Australian Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis) - Tank Bred
- In stock, ready to ship
- Backordered, shipping soon
For the safety of our animals, we now ship live fish exclusively via UPS Next Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS Next Day Air as a shipping option during checkout.
Overview
The Australian Rainbowfish is a vibrant and active species known for its shimmering blue-green body and warm orange to red finnage. As one of the more classic rainbowfish species, it delivers bold color, constant movement, and strong schooling behavior that brings life and energy to larger aquariums.
This species thrives in groups and displays its best coloration in well-maintained, planted setups with open swimming space. Hardy and adaptable, the Australian Rainbowfish is an excellent choice for hobbyists looking to keep a lively, visually striking centerpiece species in a community aquarium.
What We Love About This Fish:
• Brilliant Color Contrast: Blue-green body with vibrant orange-red fins
• Active Schooling Behavior: Constant movement adds energy to the tank
• Hardy and Adaptable: Suitable for a wide range of freshwater setups
• Classic Rainbowfish Appeal: A staple species with proven reliability
Quick Care Guide:
• Care Level: Easy to Moderate
• Temperament: Peaceful
• Diet: Omnivore
• Shrimp Compatible: With caution (may eat shrimplets)
• Adult Size: 3 – 4 inches
• Average Purchase Size: 1.5 – 2.5 inches
• Social Behavior: Schooling, best in groups
• Activity Level: Very active swimmer
• Tank Level: Mid to top-level
• Lifespan: 5+ years
• Recommended Group Size: 6+
• Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Recommended Tank Parameters:
• Temperature: 72° – 80° F (22° – 27° C)
• pH: 6.5 – 7.8
• KH: 5 – 12 dKH
Live Arrival Guarantee:
All Aquatic Arts brand plants and animals come with a 100% live arrival guarantee, plus free email support!
Melanotaenia fluviatilis is native to rivers, streams, and billabongs throughout Australia. These environments range from slow-moving to moderately flowing waters and often contain dense vegetation, submerged roots, and open swimming areas.
This species benefits from a balance of open swimming space and planted structure.
Plants: Vallisneria, Amazon Sword, Water Sprite, and floating plants like Frogbit
Hardscape: Driftwood and smooth stones to create structure without limiting movement
Botanicals: Light use of leaves or seed pods to add natural character and support microfauna
A layout that combines open water with planted edges allows this species to school naturally while maintaining a visually dynamic aquascape.
Omnivorous. Feed a high-quality flake or pellet as a staple diet. Supplement with live or frozen foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, and bloodworms to enhance coloration and overall health. Occasional plant-based foods can also be included for balance.
Explore our pellet and prepared food options to build a strong daily feeding routine — click here.
Explore our live feeder options to further enhance nutrition and natural feeding behavior — click here.
Australian Rainbowfish are peaceful but active and should be housed with similarly sized, non-aggressive species. Ideal tank mates include larger tetras, peaceful barbs, corydoras, and other rainbowfish species.
Avoid slow-moving or delicate fish that may be stressed by their activity level.
Not fully shrimp safe. While adults may be left alone, smaller shrimp and shrimplets may be eaten.
This species is an egg scatterer that lays eggs among fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. With proper conditioning, breeding can occur in home aquariums.
Separate rearing tanks are recommended to improve fry survival.
Are Australian Rainbowfish good for beginners?
Yes, they are hardy and adaptable, making them a good choice for most hobbyists.
Do they need to be in groups?
Yes, they are schooling fish and should be kept in groups of at least 6.
Can they live with shrimp?
They may eat smaller shrimp or fry, so caution is advised.
How big do they get?
They can grow up to 3–4 inches as adults.
Do they require a large tank?
Yes, due to their activity level, a 30-gallon tank or larger is recommended.
What do they eat?
They eat flakes, pellets, and live or frozen foods.
Are they aggressive?
No, but they are very active and may outcompete slower fish.
Do they need plants?
Yes, plants help provide structure and reduce stress.
How can I improve their coloration?
Provide a varied diet and maintain excellent water quality.
Do they like strong current?
Moderate flow is acceptable, but they prefer a mix of calm and moving water.
For the safety of our animals, we only ship live fish, crabs, and select other inverts exclusively via UPS 1 Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS 1 Day Air as a shipping option during checkout. If other items are in your cart that can ship with 2 day or standard shipping options the only shipping method you can still select is UPS 1 Day Air.
UPS 1 Day is a description of the duration of time a shipment will spend in transit once it has been shipped. This does not guarantee the package will be shipped the same or next day from which the order was placed.
Shipping Schedule for this service
Current Handling Time:
1-9 business days
Here at Aquatic Arts, we consider the welfare of the live animals we are shipping to be of the foremost importance. This process is much more involved than simply creating a shipping label and affixing it to a box. Depending on the order, it takes from 4 to 7 people to complete this process properly. We check the weather conditions here where they fly out of the Indianapolis UPS facility and the destination for each shipment. We start early each morning and go through a multi-step process to have the day's shipments prepared in time for the UPS pickup. The volume of orders in our system also affects the processing time. Therefore our stated handling time is 1-9 business days.
Shipping Rate
Pricing is by size of package needed to fill entire order and distance it must travel. It will be calculated at checkout.
