Rainbowfish
Rainbowfish belong to the family Melanotaeniidae. They are found in Australia only and are close relatives of the New Guinean Blue-eye fishes of the family Pseudomugilidae. Rainbowfish are still fairly uncommon among non-Australian aquarists but their popularity is on the increase. Rainbow fish are fairly easy to care for and many species feature attractive colours. The small ones stay below 3 cm in length while the largest ones can reach a size of 20 cm. Rainbowfish can be safely housed even among delicate plants because they will leave them alone and neither eat them nor uproot them. Rainbow fish are very peaceful and should not be housed with aggressive or bullying species or any predatory fish that might consider them prey. They live in schools in the wild and should not be kept in groups smaller than six individuals, and preferably at lest 10-15. A larger school usually makes their beautiful colours more striking, while keeping too small of a group can result in the fish becoming exceedingly shy and spend most of their time hiding. The males compete for females by displaying more vibrant colours than normally, so getting more than one male is a good idea. Young Rainbowfish look quite dull, but don’t let this fool you. If you place them in a suitable environment and wait, they will mature into their vivacious adult colours.
