Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions. *These items may be served raw or undercooked. To view location-specific menus, visit our locations page. Technology, gaming, politics, food & more. 'The beautiful Australian Rainbowfish: A primer'. If properly cared for, Rainbowfish can live up to 5 years in captivity. In a home setting, these fish need well-oxygenated water with a pH level of 6.8 - 7.2, optimal temperatures varying between 72 and 82 ☏ (22-28 ☌), and plenty of aquatic plants to give them hiding places amid their school. Rainbowfish usually eat floating flakes in captivity, because in the wild they will often eat insects floating on the surface. However, two males may sometimes fight at breeding season if there are not enough females. Rainbowfish usually do best with tropical community fish, such as tetras, guppies, and other rainbowfish.

Genus Marosatherina Aarn, Ivantsoff & Kottelat, 1998īehaviour in captivity Rainbow fish in aquarium.Genus Kalyptatherina Saeed & Ivantsoff, 1991.Subfamily Telmatherininae Munro, 1958 Celebes rainbowfishes.Genus Scaturiginichthys Ivantsoff, Unmack, Saeed & Crowley, 1991.Subfamily Pseudomugilinae Kner, 1867 Blue-eyes.Subfamily Melanotaeniinae Gill, 1894 Rainbowfishes.

Subfamily Bedotiinae Jordan & Hubbs, 1919 Madagascar rainbowfishes.They are therefore classified as follows: Melanotaeniidae is divided into a number of subfamilies these families have been considered by some authorities to separate families, but the 5th Edition of Fishes of the World classifies these as subfamilies of a single family as they form a monophyletic group or clade. In the wild, some rainbowfish populations have been severely affected by the aggressive introduced eastern mosquitofish ( Gambusia holbrooki), tilapia cichlids, and pollution.īedotia sp a Madagascar rainbowfish Classification

Melanotaenia, Pseudomugil, and several other genera of rainbowfish include species that regularly appear in the aquarium trade. Rainbowfish are generalized omnivores, feeding on small crustaceans, insect larvae, and algae. The eggs are attached to aquatic vegetation, and hatch seven to 18 days later. Although they spawn all year round, they lay a particularly large number of eggs at the start of the local rainy season. They live in a wide range of freshwater habitats, including rivers, lakes, and swamps. Most species of rainbowfish are less than 12 cm (4.7 in) in length, with some species measuring less than 6 cm (2.4 in), while one species, Melanotaenia vanheurni, reaches lengths of up to 20 cm (7.9 in). The majority of the species in this family demonstrate conspicuous sexual dimorphism, with the males usually being the more colorful sex and also showing an elongated median fin ray. The pelvic fins are attached to the fish's abdomen by a membrane which runs along the length of the innermost ray and this is a feature which can be used to separate rainbowfishes from silversides, although the membrane is easily torn. They have comparatively large scales and these number 28–60 in the lateral series. The lateral line is either weakly developed or absent. There are 3–7 spines in the first dorsal fin while the second has 6–22 rays, with the first ray being a stout spine in some species, the anal fin has 10–30 rays and, again, the first may be a stout spine in some species. They have a compressed body with the two dorsal fins being separated but with only a small gap between them. The Melanotaeniidae is characterised by having their distal premaxillary teeth enlarged. Translated, it means 'black-banded', and is a reference to the often striking lateral black bands that run along the bodies of those in the genus Melanotaenia. The largest rainbowfish genus, Melanotaenia, derives from the ancient Greek melano (black) and taenia (banded). Rainbowfishes are small, colourful freshwater fishes belonging to the family Melanotaeniidae, found in northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea (including islands in Cenderawasih Bay and Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia), Sulawesi and Madagascar. For the children's book, see The Rainbow Fish.īoeseman's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia boesemani, male. This article is about the freshwater fish.

Rainbow fish real