# Rainbowfish



## greg

Turquoise Rainbow displaying breeding stripe









Turquoise Rainbowfish again









Boesemani Rainbowfish









Male and female Boesemani









Millenium Rainbowfish









Male and female Millennium









Dwarf Neon Rainbows









Yellow Rainbowfish (herbertaxelrodi)









Female Melantaenia herbertaxelrodi








http://www.flickr.com/people/plantedtank2928/

Greg

__________________
*Greg's Planted Tanks* *Rainbowfish* *Killifish*


----------



## Ciddian

Very Nice greg!

What are the details on the tank they are in? I have never kept rainbows but I hope to one day.


----------



## greg

Thanks for the compliment.

Tank is 145 gallon with pressurized CO2. I started the tank mid-October.

I'll provide complete details of setup in the "Planted Tank Photos" forum soon!

Greg


----------



## FISHBUM

So cool watching rainbows strobe that forehead stripe. When I used to breed them I found that in the morning was the best time. They always bred in the morning for me. 

Nice fish.


----------



## Fishlover_680

Can you see the eggs after they spawn?


----------



## Playing God

Do rainbows increase in colour as they get older? Or is colour extremely dependant on diet? I've been looking for a while and never see colourful rainbows at the LFS, always dull and colourless. Both of yours in the pictures are more along the pigment saturation that I'd want to buy... any advice?


----------



## FISHBUM

Colour is dependant on food yes but mostly just condition. In a cramped LFS tank they won't show their best. That being said, stores usually carry sub-adults that won't be in their true splendor. 

Eggs can be collected by adding a "spawning mop" to the tank. I used to swap out the mops every couple days and put the mops into 5-gal rearing tanks. If you carefully squeezed the water outta the mops you'd be able to spot the eggs in the mops. I used to breed rainbows and killifish in the same tank and in the mops you'd get eggs from both. 

The fry are difficult to raise and my trick was to have a tank that was lime green with "green water". I'd add this to the fry tank along with vinegar eels. The rainbow fry hang out near the surface which vinegar eels tend to do as well. It's ridiculous how small the rainbows are at first! Too small to eat baby brine shrimp. 

They're fun to breed and you can add mops to community tanks without worry of predation. Because rainbows typically spawn in the morning before the lights come on, you can pull the mops out first thing in the morning and none of the other fish will have gotten to them yet....unless you have catfish.


----------



## Playing God

Any hints to picking rainbow juveniles at the LFS that will have good colour when mature?


----------



## FISHBUM

Pick out all males!? lol. Not really. If you give them the right conditions they'll show nice colours when they mature.


----------



## Playing God

Any types/species of rainbows that have more spectacular colours than others? I won't likely get that many for my community tank so I want to find the most colourful combination potentials. I've seen a few varieties at the LFS, boesami (spelling), neon, dwarf, etc.


----------



## FISHBUM

Depends, what size is your tank and what other fish do you have in there? Some of the really nice ones get big. 

Trifasciata are nice but get large
Parkinsoni can be really nice
Parva are spectacular but very hard to come by, I had em (Sunkist Rainbow)
Boesmani are nice and get a nice size
Herbertaxelrodi are one of my faves and are mid-sized
Lacustri are beautiful and get a nice size (turquoise rainbow)


Just a heads up, rainbows typically show their colours best with a couple females present. Gives them something to show off to.


----------



## Playing God

Excellent, thanks for the options. Time to research!!!


----------



## Playing God

FISHBUM said:


> Just a heads up, rainbows typically show their colours best with a couple females present. Gives them something to show off to.


LOL -- Male Fish show their true colours when a cute female shows up....male humans show their true colours when a cute female leaves


----------



## FISHBUM

Lol. True enough


----------



## Fishlover_680

When do you put the mop in the tank, when you see them head to head or just put the mop in there all the time? Thanks.


----------



## FISHBUM

I leave it in all the time. Definitely doesn't hurt. They're easy to make and I usually stick it in the back corner of the tank so it's not an eye sore. Breeder will be build them with a float on top and a rock on the bottom to suspend it mid-tank. I don't know if this is more efficient for breeding purposes.

Nick


----------



## Playing God

Not sure how reputable the site is but WOW, I'd like to get me a couple of these...

http://www.fxdirectory.info/new-fish-species-rainbow-multicolor-545.htm


----------



## greg

Fishlover_680 said:


> Can you see the eggs after they spawn?


Sorry for late reply. Was not receiving thread activity notification via email until today for some reason.

The Boesemani and Turquoise pictured are still juvenile. About 2" long. They are certainly interested in the females but not sure the attention is returned.

I also have Millennium Rainbows which are full-size and they spawn everyday! My breeding tanks are already full of Longfin Albino Bristlenose Plecos however, so I'm just letting the rainbows eat the eggs. Which they do very quickly! The eggs are very small but are visible.

Greg


----------



## greg

Playing God said:


> Do rainbows increase in colour as they get older? Or is colour extremely dependant on diet? I've been looking for a while and never see colourful rainbows at the LFS, always dull and colourless. Both of yours in the pictures are more along the pigment saturation that I'd want to buy... any advice?


Again sorry for late reply. Activity notification wasn't working. I'll check the thread directly more regularly in future.

Agree with all of Fishbum's comments following your original post.

I purchased my fish direct from a reputable Florida breeder called Oddballfish at www.oddballfish.com. They ship overnight in well-packaged styrofaom boxes with heatpacks if necessary. Shipment for me is to the UPS store in Lewiston, NY. I pick up the fish less than 24 hours after they ship and they are acclimatizing in my quarantine tank an hour later.

Agree with Fishbum that the colour in LFS is usually poor. You also have to be concerned about purity of the line since rainbows will interbreed. Having said that I do see some nice looking juvenile rainbows in local stores from time to time. I would just look at LFS rainbows regularly and you will become familiar with their condition and it will be apparent when they have a good batch.


----------



## greg

Playing God said:


> Any types/species of rainbows that have more spectacular colours than others? I won't likely get that many for my community tank so I want to find the most colourful combination potentials. I've seen a few varieties at the LFS, boesami (spelling), neon, dwarf, etc.


Agree with Fishbum on the Herbertaxelrodi (Yellow rainbow) in particular. I have 2 females and 3 males in my tank. Will try to get a good picture Sunday night to post.

Greg


----------



## greg

Here's a few more shots of the male Yellow Rainbowfish, also known as Lake Tebera Rainbowfish (Melantaenia herbertaxelrodi).



















These are still a long way from maturity. Approximately 2" in length currently. They should reach at least 4" eventually.

Greg


----------



## pyrrolin

wow, didnt know those fish could look at good


----------



## greg

pyrrolin said:


> wow, didnt know those fish could look at good


They usually look pretty pale in LFS. They seem to love planted tanks. When I move them from quarantine to main tank, they get great colour in minutes.

Greg


----------



## greg

herbertaxelrodi









Greg


----------



## cliff

thanks for sharing, they look great - and this thread has got me re-thinking my stocking plan for my planted tank (guess I have more research to do now  )


----------



## greg

cliff said:


> thanks for sharing, they look great - and this thread has got me re-thinking my stocking plan for my planted tank (guess I have more research to do now  )


Besides having great colours in a planted tank, they are very interesting fish. The males of a species do spar for territory although not too aggressively. Their breeding stripes can flash on and off instantly. Only the praecox and millenniums are approaching full size and they spawn daily in the tank. They put on quite a show when I feed them all gatheriing in the middle and darting about rapidly after the pellets.

I will try to take some video soon and link it to this thread.

Greg


----------



## greg

Herbert Axelrodi spawning and subsequent egg fest.

Click picture for link to movie on Flickr. Make sure to switch it to HD.


Greg


----------



## greg

*Battle of the Milleniums*

The two male milleniums battle most days for dominance, sometimes going at it for 30 minutes straight. The battles are mostly display. They rise to the top, then quickly swim to the substrate, flaring fins. Sometimes they circle each other tightly. Occasionally they take a run at the other's sides, somtimes causing damage to the scales.





































Greg


----------



## greg

*Still at it!*

Valentine fight perhaps


















Greg


----------



## greg

Just so none of the fish feel left out...









Greg


----------



## Fishlover_680

How can you still collect the eggs if the other tank mates eat the eggs so fast?


----------



## greg

Fishlover_680 said:


> How can you still collect the eggs if the other tank mates eat the eggs so fast?


They miss some eggs. When I trim the moss or other plants, sometimes I stick the cuttings in a plastic container and I never fail to get at least a few fry a week or so later, sometimes quite a few.

To seriously breed them I would have to separate a breeding pair and put them in an aquarium with some moss mops. Check it several times a day and move it to another container as soon as I see eggs.

Greg


----------



## Ciddian

My goodness Greg you are really selling me on rainbow fish. Holy crow are they beautiful


----------



## Ryan.Wilton

+1 to Ciddian... Didn't know they could look so great.

Any full tank shots?


----------



## greg

Ciddian said:


> My goodness Greg you are really selling me on rainbow fish. Holy crow are they beautiful


Thanks for the compliment.

I think of rainbowfish as the cichlid equivalent for the planted tank. Almost as beautiful, definitely as entertaining, a little less aggressive and plant friendly.

Greg


----------



## greg

Ryan.Wilton said:


> Any full tank shots?


Just taken...









Greg


----------



## Ryan.Wilton

Nice................... any issues with the rimless?


----------



## SignGuy

Looks Amazing. 
Have you / can you keep rainbows in a smaller tank - I.e. nano / 10 gal etc? I know some get quite large?


----------



## greg

SignGuy said:


> Looks Amazing.
> Have you / can you keep rainbows in a smaller tank - I.e. nano / 10 gal etc? I know some get quite large?


Thanks.

I think a regular 10gal would be on the small side, even for the dwarf neon rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox). They are active swimmers and get up to 2" in length with a fairly deep body. Its usually recommended they be in a school of at least 5. They also are somewhat territorial so need space to spread out.

A 10gal long 24" x 8" x 12", would likely be fine for the smaller types such as the dwarf neon rainbowfish.

All the others in my tank will get over 4" in length.

Greg


----------



## greg

Ryan.Wilton said:


> Nice................... any issues with the rimless?


Top View









Rainbowfish definitely jump, so I made a screen using 1/4" clear mesh. There is a tab at the ends so it sits recessed into the glass opening. Makes tank maintenance easy as the lid attracts no moisture, so it can be quickly removed and set aside. Also allows much more light penetration than a glass lid covered in condensation.

I just set it aside for the earlier picture.

Greg


----------



## balutpenoy2oy

Great Greg



greg said:


> Top View
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rainbowfish definitely jump, so I made a screen using 1/4" clear mesh. There is a tab at the ends so it sits recessed into the glass opening. Makes tank maintenance easy as the lid attracts no moisture, so it can be quickly removed and set aside. Also allows much more light penetration than a glass lid covered in condensation.
> 
> I just set it aside for the earlier picture.
> 
> Greg


----------



## Ryan.Wilton

Looks awesome Greg. 

I hope your rainbows breed so I can get some from you lol.


----------



## greg

Ryan.Wilton said:


> Looks awesome Greg.
> 
> I hope your rainbows breed so I can get some from you lol.


Thanks for comments.

Currently not actively breeding. Sometime I throw cuttings in a bucket and see what hatches. As a result currently have a dozen babies at different stages. Several praecox about 2cm in length, a few millennium about 1cm in length and some new fry that we are unsure of type.

Millenium and Praecox fry hanging out with longfin albino bristlenose pleco fry









Greg


----------



## Ryan.Wilton

That is one small, wang shaped heater you've got there greg... (lol) I hope you get them actively breeding soon so you can supply us all with them for cheap


----------



## CapnCaveman

Great looking tank and fish. Could you recommend any rainbows on the smaller end for a community 65Gal Breeder? I'm thinking Dwarf Neons and maybe Milleniums
Thanks


----------



## greg

*New Additions*

Just moved a pair of emerald rainbowfish (Glossolepsis wanamensis) into 145g after 25 days in quarantine.

Male (top centre)









Male and Female (female in foreground)









My wife, SwimmyD, insisted on getting these in January.

Greg


----------



## greg

CapnCaveman said:


> Great looking tank and fish. Could you recommend any rainbows on the smaller end for a community 65Gal Breeder? I'm thinking Dwarf Neons and maybe Milleniums
> Thanks


Thanks! Your ideas (dwarfs and milleniums) should work. Likely a 65g breeder is the minimum length you would want for any of the larger rainbows. Most rainbows with few exceptions grow to 4"+ and are active swimmers needing a lot of room. Dwarfs are one of the exceptions reaching a maximum length of about 2"

Generally its preferable to get at least 3 males of any one species of rainbowfish. They are territorial and if there are only two males of a type in a tank, one will end up hiding in a corner most of the time. Having 3 changes the dynamics significantly. As the dominant male chases off one challenger, the other one will move into the middle of the tank. Thus none are stuck in a corner and none are picked on incessantly. Likewise I would also get at least 2 females to help spread attention when a male wants to spawn.

If you are planning to add other fish, keep in mind rainbowfish are aggressive feeders easily eating all food offered in 15 seconds or less. Timid fish will not be able to get food.

Good luck. Looking forward to seeing the pictures.

Greg


----------



## greg

Boesemani gathering









Greg


----------



## balutpenoy2oy

fishy fishy fishy come to me...beautiful !!!!!


----------



## joe

where do you get the millenium rainbow? I would like to add a few to my tank


----------



## greg

joe said:


> where do you get the millenium rainbow? I would like to add a few to my tank


I bought them from a Florida breeder and picked them up in Lewiston, NY. I have only seen them available once in GTA during last year and that was at BA's, Mississauga. Undecided on whether to try to actively breed them at this time.

Picture from today









Greg


----------



## balutpenoy2oy

Really gorgeous.


----------



## afrsss

wow! all of them, beautiful


----------



## ebetcruz

greg said:


> I bought them from a Florida breeder and picked them up in Lewiston, NY. I have only seen them available once in GTA during last year and that was at BA's, Mississauga. Undecided on whether to try to actively breed them at this time.
> 
> Picture from today
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Greg


I love rainbows! I have a few of my own: Boesmani, Torquise, Emerald & Goyder River. I've been looking for a Millenium.


----------



## greg

ebetcruz said:


> I love rainbows! I have a few of my own: Boesmani, Torquise, Emerald & Goyder River. I've been looking for a Millenium.


Nice rainbowfish collection! Feel free to post pics on my thread. Would love to see your Goyder River in particular.

Greg


----------



## ebetcruz

Don't know how to upload photos


----------



## greg

ebetcruz said:


> Don't know how to upload photos


Here are your pics. I copied from your album and put them on flickr and then copied the BB Code and pasted into my post. Alternatively you can go into your album on GTAAquaria, view pic at full size and copy the BB code there and paste into your post. Non-members and members not logged in cannot see the pics linked via your GTAAquaria album however, so I prefer to use Flickr as everyone can see the photo. Photobucket and other services work too.

ebetcruz pictures of rainbowfish



























Great looking fish. Love the red fins tinged with black on the Goyder River. Very nice.

Greg


----------



## ebetcruz

Thanks Greg!


----------



## greg

*A few new pics*


----------



## Ciddian

Greg, are all rainbow fish fairly friendly? Do they get along well with other fish?


----------



## greg

Ciddian said:


> Greg, are all rainbow fish fairly friendly? Do they get along well with other fish?


They are less aggressive than cichlids, however I would not classify them as non-aggressive. The males do spar with their own species. They are very fast feeders, engaging in a shark like feeding frenzy at the top of the tank. Having said that, they don't disturb my roseline sharks, bristlenose plecos, ottos and don't even bother with amano shrimp surprisingly.

Greg


----------



## SwimmyD

*Rainbowfish take "shifts" to spar and spawn in the tank!*

Hi Ciddian,
Rainbowfish are very cool. They have an interesting behaviour to take turns (between species) sparring and spawning in the tank. First thing in the morning, especially before the lights go on, the dwarfs get busy. They are chasing, sparring, spawning and swimming like they are on amphetamines. They do this for several hours and everyone else in the tank just kind of stays out of their way. They spawn all over plants at any level of the tank. Then, by 11 am they are done. They are tired out, and just kind of hang around at the back of the tank in the jet stream for the rest of the day.

Then the boesmanis take over, at the same time as the axelrodi's. They all spar over the same patch of sagittarius near the front of the tank. The male Axelrodi's go into full colour display with an electric blue head stripe, and try their best to get the girls. The alpha boesemani likes the same patch of grass though, so he goes into full display mode too. His front half turns from a lighter blue to an ink blue colour. His forehead goes electric white, and his fins are tinged in white too, so looks truly spectacular when he gets going. The female boesmanis stay out of the way, but the female axelrodis get into the action, and spawn with whichever axelrodi is closest. Interestingly, the female boesemanis have their own piece of turf. They actually defend it from other fish, and it's tucked away between the rocks and plants. They will only spawn there. Nowhere else. Once these two species have had enough, then the millenniums take over

The sparring millenniums get into the most aggressive battles. They both like the wood at the front with the moss. The alpha male and the other male can fight for hours. They have a very formalized ritual of swimming up to the surface and back down, and then ending in a body attack. The alpha male is actually not as violent in his attacks as the other one. The 2nd one will actually rip scales off. But so far he has not won the "boss fish" status. The alpha male is the one that gets the girls. And they REALLY like him so he gets all the action (on the moss covered wood). When the two male fish are fighting, they get soooooo red, and get an orange stripe on their heads.

Meanwhile, the turquiose rainbows wait until mid to late afternoon to get busy. They stay away from the millenniums and axelrodis. They pick the top right of the tank with the java fern to do their thing. They start displaying with a gorgeous orange stripe on their heads, and try to get the girls to come join them. They don't spar with each other as much as try to convince the girls to spawn.

The emerald rainbow is fairly new to the tank, and he acts a little differently. He gets more excited by the male turquoise rainbows. When he does display he seems to think the millenium girls are the ones he should attract... They are completely uninterested in him. He ignores the emerald female, even though she is the best looking female in the tank! I think he's confused about what his species he is. He is not a pure strain, as we got him from BA's and he looks part turquiose to me. He does not have the long fins of a pure wannamensis. But he does get a brilliant orange stripe along his head and back, and is truly spectacular.

By 6 pm, everyone chills out, and start begging for food whenever you go by the tank. It's pretty funny actually. As the evening goes on, there might be some intermittent displaying going on, but mostly from the millenniums. They usually swim as one big school. They just play in the jet stream and swim around and explore. No fighting, no displaying. Even the 'mortal enemy' millenniums become friends.

So, Rainbows basically pick their times to get agressive and spar, and are peaceful the rest of the time. As Greg said, they could not care less about other species of fish in the tank. But what you do notice is that the alpha males of the millenium, axelrodi, and boesemanis have the most intense colours when the fish are just resting. The less dominant males are still pretty, but less colourful...until they decide they want some action! Then they turn on these colours and the sparring begins! The turqouise and dwarfs look the same all the time. They just get their display stripes and flare their fins.

I have to say I really like rainbows. But....I'm starting to like killifish too...now that Greg gave me his (no more) endler tank. My group of gardeneris are just so cool. But I'll save that for a later thread! 
P.S. I'm Greg's wife! 
D


----------



## greg

*Lazarus Fish*










Last week I came down in the morning to find a male praecox on the floor pretty much dried out with no visible signs of water from the splash. I figured he'd been there for a long time. I guess he jumped out through the gap in my mesh lid where the glass bows out mid- tank creating a gap a few mm wide. He was right below this gap on the floor.

I gently touched him to ensure he was dead and he suprised me by reacting with a slight twitch. So I picked him up carefully and put him back in the tank. He remained vertical in the low current corner I placed him, with his mouth at the surface for about 10 minutes, slowly moving his gills in and out. He then gave a small twitch of his tail and fell to the substrate where he remained for a further 10 minutes upside down, still breathing slowly, occasionally twitching his tail. Then he tried to swim, however he ended up being blown end over end around the tank by the current. The other male neon dwarf rainbows kept challenging him, thinking he was putting on some kind of newly invented display.

I felt bad, so I stopped watching and got to work in my office. I came down an hour later and was surprised to see all 5 of the males together and I could not tell which one had been the jumper. It's been a week now and all 5 are fine - seems incredible.

Greg


----------



## greg

*Boesemani Male*

The dominant male Boesemani is in particularly fine form today with the orange practically glowing, the blues almost black and a white ridge across his dorsal fin.


----------



## Mau5

Wow, that whole story about the praecox is sad, but awesome at the same time. 

I had bosemanis a long time ago, and I thought something was wrong when one of them had their blue become almost black. Little did I know that this was a good thing


----------



## greg

*Few more pics*


----------



## FynePrint

Greg has the best looking Rainbowfish... I'm jealous right now.


----------



## Ciddian

I know! They look so flawless


----------



## greg

*Current pics of rainbows*


----------



## Rainbowric

greg said:


> Agree with Fishbum on the Herbertaxelrodi (Yellow rainbow) in particular. I have 2 females and 3 males in my tank. Will try to get a good picture Sunday night to post.
> 
> Greg


Ditto for both of you!

It is sad as so many will just buy males as they are the most colorful. When you see a colored one in the LFS it is usually because there is a female in the tank with them. I know of many that have bought these colorful males and taken them home only to be disappointed with there catch as there are no girls to show off to!

You will never see Goyder Rivers this colorful in your tank without a female to show off to. Here there are two males trying to get the attention of the one girl.










The other really sad part about it is that males are all bought up rather quickly and the females are left in the tank for many months with no one wanting to buy them.


----------



## Fishlover_680

Where did you guys get all these beautiful rainbows? I am jealous!


----------



## Rainbowric

greg said:


> They miss some eggs. When I trim the moss or other plants, sometimes I stick the cuttings in a plastic container and I never fail to get at least a few fry a week or so later, sometimes quite a few.
> 
> To seriously breed them I would have to separate a breeding pair and put them in an aquarium with some moss mops. Check it several times a day and move it to another container as soon as I see eggs.
> 
> Greg


I have bred P. furcatus by filling up an aquarium with them and a bunch of plants .... duckwead, hornwort, moss, maybe a mop or two. Feed them really well (example..Chopped bloodworms) for about a month and then remove the fish from that tank. Over the next 3 weeks you should be able to see lots of young swimming around. Or you could remove the mops and put them in a pail. 










5 gallon plastic pail .... a heater .... a bubbler ...and a stick to hang the mop in the pail. I use water from one of my best tanks plus about 35% of fresh declorinated tap water. Set your heater for 80 degrees, + or -1 degree and in a few days you will find fry swimming to the top of the pail. You can see them really good against the white of the pail and you can count really easy how many are hatched. This also saves you from putting a unknown mop from someone in your safe tank you have set up for raising fry. Believe me I have had some strange things come out of these mops. When I auction off mops at our club auction this is how I tell most how to hatch the eggs.


----------



## SwimmyD

*Oh my gosh.....*

So I was out for a few hours today, and came home to THIS!!!!!!! Another RACK!
Rainbowric and Peterd - I hold you both entirely responsible!


----------



## Rainbowric

lol OMG !!! What can I say?


----------



## Ciddian

Ha!! That's too funny, thats the same way I sneak things into the house. XD


----------



## greg

There's a reason SwimmyD posted the photo of the new racks in the rainbowfish thread - and you'll just have to be patient to find out why


----------



## greg

*Getting ready...*

All set for tomorrow's shipment ✈


----------



## greg

*Shipment is here!*

These pics are for you Rainbowric!


----------



## jarmilca

Rainbowric has awesome quality rainbows and does a great job on shipping. We bought several bows from him two weeks ago. They are all doing well, very healthy and colourfull. 
Good luck with the eggs Greg!


----------



## Rainbowric

*New Bow breeder*

Greg it was my pleasure to work with you in getting you down some eggs. It is good to see someone of your expertise in aquatics now preserving these 3 great species. I was hoping to find someone to support species of which I will be dropping from my collection over the next year when, if I ever get down to less then 10 species, the 3 you got will be in my top 5.

You know that if you ever have any questions, feel free to contact at once. If I can't help you I can put you in touch with someone in North America or Australia that can.


----------



## greg

*Fry hatching*

First species has started hatching - 60 fry in last 24 hours! Must find out what Rainbowric feeds his breeders 








=

That's a piece of airline tubing in the container for reference.


----------



## rsam

Hey Greg, what species did you get? Or is that a secret for now . 
I got a batch of lacustris and Goyder Rivers from Rainbowric 3 weeks ago…amazing quality fish, great color and great shape. Also a great person to deal with…
Any fry from the other two yet?

Thanks
Rick


----------



## greg

rsam said:


> Hey Greg, what species did you get? Or is that a secret for now .
> I got a batch of lacustris and Goyder Rivers from Rainbowric 3 weeks ago&#8230;amazing quality fish, great color and great shape. Also a great person to deal with&#8230;
> Any fry from the other two yet?
> 
> Thanks
> Rick


Those Goyder Rivers were tempting! But I chose another Melanotaenia species. I'm keeping it under wraps for now but I'll send you a pm 

And yes! It's a pleasure dealing with Rainbowric. Passionate and very generous with his time and knowledge and certainly an amazing collection of rainbowfish - hope he's blushing now.


----------



## greg

*Tons of fry*










Above are all still the one species of which 400 must have hatched out so far. The other two species are off to a slow start; 14 and 1 respectively.


----------



## Rainbowric

rsam said:


> Hey Greg, what species did you get? Or is that a secret for now .
> I got a batch of lacustris and Goyder Rivers from Rainbowric 3 weeks ago&#8230;amazing quality fish, great color and great shape. Also a great person to deal with&#8230;
> Any fry from the other two yet?
> 
> Thanks
> Rick





greg said:


> Those Goyder Rivers were tempting! But I chose another Melanotaenia species. I'm keeping it under wraps for now but I'll send you a pm
> 
> And yes! It's a pleasure dealing with Rainbowric. Passionate and very generous with his time and knowledge and certainly an amazing collection of rainbowfish - hope he's blushing now.


 Thanks guys ... it was a pleasure working with both of you!

That is a great picture you have got there Greg ... hope you don't mind if I steal it and post it in my journal. I like the way that you have indicated the size of the fry in the jar with the loonie beside it.

Yes the first species ... well they spawn daily and there is not much you can do to screw them up breeding. One species was really upset when I removed all the corys and pleco's from there tank and probably figured they were going to be next, took them almost the whole next week to relax and get back to breeding. The eggs on that mop were really fresh when I pulled it and shipped it to you. The other species I was surprised they even through eggs as they were really young parents not even 2 inches yet.

Hope the two of you enjoy, and feel free to contact me with any questions!


----------



## Scotmando

What are the first foods you're feeding those tiny rainbow fry?


----------



## greg

Rainbowric said:


> Thanks guys ... it was a pleasure working with both of you!
> 
> That is a great picture you have got there Greg ... hope you don't mind if I steal it and post it in my journal. I like the way that you have indicated the size of the fry in the jar with the loonie beside it.
> 
> Yes the first species ... well they spawn daily and there is not much you can do to screw them up breeding. One species was really upset when I removed all the corys and pleco's from there tank and probably figured they were going to be next, took them almost the whole next week to relax and get back to breeding. The eggs on that mop were really fresh when I pulled it and shipped it to you. The other species I was surprised they even through eggs as they were really young parents not even 2 inches yet.
> 
> Hope the two of you enjoy, and feel free to contact me with any questions!


A pleasure to let you use that picture - I'm flattered.

Two more of that last species, so up to 20 fry now - will move those two over to the grow out tank in the morning as the lights are out now.



Scotmando said:


> What are the first foods you're feeding those tiny rainbow fry?


Sera Micron and Golden Pearls (5-50 Microns). The Sera Micron I picked up in the U.S. and the Golden Pearls from AngelFins I know AngelFins has some of the other Sera line of fish food - perhaps if she gets enough interest they can pick up the Micron 

A great tip from Rainbowric was to put a bit of the powder on the end of something - he uses a chopstick I believe and I use a flat skewer and then blow it over the water surface - spreads it out nicely for all the fry. Rainbowfish fry readily feed from the surface from the start. The jar in the picture Rainbowric referred to is actually what I'm using to scoop the fry out of the bucket - the picture represented two scoops worth of fry which gives you some idea of the density of fry in the bucket.


----------



## greg

*Rainbow Fry Update*

Our three rainbowfish fry grow out tanks









Chilatherina species fry









The fry of the Chilatherina species I picked up from Rainbowric are now about 8mm long and eating baby brine shrimp, as you can see by the nice pink tummy. I am also still feeding them some vinegar eels, Sera Micron and Golden Pearls - particularly the Glossolepsis, as they are the smallest despite hatching first. I actually had a scare with the G's a few weeks back, as their numbers started declining and their bellies were not full for a few days. I gave them some green water for a few days on SwimmyD's suggestion and this seemed to get them back on track.


----------



## greg

*Update on Rainbow Fry*



















Seeing them day to day I don't really see the change in size, but now comparing a current photo of the fry to one just 5-6 weeks ago - wow!


----------



## Green Wet Thumb

Just stumbled across this thread. Very nice. Amazing where Ric shows up though! I got _Melanotaenia splendida splendida_ 'Deepwater Creek' and _M. parva_ from him last year. Great fish.

But... don't give up on local stores. In October, several Big Al's had _M. maccolluchi_ 'Skull Creek' from a reputable breeder in Hamilton, and somehow they got their hands on what appear to be true _M. ogilbyi_. I also know Menagerie is working on an order... they usually get high quality stock. Harold, the fishroom manager at Menagerie, was a member of the now defunct Rainbowfish Study Group, and really knows his 'bows...

Finally, and I think Ric will back me up on this, if you are really interested in Rainbowfish, there is no better authority in North America than Gary Lange. Much of the originating stock of Rainbowric came from Gary. Now Gary is the dinner speaker at the annual DRAS (Durham Region Aquarium Society) annual dinner on February 22, 2014. (Details are available at www.dras.ca.) He will also be bringing eggs for auction at the dinner, and I can guarantee that some will be species that aren't available locally or even in Canada...

As for me, I keep species only tanks for ease of breeding. Cuts down on the number of species I can keep, but it guarantees genetic purity. Currently I'm keeping;

_M. boesemani_
_M. lacustris_
_M. maccullochi_ 'Skull Creek'
_M. parva_
_M. splendida splendida_ 'Deepwater Creek'
_Iriatherina werneri_ (Threadfin Rainbowfish)

Hope to see some of you interested in 'bows at the dinner...


----------



## greg

Green Wet Thumb said:


> _M. boesemani_
> _M. lacustris_
> _M. maccullochi_ 'Skull Creek'
> _M. parva_
> _M. splendida splendida_ 'Deepwater Creek'
> _Iriatherina werneri_ (Threadfin Rainbowfish)
> 
> Hope to see some of you interested in 'bows at the dinner...


Nice collection of bows you have there.

...and I will see you at the dinner. Already sent in my request for two tickets earlier today. Had to choose between the Michiana Killifish Karnival and your annual dinner. The opportunity to meet and listen to Gary Lange easily won out. Looking forward to meeting members of your club as well, as I know a number of them frequent theses forums.


----------



## ksimdjembe

And you can meet green wet thumb! Win, win, win! 
Talk about a guy who loves his 'bows !


----------



## greg

*Update on fry.*










A little bit of colour starting to appear now. Fry are about 2 cm long.


----------



## greg

*Update on fry & fish room*

The Chilatherina fry are doing well as you can see. Fins are starting to colour up and at 3 months old, the largest ones are just over 1" in length.










Some grow out tanks for my rainbowfish - lots of tannins still being released. I've used black gravel for a substrate and intend to attach some plants to the wood - likely Anubias.


----------



## Rainbowric

Your young Chilatherina's look great Greg! 

You can pretty much sex them by the picture. Male with the red longer fins and the female with the shorter fins. I have about 60 of them going now, hatched about the same time and they are similar to yours. This is one species of bows that really grows like a weed! 

Your gowout tanks look awesome as well. They look like 40 gallon breeders, if not what is the volume and width of them? The background color and the substrate color is perfect ... the brand name of the substrate? Anubias does okay with the high flow of the HOB and the overfeeding nessessary for growth for the young. Mine will get coated with dead brine which gets cleaned up nicely by a BN pleco. 

For you first time at bows Greg ... I think a few of the experienced bow breeders could learn a bunch from you!


----------



## greg

Thanks for the support Ric.

The grow out tanks are 36" x 12" x 15"h. The substrate is just generic Big Al's. Dominique has it in one of her tanks and I like the look of it - after a year it still looks brand new and remains jet black. I don't intend to put any plants in the substrate.

The Glossolepsis are the same size as the Chilatherina. The Melanotaenia are about 25% smaller - not sure if it's because they grow slower or perhaps because there's so many of them, they don't get as much food.


----------



## dave pauls

Hi rick. Great to see you posting here! I've been taking it easy for a while on the fish, but I'm now back in full swing... Lol. I'm off to florida next week, but after that I'll have to try and get some new pictures taken and posted. I got a pair of melanotaenia sp. morehead rivers from Jeff. I can't wait to get some shots of them. What a beautiful fish. 
Greg, it was great to meet you and Dominique. Your fish room is a thing o beauty. I agree with rick that a lot of rainbow breeders could learn from your setup. I sure did. 
Dave Pauls in Owen Sound. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## dave pauls

greg said:


> A great tip from Rainbowric was to put a bit of the powder on the end of something - he uses a chopstick I believe and I use a flat skewer and then blow it over the water surface - spreads it out nicely for all the fry. Rainbowfish fry readily feed from the surface from the start. The jar in the picture Rainbowric referred to is actually what I'm using to scoop the fry out of the bucket - the picture represented two scoops worth of fry which gives you some idea of the density of fry in the bucket.


I use the 5-50 golden pearls in a little bottle with one tiny hole drilled in the lid... Think pepper shaker, but with a smaller hole. Then I shake a tiny amount onto the surface. It works great.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## greg

Great meeting you as well Dave. The Chilatherina bleheri fry are doing well - not growing as fast due to the slightly cooler water in the HOB. I think there are around 15 of them.

Thanks for the kind comments on our fish room. Are you going to check out any fish farms on your Florida trip?


----------



## dave pauls

I was thinking about it. Do you have any recommendations? I'm staying in the fort myers area...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## greg

Oddballfish specializes in rainbows and is not far off your route, in between Tampa and Fort Myers. It's in Balm, Florida. I know one of the guys on SOKS visited them, although you might want to contact them ahead of time to ensure you would be welcome.

Enjoy your trip.


----------



## FynePrint

Hey Greg, any updates on your rainbow fry?


----------



## greg

Been crazy busy lately. Took a bunch of photos but none were to my liking - fins not extended - didn't clean glass well enough...but here's one to wet your appetite. I'll try to get more up within the next week.


----------



## dave pauls

Looking good! 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## greg

*Update on new rainbows*

Here's some photos of the rainbows I got as eggs from Rainbowric in December.

Chilatherina alleni Siriwo









Glossolepsis multisquamata Pagai Village









and another with different lighting









Melanotaenia boesemani Lake Aytinjo









The alleni are the most colourful so far and definitely the craziest eaters. They send a spray of water droplets out from the tank every morning when I feed them. A few of the males are flashing their breeding stripes and we for the first time today we saw two males sparring, spinning around each other in a circle.


----------



## greg

*145g Rainbowfish Tank Update*

Here's a few recent photos from my 145g rainbowfish tank. The millennium are about 2.5 years old, while the remainder are about 2 years old.


----------



## hendy8888

Very nice! I've always loved rainbows. That herbertaxelrodi brings back memories when i got a group from Jeff Burch when I lived in London.


----------



## Mykuhl

Beautiful group of rainbows you have there!


----------



## Reis

Nice rainbows!


----------



## Lukan

*Great Rainbows! Wow*

Hi Greg,

Wow! Great looking Rainbow and very healthy looking fish.


----------



## Reis

Agreed! Thinking of picking up some for my 90 gallon. I have a group of 50 cardinals and my L134's. It's a barebottom but with a lot of drift wood and slowly coming along with Anubias and java. Are they aggressive at all?


----------



## dave pauls

Rainbows are not really aggressive at all, but they do move very fast. They tend to outcompete most other fish at food time, and they do not stop when they are full. They will also eat fish that are smaller than their mouths. There are lots of species that cap out at the three inch mark that would be perfect though.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------

