Photo: Anandarajkumar at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dwarf neon rainbowfish
Melanotaenia praecox
8 cm
Adult size
70 L
Minimum volume
8
Minimum group
8 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Melanotaenia
- Diet
- omnivore
- Social life
- shoal
In the wild
Overview
This small neon-blue rainbowfish with red fins (yellow in the female) comes from one of the largest rivers in New Guinea, more than 2,000 km long. It scatters its eggs and breeds easily, but the fry are delicate to raise at first.
- Scientific name
- Melanotaenia praecox (Weber & de Beaufort, 1922)
- Classification
- Atheriniformes › Melanotaeniidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Endemic to the Mamberamo basin, northern New Guinea (Papua, Indonesia)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It frequents the river's fast-flowing tributaries and the surrounding marshes, and gathers near aquatic vegetation, roots and submerged logs.
Behaviour
Very peaceful and small, it suits many community tanks: other rainbowfish, tetras, Danio, barbs, dwarf cichlids, freshwater gobies, Corydoras. Fairly timid, it feels much better in a shoal of at least 6 to 8, where males show their finest colours. An omnivore, it accepts almost anything, with live prey for brilliance.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth