Celebes rainbowfish care
Marosatherina ladigesi · Streams near Maros, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Celebes rainbowfish are slim, translucent yellow fish with a blue stripe and black-and-yellow edged fins, from streams on Sulawesi.
- Tank size
- 29 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 68 to 82 °F (20 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 6 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 3 in
- pH
- 7 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 8 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 2 to 4 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 29 gallon
30¼ × 12½ × 18¾ in outsideHow to keep Celebes rainbowfish
Celebes rainbowfish are slim, translucent yellow fish with a blue stripe and black-and-yellow edged fins, from streams on Sulawesi. Keep six or more in a 29 gallon or larger tank of hard, alkaline water (pH 7 to 8) at 68 to 82 °F, with plenty of oxygen and a lid.
Diet: Omnivore: flakes, small pellets, frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Top of the tank.
Celebes 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.
Tiger barb
3 in · 29+ gal · 74–80 °F
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid
3 in · 20+ gal · 75–84 °F
Reticulated hillstream loach
3 in · 20+ gal · 68–75 °F
Dwarf neon rainbowfish
3 in · 29+ gal · 75–81 °F
Black skirt tetra
3 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Congo tetra
3 in · 29+ gal · 73–81 °F
Glass catfish
3 in · 29+ gal · 75–82 °F
Buenos Aires tetra
3 in · 29+ gal · 64–82 °F
Keep apart
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as Celebes rainbowfish.
Jewel cichlid: Jewel cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as Celebes rainbowfish.
Demasoni cichlid: Demasoni cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as Celebes rainbowfish.
Red zebra cichlid: Red zebra cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as Celebes rainbowfish.
Auratus cichlid: Auratus cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as Celebes rainbowfish.
What a Celebes rainbowfish tank needs
A tank of 29 US gallons or more (such as the 29 gallon) with a tight lid (they jump), and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 20
Rated by the maker for up to 30 US gal, which covers a 29 gallon Celebes rainbowfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 29 gallon Celebes rainbowfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm Pro 100W
Celebes rainbowfish need 68 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 Celebes 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 68 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 29 gallon tank · Heaters for a 29 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 Celebes rainbowfish problems
- They need hard, alkaline, well-oxygenated water; soft, still water shortens their lives.
- They jump.
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: Marosatherina ladigesi. 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.
- Celebes rainbowfish Brent Tibbatts, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tiger barb Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reticulated hillstream loach Spiketooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf neon rainbowfish Leo-nie-weh-oh; cropped by Der Regenbogenfisch, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black skirt tetra emptyvi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Congo tetra 7TP (Krzysztof Bartosik), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glass catfish Martin Fisch, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Buenos Aires tetra Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Jewel cichlid NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Demasoni cichlid lee Nachtigal, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red zebra cichlid Maha Dinesh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Auratus cichlid Vlad Butsky from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Boesemani rainbowfish H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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
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