Turquoise rainbowfish care
Melanotaenia lacustris · Lake Kutubu, Papua New Guinea
Turquoise rainbowfish (Lake Kutubu rainbowfish) shine electric blue-green, the males brightest.
- Tank size
- 55 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 72 to 79 °F (22 to 26 °C)
- Group size
- 6 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 4.7 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 turquoise rainbowfish
Turquoise rainbowfish (Lake Kutubu rainbowfish) shine electric blue-green, the males brightest. Keep six or more in a 55 gallon or larger tank at 72 to 79 °F with hard water and a long, open swimming space.
Diet: Omnivore: flakes, small pellets, frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Middle of the tank.
Turquoise 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.
Petricola catfish
4.5 in · 30+ gal · 73–79 °F
Amazon puffer
5 in · 29+ gal · 74–82 °F
African butterflyfish
5 in · 30+ gal · 73–86 °F
Red lizard whiptail catfish
5 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Convict julie
5.1 in · 30+ gal · 75–80 °F
Pictus catfish
4.3 in · 55+ gal · 72–79 °F
Kribensis
4 in · 29+ gal · 75–80 °F
Zebra loach
4 in · 29+ gal · 73–79 °F
Keep apart
Discus: No shared temperature: turquoise rainbowfish need 72 to 79 °F, discus 82 to 88 °F.
Oscar: Oscars are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as turquoise rainbowfish.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as turquoise rainbowfish.
Jack Dempsey: Jack Dempseys are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as turquoise rainbowfish.
Jewel cichlid: Jewel cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as turquoise rainbowfish.
What a turquoise rainbowfish tank needs
A tank of 55 US gallons or more (such as the 55 gallon) with a tight lid (they jump), 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 turquoise 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 turquoise rainbowfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon Pro 150
Turquoise rainbowfish need 72 to 79 °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 turquoise 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 72 to 79 °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 turquoise rainbowfish problems
- They jump; keep a lid on.
- Color fades in a small or crowded tank; a long tank and a group bring it back.
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 and origin checked against Wikipedia: Melanotaenia lacustris. Adult size, 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.
- Turquoise rainbowfish Thomnight, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Petricola catfish Nerezza, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, 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
- Convict julie Regani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pictus catfish 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kribensis André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra loach Lerdsuwa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Discus Patrick Farrelly, Public domain, 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
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Dempsey Sviemeister (English Wikipedia), CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Jewel cichlid NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Boesemani rainbowfish H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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
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