In the picture book "The Rainbow Fish", he's the most beautiful of all fish. Among aquarium enthusiasts, however, the rainbowfish is still somewhat of a hidden gem. For its iridescent beauty is revealed only when the ornamental fish feels completely at ease. This article will tell you how to make the colourful fish perfectly content.
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The stunning colours of rainbowfish only become visible when they feel completely at ease.
In the pet shop, the stunning rainbowfish often gets overlooked amidst other fish species. They truly live up to their name when they grow up and feel totally comfortable in their surroundings. Otherwise, their appearance is dull and colourless.
Adult rainbowfish show their best side when cared for by loving aquarists. Magnificent, shimmering, vibrant colours are a sign of their well-being. The intensity of the colour varies throughout the day and according to mood, so fish enthusiasts can discover new nuances when they peek into the aquarium.
The bodies of rainbowfish are, on average, four to twelve centimetres long and laterally compressed. They have large eyes, a pointed mouth, and the iridescent scales are large, making them quite visible. What’s more, rainbowfish are distinguished by a two-part dorsal fin.
There are around 100 species of rainbowfish, each with many different colour variations. A notable example is the Diamond rainbowfish with its neon-blue body and red fins. Another popular choice is the Boeseman’s rainbowfish, whose front half gleams bluish, while the rear part of the body shines in a strong orange.
In most species, the females are similarly coloured to the males. However, the ladies often appear less colourful than the gents.
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Unlike in the picture book, the real-life rainbowfish doesn’t live in the ocean but can be kept in a freshwater aquarium. The most important requirements for their species-appropriate care are plenty of space to swim, hiding spots, and companionship.
As the colourful ornamental fish is very active and dislikes solitude, the bigger the aquarium, the better. Small rainbowfish are comfortably housed in an 80-centimetre tank. Larger species, however, require at least 120 centimetres to move around effortlessly.
Rainbowfish adore eating. However, their pointed fish mouths are smaller than their appetites. Therefore, the fish food should not be too large.
When it comes to portions, less is more, to prevent the greedy fish from getting too round. Feed adult fish once daily and consider having a fasting day each week.
Since the rainbowfish is an omnivore, you can offer it a varied diet with frozen food, dry food, and live food. Adult fish also need a higher plant content in their diet, which can be satisfied with vegetables like spinach or peas.
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Rainbowfish like nothing more than eating and swimming. Nonetheless, the striking fish have a calm and peaceful nature. Only in the mornings during mating season does the aquarium come to life.
This commotion, however, has its advantages. For it is during this time that the colours of this extraordinary water creature come into their most brilliant display.
Keeping rainbowfish with their species in the aquarium will make their scales shimmer. In a community tank, these swimming beauties get along best with other peaceful and preferably similarly-sized species. Ideal tankmates include different rainbowfish species.
However, with non-conspecific fish, ensure all inhabitants of your aquarium get enough food; the rainbowfish is known to be gluttonous and won’t hesitate to snatch food away from others.
For seasoned aquarists, breeding rainbowfish is quite straightforward. It is most successful with a pair or a surplus of females.
Most species of rainbowfish spawn daily. However, parents typically eat the offspring. Hence, densely planted areas in the aquarium increase the chances of young fish surviving. For more targeted breeding, you can also transfer spawn-ridden plants to a breeding tank.
All rainbowfish species can interbreed with each other. To prevent so-called hybrids, aim for as pure a breed as possible.
When purchasing rainbowfish, pay attention to the general condition of the fish: Do they have a curved spine? Are they emaciated? Are the fins frayed? Such fish are often from mass breeding and thus prone to diseases.
Species-appropriate raised, and carefully bred rainbowfish can, with good care and maintenance, live for over ten years.
If you’re looking to purchase rainbowfish and are in search of particularly unique species, you might find the selection at pet shops quite limited, given the diversity of rainbowfish species.
Greater success might come from contacting other aquarists. In the International Rainbowfish Association (IRG), numerous fans of the colourful swimmers have joined forces to exchange them amongst each other and breed them in a species-appropriate manner.
Moreover, at regional aquatic or ornamental fish exchanges, you can sometimes meet breeders who not only offer fair prices and short transportation routes but also healthy fish.
Rainbowfish are found in nature in northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, and some smaller islands in between. In these locations, the freshwater fish inhabit streams and lakes.
There is an astonishing variety of these iridescent ornamental fish because their distribution is often limited to individual bodies of water.
Many of these waters are difficult to access or are in unexplored areas. It is therefore probable that not all species of these fascinating fish have been discovered yet.
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