Boesemani rainbowfish care
Melanotaenia boesemani · Lakes of the Vogelkop Peninsula, West Papua
Boesemani rainbowfish are blue at the front and orange at the back, and they color up best in a group of six or more with both sexes.
- Tank size
- 55 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 75 to 82 °F (24 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 6 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 4.5 in
- pH
- 7 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 8 to 20 dGH
- Lifespan
- 5 to 8 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 55 gallon
48¼ × 12¾ × 21 in outsideHow to keep Boesemani rainbowfish
Boesemani rainbowfish are blue at the front and orange at the back, and they color up best in a group of six or more with both sexes. They are fast swimmers: give them a 55 gallon or larger tank with open swimming space and hard, alkaline water.
Diet: Omnivore: flakes, pellets, frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Middle of the tank.
Boesemani rainbowfish tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Pearl gourami
4.5 in · 29+ gal · 77–82 °F
Petricola catfish
4.5 in · 30+ gal · 73–79 °F
Pictus catfish
4.3 in · 55+ gal · 72–79 °F
Amazon puffer
5 in · 29+ gal · 74–82 °F
Moonlight gourami
5 in · 30+ gal · 77–84 °F
African butterflyfish
5 in · 30+ gal · 73–86 °F
DrawingSnowball pleco
5 in · 30+ gal · 77–84 °F
Red lizard whiptail catfish
5 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: Boesemani rainbowfish need 75 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Oscar: Oscars are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as Boesemani rainbowfish.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: Boesemani rainbowfish need 75 to 82 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as Boesemani rainbowfish.
Jack Dempsey: Jack Dempseys are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as Boesemani rainbowfish.
What a Boesemani rainbowfish tank needs
A tank of 55 US gallons or more (such as the 55 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon QuietFlow Canister Filter 200
Rated by the maker for up to 55 US gal, which covers a 55 gallon Boesemani rainbowfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Seachem Tidal 55
Rated by the maker for up to 55 US gal, which covers a 55 gallon Boesemani rainbowfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon Pro 150
Boesemani rainbowfish need 75 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding Boesemani rainbowfish.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 75 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 55 gallon tank · Heaters for a 55 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common Boesemani rainbowfish problems
- Dull color in small groups or tanks; more fish and more room fixes it.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Melanotaenia boesemani. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Boesemani rainbowfish H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pearl gourami h080, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Petricola catfish Nerezza, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pictus catfish 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Moonlight gourami H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- African butterflyfish Toniher, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red lizard whiptail catfish Ckf6412, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Oscar H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Dempsey Sviemeister (English Wikipedia), CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf neon rainbowfish Leo-nie-weh-oh; cropped by Der Regenbogenfisch, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Forktail blue-eye rainbowfish Dirk Godlinski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red rainbowfish Hectonichus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Turquoise rainbowfish Thomnight, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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