All fish / Melanotaeniidae

Murray River Rainbowfish

Melanotaenia fluviatilis

Also known as murray river rainbow, australian crimson-spotted rainbowfish, crimson spotted rainbowfish, crimson-spotted rainbowfish, murray-darling rainbowfish, duboulay's rainbowfish, マーレーリバーレインボー, 墨累河彩虹鱼

A deep-bodied, silvery rainbowfish with a dark midline stripe, iridescent blue and green sheen and red spots or edging on the fins, which colour up strongly in mature males. It is kept for its hardiness, tolerance of cooler water and lively shoaling display in larger planted tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

15 to 28 °C

pH

7 to 8

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Shoal of 6 or more, ideally with more females than males

Diet

Omnivore: quality flakes and pellets, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, daphnia and some vegetable matter

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

4 to 6 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Murray-Darling basin, south-eastern Australia

Breeding

An egg scatterer that lays small adhesive eggs among fine-leaved plants or spawning mops over several days. Breeding is easy in captivity; remove the eggs or the adults and raise fry on infusoria and then baby brine shrimp.

Good to know

Active swimmers that need a long tank with open space and a tight lid, as they can jump. Hybridises readily with other Melanotaenia species, so keep only one rainbowfish species per tank if you want pure stock.