Fishes / Habitat
The Boesemani rainbowfish is one of the most striking freshwater fish in the hobby, with mature males showing a sharp split between a blue-grey front half and an orange-yellow rear half. It reaches ar
The Boesemani rainbowfish is one of the most striking freshwater fish in the hobby, with mature males showing a sharp split between a blue-grey front half and an orange-yellow rear half. It reaches around ten to twelve centimetres and comes from an extremely small area of the world: it is found naturally only in the Ayamaru Lakes region of West Papua, Indonesia.
This tiny native range makes it a genuinely vulnerable species. Overharvesting for the aquarium trade in the 1980s saw an estimated sixty thousand wild male fish exported every month at the peak of collection, and the species is now listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Nearly all Boesemani rainbowfish sold today, including in India, come from farmed stock rather than wild collection.
A group of six or more does well in a tank of a hundred litres or more, given how much this fish appreciates open swimming space and shoaling with its own kind. It tolerates a fairly wide range of water hardness and adapts reasonably well to typical Indian tap water.
A tank with good water flow, some open areas and moderate to bright lighting shows off its colour split most effectively.
An omnivorous diet of good-quality flakes or pellets, supplemented with occasional live or frozen food, keeps it in good colour. It is peaceful and active, and mixes well with similarly sized, calm community fish.
Colour intensifies with age and with a varied, high-quality diet, so a young fish bought small will often look considerably plainer than a mature, well-fed adult.
Article content © S Vejay Anand. All rights reserved.
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