From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Boesemani Rainbowfish
Melanotaenia boesemani
- Temperature
- 27–30 °C
- pH
- 7 – 8
- Min. tank size
- 200 L
- Lifespan
- 6 years
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- easy
Endangered on the IUCN Red List. That describes the wild population — the criteria cover only wild populations inside their natural range, and captive-bred fish are not assessed. Captive-bred stock exists and is the better choice where you can find it.
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Melanotaenia boesemani |
| Family: | Melanotaeniidae |
| Origin: | Indonesia (Lakes of the Vogelkop Peninsula, West Papua) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | easy |
| Diet: | omnivore |
| Max Size: | 11.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | peaceful |
| Min Group: | 6+ together |
| Varieties: | No cultivated colour strains of consequence — the wild pattern is the reason the fish exists in the trade, and it cannot be improved on. Variation between the three lakes of origin is real, and fish from different source populations differ in the position of the colour break and the intensity of the orange. Commercial stock has been bred for decades and the distinctions have largely blurred. Some suppliers offer selected lines for stronger colour or a cleaner division between the blue and orange halves. Almost all trade fish are captive-bred on farms. Many other rainbowfish are sold alongside it and are separate species with similar requirements — the turquoise (M. lacustris), red (Glossolepis incisa), banded (M. trifasciata), Parkinson's (M. parkinsoni), neon dwarf (M. praecox) and dwarf neon forms among them. All are peaceful, active, hard-water shoalers that take years to colour up. Mixing species is common and works, with one caveat worth knowing: Melanotaenia species hybridise readily in aquaria, so a mixed rainbowfish tank produces crossed fry. |
| Lifespan: | 6 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Medium
- Min Tank:200 L
- Substrate:Gravel or sand; planted with open swimming space
- Plant Safe:Plant-safe
- Filtration:Moderate to high (some current; well-oxygenated)
Boesemani Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani) is a species of fish in the family Melanotaeniidae. It is native to Indonesia (Lakes of the Vogelkop Peninsula, West Papua). The Boesemani rainbowfish is two fish joined in the middle — the front half blue-grey, the rear half burning orange-red, with no blending between them. Nothing else in fresh water is coloured like it. It comes from a very limited natural range: three lakes on the Vogelkop Peninsula of West Papua — Ajamaru, Hain and Aitinjo — and nowhere else. It is on the IUCN red list. An estimated one million fish a year have been collected for breeding stock, which sounds alarming and is the reason the species is now safe in the hobby: nearly all aquarium specimens are captive-bred on farms rather than taken from the wild. It reaches 110 mm standard length and wants hard, alkaline water — it will not do well in soft, acidic conditions, which is unusual among the fish people keep it with. One buying note runs through this page: shops sell juveniles, and juveniles are grey.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- peaceful
- Keep in
- Groups of 6+
- Swims
- middle
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Boesemani Rainbowfish
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