Are these guppies?
- Thread starter Rob M
- Start date
They were in a tank labeled "feeder fish" and the kid that was working there said he thought they were guppies.
NO! Don't return them. You fell into a great thing. They are exquisite. Whatever they are.
Well and good, but the OP may not be able to provide what they need. If these are a species of atherinid they need a group as they are shoaling fish, and until we know the species we have no idea how large they may get...nor their temperament.
Not guppies. Mosquito fish would make since as feeder fish. They are pretty!
I got all 14 they had in the tank. Some don't seem to have as big of finns, maybe females?
They like to eat peanut butter if that helps narrow them down.
Rhadinocentrus ornatus.
They are an Australian native rainbowfish that grows to about 4 inches long. The 2 fish in the picture are both males. If the pet shop has any more, buy a group of 10 and look for some without as much colour and short round fins (they are the females). Post pics of all of them and I will tell you what sex the others are.
Feed them a varied diet including some plant matter (goldfish flake or vege flake). Put some Java Moss or spawning mops in with them and breed them.
The normally occur in soft acid water but also live in harder alkaline water. They are a really nice fish and come in a range of colours, which vary depending on the river system they come from.
I assume you live in Australia and they would have been brought in by a local collector. They normally retail for $10-20 each in Australia.
The following link has information about rainbowfish.
http://rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au/Melano.htm
They are an Australian native rainbowfish that grows to about 4 inches long. The 2 fish in the picture are both males. If the pet shop has any more, buy a group of 10 and look for some without as much colour and short round fins (they are the females). Post pics of all of them and I will tell you what sex the others are.
Feed them a varied diet including some plant matter (goldfish flake or vege flake). Put some Java Moss or spawning mops in with them and breed them.
The normally occur in soft acid water but also live in harder alkaline water. They are a really nice fish and come in a range of colours, which vary depending on the river system they come from.
I assume you live in Australia and they would have been brought in by a local collector. They normally retail for $10-20 each in Australia.
The following link has information about rainbowfish.
http://rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au/Melano.htm
Thanks Colin,
Can I acclimate them to salt water?
Oh, I am in the US. Is it legal to keep these here?
Yes, you can legally keep these fish in America. 
You got 14 Rhadinocentrus ornatus from a feeder tank in the US. Someone is gonna get their ass kicked for that. How much did you pay for them?
I know people in the US that spend years trying to get those fish so you need to breed them and sell the young.
Rainbowfish are serial egg scatterers, meaning they scatter a few eggs each day for a period of time, usually several months. The eggs are laid in plants or spawning mops and take about 1 week to hatch. The baby fish are fed on green water, infusoria, boiled egg yolk or powdered fry food for egg layers. The following link has information on culturing live food for baby fish.
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/back-to-basics-when-breeding-fish.448304/
To get the best results when breeding rainbowfish, feed the adults 3-5 times per day with a variety of foods. Do big daily water changes to keep the water clean during this time. After a couple of weeks of good food, separate males and females for 4 days, then put them together in a tank with some Java Moss or a couple of spawning mops. Spawning mops are made from acrylic yarn and put in the tank to collect eggs.
After 3-4 days, or even each day, you take the plant/ mop out and put it in a hatching tank and put a clean mop/ plant in the tank to receive more eggs. Do this for the next few months and you will get hundreds of young fish that you can sell. And you want to breed these fish because they are very uncommon in the USA.
If you don't want to breed them for that long, you can also separate the males and females for 4 days and then put them together in a tank with plants. Put the females in first and add the males a couple of hours later. Leave them together for a 2-7 days and then remove the adults. The following day you should see babies swimming around just under the surface.
-----------------------
They don't live in seawater and are a freshwater fish.
You can use small amounts of salt to treat them for diseases but only use salt if they have a disease. They are normally pretty hardy tho and as long as the tank gets regular water changes and gravel cleaning, and the filter is cleaned at least once a month (preferably every 2 weeks), they should live for years.
You got 14 Rhadinocentrus ornatus from a feeder tank in the US. Someone is gonna get their ass kicked for that. How much did you pay for them?
I know people in the US that spend years trying to get those fish so you need to breed them and sell the young.
Rainbowfish are serial egg scatterers, meaning they scatter a few eggs each day for a period of time, usually several months. The eggs are laid in plants or spawning mops and take about 1 week to hatch. The baby fish are fed on green water, infusoria, boiled egg yolk or powdered fry food for egg layers. The following link has information on culturing live food for baby fish.
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/back-to-basics-when-breeding-fish.448304/
To get the best results when breeding rainbowfish, feed the adults 3-5 times per day with a variety of foods. Do big daily water changes to keep the water clean during this time. After a couple of weeks of good food, separate males and females for 4 days, then put them together in a tank with some Java Moss or a couple of spawning mops. Spawning mops are made from acrylic yarn and put in the tank to collect eggs.
After 3-4 days, or even each day, you take the plant/ mop out and put it in a hatching tank and put a clean mop/ plant in the tank to receive more eggs. Do this for the next few months and you will get hundreds of young fish that you can sell. And you want to breed these fish because they are very uncommon in the USA.
If you don't want to breed them for that long, you can also separate the males and females for 4 days and then put them together in a tank with plants. Put the females in first and add the males a couple of hours later. Leave them together for a 2-7 days and then remove the adults. The following day you should see babies swimming around just under the surface.
-----------------------
They don't live in seawater and are a freshwater fish.
You can use small amounts of salt to treat them for diseases but only use salt if they have a disease. They are normally pretty hardy tho and as long as the tank gets regular water changes and gravel cleaning, and the filter is cleaned at least once a month (preferably every 2 weeks), they should live for years.
Thanks again Colin,Yes, you can legally keep these fish in America.
You got 14 Rhadinocentrus ornatus from a feeder tank in the US. Someone is gonna get their ass kicked for that. How much did you pay for them?
I know people in the US that spend years trying to get those fish so you need to breed them and sell the young.
Rainbowfish are serial egg scatterers, meaning they scatter a few eggs each day for a period of time, usually several months. The eggs are laid in plants or spawning mops and take about 1 week to hatch. The baby fish are fed on green water, infusoria, boiled egg yolk or powdered fry food for egg layers. The following link has information on culturing live food for baby fish.
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/back-to-basics-when-breeding-fish.448304/
To get the best results when breeding rainbowfish, feed the adults 3-5 times per day with a variety of foods. Do big daily water changes to keep the water clean during this time. After a couple of weeks of good food, separate males and females for 4 days, then put them together in a tank with some Java Moss or a couple of spawning mops. Spawning mops are made from acrylic yarn and put in the tank to collect eggs.
After 3-4 days, or even each day, you take the plant/ mop out and put it in a hatching tank and put a clean mop/ plant in the tank to receive more eggs. Do this for the next few months and you will get hundreds of young fish that you can sell. And you want to breed these fish because they are very uncommon in the USA.
If you don't want to breed them for that long, you can also separate the males and females for 4 days and then put them together in a tank with plants. Put the females in first and add the males a couple of hours later. Leave them together for a 2-7 days and then remove the adults. The following day you should see babies swimming around just under the surface.
-----------------------
They don't live in seawater and are a freshwater fish.
You can use small amounts of salt to treat them for diseases but only use salt if they have a disease. They are normally pretty hardy tho and as long as the tank gets regular water changes and gravel cleaning, and the filter is cleaned at least once a month (preferably every 2 weeks), they should live for years.
One more question.
Does my user name look familiar to you? Maybe put your glasses on and think back about 5 years ago
Yes, these are Seary's creek rhads I got from Gary Lange, not a pet store, LOL. I was googling for some fish info and came across this forum and saw you were posting here. Good to see you are still helping folks with their fish.
And, my apologies for those that were taken for a ride. Knew Colin would reply eventually.
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I don't know what day it is and can't remember what I did yesterday, let alone 5 years ago
I'm guessing you're from Mike's rainbowfish forum, but with my memory like a sieve, I can't be 100% on that
Are you breeding the fish?
I'm sure a number of people here would like some if you are producing them.
I'm guessing you're from Mike's rainbowfish forum, but with my memory like a sieve, I can't be 100% on that
Are you breeding the fish?
I'm sure a number of people here would like some if you are producing them.
Yep, from Mike's forum.
I am breeding these, two other types of rhads and 8 other types of rainbows. Up to 54 tanks, lol.
Your memory seems pretty good when it comes to all your fish experience. That's what counts the most around here...
I am breeding these, two other types of rhads and 8 other types of rainbows. Up to 54 tanks, lol.
Your memory seems pretty good when it comes to all your fish experience. That's what counts the most around here...
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