Rainbow Cam

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When I think of spring I think of Rainbows. No not the ones you see in the sky after a spring shower, Rainbowfish is what I think of. Rainbowfish are aptly named because if there is a color in the spectrum of a real rainbow it can be found on some species of Rainbowfish. The most fascinating thing about Rainbowfish is the extreme variation of colors and body shapes. Rainbowfish are found in the Northernmost regions of Australia and the entire island of New Guinea. Some species are found in only one very localized region. These regions are very isolated from the next Rainbowfish habitat, therefore the genetic makeup of these habitats have had thousands of years to evolve separately from the Rainbowfish found in the next river over or the next lake. Rainbowfish are found in rivers, lakes, creeks, ponds, drainage ditches, springs, puddles, and swampy lagoons known as billabongs. Due to the varied habitats of rainbowfish they are very adaptable making them hardy aquarium fish. Rainbowfish can tolerate a large range of ph values and are virtually unaffected by hardness in the water. Rainbowfish are also related to a family of fish called Blue Eyes, these fish are often found in Marine habitats and mangrove shores. Rainbowfish are very aggressive feeders and will eat mainly from the surface, so it would be a good idea to add a few corydoras catfish to scavenge uneaten food. Upon dissecting Rainbowfish, researchers have found that mosquitos are one of their main sources of food, thus acting as a mosquito control in its natural habitats. Not only are they useful in keeping mosquito populations in check, they are an important food source for larger creatures. Rainbowfish are a very important link in the food chain in these regions. Some of their habitats are teaming with rainbowfish, others are being threatened by loss of habitat, pollution, and overfishing. one of the first Rainbowfish to be introduced to the aquarium hobby was the Melanotaenia Splendid or commonly known as the Australian Rainbowfish. There are many species that I plan to write about this month, so keep up with each species. If you remember ROYGBIV(red, orange, yellow,green,blue,indigo,violet) the colors found in the spectrum of a rainbow, I will start with a red rainbowfish known as Glossolepis Incisus or commonly known as the New guinea Rainbow. Then I will move to an orange variety and so on. I will write about spawning rainbows and give some tips on creating conditions that will be optimum for keeping them. So remember if you must go chasing rainbows make it the Rainbowfish instead of the real ones, because I doubt you will ever find that pot of gold that is supposed to be at the end. Rod Wachter Rainbows are easy to keep, colorful, active, and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. They make beautiful species or mix species tanks, and add color and variety to community tanks, whether they are populated with peaceful or aggressive inhabitants. I recommend them highly to the experienced and novice aquarist alike. Goyder River Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia trifasciata) The Goyder River Rainbowfish is the red colour form, and is, in my opinion, the most spectacular colour form of the species. As you can see from the above photograph, the adult males (and to a lesser extent the females) display red colouration on the body and blood red fins. By way of contrast, the Coen River Rainbowfish has a green body and orange fins. LINKS TO CHECK AUSTRALIAN DESERT FISHES DESCRIPTIONS Rainbowfishes... Melanotaeniids and More CLICK HERE Home of the Rainbow CLICK HERE Keeping and Breeding Australian Rainbow Fish by Dan Gealy, SCAS CLICK HERE Desert Rainbow CLICK HERE Rainbowfish with Shirlie Sharpe Your Guide CLICK HERE Rainbowfishes are a group of closely related species from Australia and New Guinea (with a single species from Madagascar, sometimes classified separately) belonging to the fish order Athriniformes and family Melanotaeniidae. While the Athriniformes are primarily a marine group, the Melanotaeniidae are freshwater fishes. The rainbowfishes apparently evolved from marine ancestors who invaded the relatively unoccupied freshwater habitats of Australia and New Guinea. Both Australia and New Guinea have relatively low numbers of freshwater fish species. This paucity of competition allowed some early Athriniformes to invade these waters and without competition rapidly speciate into a dazzling array of species (more than 50), subspecies and geographic varieties. Raising and keeping Rainbow fish CLICK HERE Although the title is Rainbow fish the information here will generally apply to four different families, except for their distribution they all have so much in common that they will be described together. Rainbow fish belong to the family Melanotaenia, the blue eyed rainbows to the family Pseudomuglidae, the Rice fish to the family Orziatidae and the Silversides to the family Atherinidae. These four families are found mostly in the Indo Pacific area mainly in Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. Sporadic examples can be found in the far east. badmanstropicalfish.com/rainbow CLICK HERE

M

Rainbowfish belong to the family Melanotaeniidae and the closely related blue-eyed rainbowfish to the family Pseudomugilidae. These families are found in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya (Indonesia) . In the wild, many species are endangered because of human activity and the resulting destruction of habitat. This problem is especially serious for the species from New Guinea. In captivity, rainbowfish readily interbreed, and many of the specimens available in petstores are hybrids or are of poor quality. The Australian rainbow complex includes many colorful, interesting, and in some cases, rather spectacular fishes. Many species are easy to keep and breed and most make excellent community tank fish. The rainbow complex includes fish genera such as Glossolepis, Melanotaenia, Pseudomugil, Iratherina, Telmatherina, and Chilatherina which are characterized by both an anterior and a posterior dorsal fin. The Glossolepis incisus or New guinea Rainbowfish is one of the most popular Rainbows. It is a brilliant ruby red with flecks of silver scales scattered across its side. These fish live in only one lake and its surrounding tributaries. The lake is in the Irian Jaya region and is called Lake Sentani. This lake is at an elevation of 75 foot above sea level. A tiny river connects this lake to the Ocean and accounts for why there are some marine species found in the lake. This lake is very abundantly overgrown with vegetation and periodic algae blooms, however the water maintains a high level of clarity. The new guinea rainbowfish has been established in the hobby for about 30 years now. It has been spawned quite frequently because of its high demand in the aquarium hobby. Breeders use spawning mops made of yarn and can mail eggs that adhere to these mops in tiny vials. This has allowed the new guinea rainbowfish to become the core species available to most hobbyists. These rainbows are easy to keep and will eat just about any food offered. They do not tolerate acid conditions and their optimum Ph range is 7.2-7.8. Hardness is not a factor that effects rainbows and it is recommended to add a little salt or shell grit to further mimic their native lakes water conditions. In keeping with the habitat of lake sentani, the tank should be heavily planted. New guineas are best kept in at least a 30 gallon aquarium and can live 3-5 years making them an excellent long term resident to any community tank or species tank. Nothing could be easier than breeding rainbowfish, they are egg-layers and generally spawn amongst aquatic plants and grasses. They will routinely spawn in a community aquarium, however the adults will more than likely eat the eggs or hatching fry. If you want the fry to survive, then it would be better to set up a special breeding tank. Feed the breeders adequately with live foods if possible, to discourage them from eating the eggs. It is not unusual for this species to lay 100 eggs a day and the eggs will take about 7 days to hatch. Glossolepis incisus was first collected by the Dutch Explorer, Max Weber who undertook extensive expeditions in the Dutch East-Indies (Indonesia) between 1890 and 1907. He created the genic name Glossolepis in 1908 for the species G.incisus - a magnificent, red coloured rainbowfish with shiny reflective scales. In spite of their early discovery G.incisus was not introduced into the aquarium hobby until 1973. Chequered Rainbowfish -- Melanotaenia splendida inornata M.s.inornata are tropical fish, and inhabit a variety of freshwater habitats with water temperatures ranging between 24°C during the dry season and up to 33°C in the wet season. The water is generally alkaline (pH 7.2 - 8.0); however, they are occasionally found in acidic conditions (pH 6.5 - 6.9). They inhabit the river systems of the Northern Territory and Queensland which flow into the Arafura Sea and Gulf of Carpentaria - from Darwin to the tip of Cape York Peninsular. They are frequently found in company with M.nigrans and M.trifasciata. They are peaceful, hardy, easily fed, spawn readily, and have brilliant colouration. One of the most beautiful rainbowfishes available, although not frequently maintained by general hobbyists, is Melanotaenia splendida inornata. M. trifasciata or "Banded Rainbowfish" occur only in the far northern streams of the Northern Territory and Cape York Peninsular. It is probable that the distribution of this species is limited by water temperature as these areas of Australia are usually above 20°C with maximum temperatures approaching 30°C. Bleher's Rainbowfish Chilatherina bleheri is a lake and stream dwelling species found around the vegetated shores of Lake Holmes and feeder streams in the Mamberamo region of Irian Jaya. It was named after Heiko Bleher, a well-known fish collector from Aquarium Rio in Frankfurt Germany, who collected live specimens in 1982. Batanta Island Rainbowfish -- Melanotaenia misoolensis In October 1948, a Dutchman by the name of Lieftinck collected some rainbowfishes from a tributary of the Tama River near Fakal Village on the New Guinea Island of Misool. Misool Island is about 70 kilometres south-west of the Vogelkop Peninsula in Irian Jaya. However, the collection remained unstudied in the Zoological Museum of the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands until officially described by Gerald R. Allen in 1982. The species was named Melanotaenia misoolensis in reference to the type locality. Distinguishing traits: All members of these families have elongated bodies with mostly flattened sides. They can have magnificent colors that rival many Marine fish, but generally only show when fully mature or in breeding. Older Rainbow males tend to develop a hump or high backed bodies.

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