Melanotaenia splendida australis
| Common Names: | Western Rainbow |
| Synonyms: | Neoatherina australis |
| Family: | Melanotaeniidae |
| Category: | Rainbowfish |
| Distribution: | Australia; Northwestern Australia |
| Main Ecosystem: | Stream; Stream |
| Temperament: | Schooling; Keep in groups of at least three, preferably six or more. They will add colour and movement to the aquarium. |
| Diet: | Ominvore; Ominvore |
| Care: | Should be a fed a high-quality flake food with some live food such as mosquito larvae once in a while. Make sure they have some kind of vegetable matter, be it algae, lettuce, plants, or etc. Do not tolerate nitrite well. These fish should not be used to cycle a tank. Fairly hardy. These fish like well-oxygenated water and fairly cool temperatures. Strong jumpers - aquarium should be tightly covered. |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 10cm (3.9") Female: 10cm (3.9") |
| Water Region: | Middle, Surface; Middle-Surface |
| Activity: | Diurnal; Diurnal |
| Gender: | Females bodies are deeper, males are slimmer. |
| Breeding: | Plant spawners. These fish will spawn on plants and/or spawning mops regularly. The eggs are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. Remove the spawning mops after spawning has happened, as the fish will come back later and eat the eggs. Place the mop in a seperate container, with a very low current. Fry will hatch over a period of up to two weeks. Feed the fry on the finest/smallest of foods, such as APR, vinager eels, and infusoria. As new borns, the fry are not big enough for BBS, and thu |
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| Comments: | The species or group of Melanotaenia Rainbowfish known as splendida, is a widely distributed group that consists of 5 sub-species. The areas they come from are southern New Guinea, Queensland, Northern Territory, and Western Australia. It is hypothesized, that the splendida group originated in Western Australia and spread eastward, north into New Guinea and southward down the north east coast of Australia. And then differentiating into various sub-species. There are differences within |
| Main Colours: | Blue, Yellow, Silver |
| Markings: | Not Specified |
| Mouth: | Normal |
| Tail: | Forked |
| Search: | Show similar species Find compatible species |
| Image Credit: | © FishProfiles.com |
| Submitted By: | Zack |
| Contributors: | ACIDRAIN |
| History: | View changes to this profile |
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