Home / Fishes / Silversides and rainbowfish / Western rainbowfish
No federal permit to keepWestern rainbowfish
Melanotaenia australis
Fishes › Silversides and rainbowfish (Atheriniformes) › Melanotaeniidae (Rainbowfish)
Melanotaenia australis, the western rainbowfish, is a species of freshwater rainbowfish endemic to Australia's Kimberley and Pilbara, Top End.
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 24 in long and 12 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 3.1 in / 8 cm; the largest recorded was 4.3 in).
- Water: Freshwater.
- Temperature: 72–82°F (range recorded for this species).
- pH: 6.5–8.
- Layout: An open-water swimmer: needs long, open swimming space with few obstacles.
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, 72–81 °F, pH 6.5–8, 5–20 dGH.
- Behaviour: temperament peaceful; a shoaling fish best kept in a group of six or more.
- Difficulty: Easy (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.”
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
About this animal
About this animal
The western rainbowfish (Melanotaenia, australis) is one of the most common and highly abundant freshwater fish endemic to north-western Australia; It ranges from the Ashburton River in the Pilbara region of Western Australia to the Adelaide river in the Northern Territory. It shows extensive geographic variation in their color pattern.
Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Melanotaenia australis” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174
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. Habitat is highly variable which includes rivers, creeks, swamps, marshy lagoons, lakes and reservoirs. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater, 72–82 °F (22–28 °C), pH 6.5–8. |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
| Behavior to plan for | Breeding: open water/substratum egg scatterers. |
What this means for care
- Keep water within its wild range, 72–82 °F.
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 100°F (up to 103°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 56°F (down to 51°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 78–82°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 43–56% on average (driest month about 33%) |
| Rainfall | about 869 mm a year, with strong wet and dry seasons |
Measured at 219 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
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 | Melanotaenia australis, the western rainbowfish, is a species of freshwater rainbowfish endemic to Australia's Kimberley and Pilbara, Top End. The western rainbowfish (Melanotaenia, australis) is one of the most common and highly abundant freshwater fish endemic to north-western Australia; It ranges from the Ashburton River in the Pilbara region of Western Australia to the Adelaide river in the Northern Territory. It shows extensive geographic variation in their color pattern. Predation is associated with the variation in color pattern in rainbow fish ( Melanotaenia australis). — 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 |
| Biology | Habitat is highly variable which includes rivers, creeks, swamps, marshy lagoons, lakes and reservoirs. Often forms aggregations at or near the surface of rocky pools or congregates along stream margins where there is vegetative cover or submerged logs and branches. — FishBase |
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
Common length to 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).
Veterinary & husbandry research
Veterinary & husbandry research
- Preliminary Investigations into Use of Metomidate for Euthanasia of Ornamental Fishes Yanong RPE et al., Journal of aquatic animal health 2021
Peer-reviewed papers that mention this species alongside captivity, zoos, veterinary care or aquaculture. Some cover several species or mention it only in passing, so check the abstract. 170
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.
- PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Peer-reviewed researchIndex of peer-reviewed veterinary, zoo and husbandry research.
- 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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