Home / Fishes / Silversides and rainbowfish / Boeseman's rainbowfish
No federal permit to keepBoeseman's rainbowfish
Melanotaenia boesemani
Fishes › Silversides and rainbowfish (Atheriniformes) › Melanotaeniidae (Rainbowfish)
Boeseman's rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani), also known as the Boesemani rainbowfish, is a species of fish in the family Melanotaeniidae.
Intro from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Care at a glance
Species-specific values
Values researched for this exact species. Where they differ from the group guide below, follow these. Air, surface and water temperatures are listed separately, and each source is kept as published rather than averaged.
| Water temperature | 81–86 °F (27–30 °C) Seriously Fish aquarium recommendation; not a wild collection measurement. | 279 |
| Water pH | 7–8 pH Seriously Fish aquarium recommendation; not a wild collection measurement. | 279 |
| Water general hardness | 10–20 dGH Seriously Fish aquarium recommendation; not a wild collection measurement. | 279 |
| Maximum standard length | 110 mm SL Source maximum; not total length or a guaranteed adult size. | 279 |
| Minimum tank dimensions | length: 120 cm; width: 30 cm; height: 30 cm | 279 |
| Social group size minimum | 6–8 fish Larger shoals preferred when space permits. | 279 |
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 24 in long and 12 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 3.5 in / 9 cm).
- Water: Freshwater.
- Temperature: 81–86°F (range recorded for this species).
- pH: 7–8.
- Hardness: 9–19 dGH.
- Layout: Uses both the bottom and open water: give open swimming space plus cover near the substrate.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Tank: a base of at least 47 × 12 in (roughly 29 US gallons); space needed is rated “large tank”.
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 81–86 °F, pH 7–8, 10–20 dGH.
- Behaviour: temperament peaceful; a shoaling fish best kept in a group of six or more.
- Difficulty: Moderate (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “This species, like most rainbows, looks most at home in a planted aquarium.”
- Diet: “Unfussy and will accept most dried, frozen and live foods.”
- Tankmates: “Very peaceful, but can disturb smaller or slow-moving fish with its rapid movements and relatively large size.”
- Breeding: “As with other members of the genus, this is not a difficult species to breed, being an egg scatterer, although the fry can prove somewhat tricky to raise.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Rainbowfish
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Rainbowfish inhabit Australian and New Guinean freshwaters, including vegetated lake shallows and the slow streams, swamps and billabongs used by threadfins. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- For Melanotaenia boesemani, provide at least 120 × 30 × 30 cm (about 48 × 12 × 12 inches) with open swimming lanes.
- For Iriatherina werneri, use a base at least 60 × 30 cm (24 × 12 inches), planted margins and gentle flow.
- Use efficient filtration and maintenance; threadfins require a mature tank with stable chemistry.
- Boeseman’s rainbowfish are sourced at pH 7.0–8.0 and 10–20 dGH; threadfins at pH 5.0–8.0 and 1–12 dGH.
Diet
- Quality dried foods; finely crush floating foods for threadfins.
- Live or frozen foods sized to the fish’s mouth.
- For threadfins: Daphnia, Moina, Artemia nauplii or copepods.
Social life
- Boeseman’s rainbowfish do best in shoals of at least 6–8. Keep threadfins in at least six, preferably ten or more, with small peaceful fish that neither nip fins nor monopolize food.
Health watch
- Ammonia toxicity.
- Nutritional deficiencies.
Understanding the animal
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater. Uses both the bottom and open water. Inhabits lakes which are situated at the headwaters of the Ajamaru River in Irian Jaya which drains into the Kais River eventually flowing to the Ceram Sea. Aquarium keeping: in groups of 5 or more individuals; minimum aquarium size 80 cm. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater, 81–86 °F (27–30 °C), pH 7–8, hardness 9–19 dH. |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
| Behavior to plan for | Breeding: open water/substratum egg scatterers. |
What this means for care
- Keep water within its wild range, 81–86 °F.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | Boeseman's rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani), also known as the Boesemani rainbowfish, is a species of fish in the family Melanotaeniidae. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Social life and communication | There is little available information on communication and perception in Melanotaenia boesemani. — Animal Diversity Web |
| Wild diet | Boeseman’s Rainbow fish are considered omnivores (Shelly, 2004). — Animal Diversity Web |
| Behavior | Melanotaeniidae tends to stay in schooling groups and resides near the surface of the water to feed (Allen, 1995). — Animal Diversity Web |
| Reproduction | There is little available information on reproduction in Melanotaenia boesemani mating system. — Animal Diversity Web |
| Lifespan | Melanotaeniidae naturally began as 4mm fry in length and survive on yolk reserves (Allen, 1995). — Animal Diversity Web |
| Appearance and size | The Boeseman’s Rainbowfish share several similar physical characteristics with other rainbowfishes in the family, Melanotaeniidae, such as: oblong to slender shape, upper part of snout and interorbital region flattened, and eye is relatively large (Allen, 1980). — Animal Diversity Web |
| Biology | Inhabits lakes which are situated at the headwaters of the Ajamaru River in Irian Jaya which drains into the Kais River eventually flowing to the Ceram Sea. Aquarium keeping: in groups of 5 or more individuals; minimum aquarium size 80 cm. — FishBase |
| History and naming | The specific name, boesemani, is in honour of Dutch ichthyologist Marinus Boeseman, the collector of the type specimens. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Conservation | Wild Melanotaenia boesemani are considered critically endangered and place in the International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN Red List (Nugraha et al., 2015). — Animal Diversity Web |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Adult length
Maximum recorded length. Measured as standard length (snout to the base of the tail, not counting the tail fin). Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates in nature; aim for the middle.
Water hardness
Minimum tank footprint
Seriously Fish recommends a tank base of at least 47 × 12 in (about 29 US gallons).
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Seriously Fish — Melanotaenia boesemani Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish — Iriatherina werneri Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Disorders and Diseases of Fish Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.
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