Any Rainbowfish Folks out there?
Rainbowfish are excellent community (or species) tank fish, and a bit more unusual with their double-dorsal fins — one feature I’ve always enjoyed about them. While most are very nicely colored, there are some great looking ones available, however most get too large for your 29 gallon tank when you consider how active they remain.
One exceptionally colored species, and one of my favorites is Melanotaenia trifasciata Goyder River, the latter part of the name referring to the location it’s found in, in Northeastern Australia, but again, you would need a larger tank.
Another all-time favorite Rainbowfish of mine, which I first obtained in 1954, is the Dwarf Australian Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia maccullochi, which gets to just shy of 3″; this is one species I’d recommend to you for your 29 gallon. Also going by several other common names (Queensland Rainbowfish, MacCulloch’s Rainbowfish, Seven- Line Rainbowfish, etc.), it’s found in both Northeastern Australia and southern New Guinea, there are at least five different locations of this fish in the hobby, although the one I like best is from Cairn’s with my second best choice being the Jardine River. These put all others to shame.
One other recommendation for your 29 gallon tank is the Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish, M. praecox which is slightly smaller. It does not have as wide of distribution, being only found so far in two closely located rivers of northern Irian Jaya (West Papua, New Guinea), so you don’t need to be as vigilant when seeking out this species. Ray
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
