquoise rainbows do alright in 79 degrees? I heard somewhere that they like it slightly cooler.

thanks for all the help!

 

I keep all of my rainbows in a 76 degree tank, but they should fare just fine in your 79 degree tank.