Mixed Rainbow School's

[Zuckuss]

Hey guys, I currently have a school of 10 Bosemani rainbows (spelling?) and I was just wondering if I added some differnt rainbow types if they would effect the overall looks of my bosemani. The reason I am asking this is because I hear that there is one dominate male per school that is supposed to be the most colorfull in the group and if say a male of one type was the dominate then would the other types not show their best color? I know this is a totally newbie type question, but I am new to the hobby and any help to expand my knowlege would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

 

[The-Wolf]

AFAIK all rainbows happily mix together.
as you have an established group of bosmani
adding a few other rainbows would'NT create any problems that I can see.

what others were you thinking of and in what numbers?

 

[phlawed]

AFAIK all rainbows happily mix together.
as you have an established group of bosmani
adding a few other rainbows would create any problems that I can see.

what others were you thinking of and in what numbers?

agree, i would try to at least keep pairs, but rainbows will mix and still school together.

 

[Parin]

Yup no problem. They usually like one another.

BUT

Rainbowfish will interbreed! Thus creating hybrids. So if mix rainbows in a tank, and one day you find fry, don't raise them, but let the other fish eat them. Because you will never know if you have a pure strain.

 

[Mad Duff]

I agree you wont have any problems mixing rainbow species.

Parin, it might just be me but I have never had rainbows interbreed. I have had 60 gallon tanks in the past with 10 different species of Melanotaenia, 2 species of Glossolepis, Madagascan rainbows and celebes rainbows and they were breeding constantly. I used mops and clumps of java fern to collect the eggs and move them to raising tanks and never had any hybrids, I could have just been lucky but there was always more than one species breeding at a time and they never interbred.

 

[Zuckuss]

AFAIK all rainbows happily mix together.
as you have an established group of bosmani
adding a few other rainbows would'NT create any problems that I can see.

what others were you thinking of and in what numbers?

I was thinking of adding some neon dwarf rainbows and tourquise if I was to mix the school, I was considering iranian red's but I hear unless they are dominate they will be more of a dull greyish color.

Yup no problem. They usually like one another.

BUT

Rainbowfish will interbreed! Thus creating hybrids. So if mix rainbows in a tank, and one day you find fry, don't raise them, but let the other fish eat them. Because you will never know if you have a pure strain.

Why dose it matter if they crossbreed?

 

[Parin]

I agree you wont have any problems mixing rainbow species.

Parin, it might just be me but I have never had rainbows interbreed. I have had 60 gallon tanks in the past with 10 different species of Melanotaenia, 2 species of Glossolepis, Madagascan rainbows and celebes rainbows and they were breeding constantly. I used mops and clumps of java fern to collect the eggs and move them to raising tanks and never had any hybrids, I could have just been lucky but there was always more than one species breeding at a time and they never interbred.

Well, my M. trifasciata male had a crush on a M. praecox female (he was twice the size she was), and I saw them spawning.... So it does happen...

 

[Zuckuss]

Yah apperently they cross so easily that its a bigger deal to get a pure strand then something new!

 

[phlawed]

Yah apperently they cross so easily that its a bigger deal to get a pure strand then something new!

its not "bad" so to speak. Its just some people of the hobby look down on it highly. I have seen some beautiful crossbread fish before. But, to some its like dogs, a crossbreed is not worthy of that of a pure bread. Does that help?

 

[Zuckuss]

Yah apperently they cross so easily that its a bigger deal to get a pure strand then something new!

its not "bad" so to speak. Its just some people of the hobby look down on it highly. I have seen some beautiful crossbread fish before. But, to some its like dogs, a crossbreed is not worthy of that of a pure bread. Does that help?

Yah thanks I see what your saying

 

[mitchie]

My rainbows try to breed but i've never seen the female deposit her eggs, but they will school and interact with eachother.

 

[Zuckuss]

What do you think would be a good community tank to build around my rainbows?

 

[mitchie]

What size is your tank? 10 rainbows is a lot so im guessing your tank is 50+ gallons?

 

[Zuckuss]

My tank is 77 gal