All fish / Melanotaeniidae

Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish

Melanotaenia parva

Also known as kurumoi rainbowfish, kurumoi rainbow, lake kurumoi rainbow, parva rainbowfish, yellow kurumoi rainbowfish, メラノタエニア・パルバ, pelangi kurumoi, 库鲁莫伊彩虹鱼

A small, deep-bodied rainbowfish with a silvery body that turns golden yellow to orange in mature males, often with a darker band along the flank and reddish fins. It stays smaller than many Melanotaenia, so it suits planted community tanks, where an active group of displaying males is very eye-catching.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

7 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

7 to 8

Smallest tank

120 litres

Keep as

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

Diet

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

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

4 to 6 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Lake Kurumoi, Bird's Head (Vogelkop) Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia

Breeding

It scatters eggs over fine-leaved plants or spawning mops over several days, and the sticky eggs hatch in about a week. Breeding is easy, but the fry are tiny and need infusoria or liquid fry food at first before moving on to baby brine shrimp.

Good to know

It is found wild only in one small lake, so do not keep it with other Melanotaenia species, as they hybridise readily and pure lines are valuable. Males are boisterous with each other but harmless to other fish of a similar size.