Bright and colourful fish, that's what everybody wants in a fish tank, pretty standard request in my experience. However it is always the same fish that get recommended for people, Platies, Guppies, Neon Tetra, all fantastic fish in their own right. But what if I said there was a family of fish that gets totally overlooked and yet puts some of these fish in the shade!
Rainbow fish are an absolutely amazing family of fish to keep....but you have to have patience. One of my all time favourites has got to be the Boesmani Rainbow.
The Boesemani Rainbow is found in Asia, more specifically in Irian Jaya in Indonesia. They are found in beautiful clear water with heavy vegetation which provide refuge and spawning sites. These fish are the typical Rainbow fish shape, long deep bodied fish with a high arched back. These fish will reach an adult length of around 5" with the females slightly smaller at 4.5" but are usually sold much smaller and younger, and this is where things get interesting.
When these fish are young they have a lighter olive or silvery colour, If I am being honest they look pretty dull, and why they are always overlooked. However once they start to grow and hit around 2.5" to 3" the magic happens! Males will develop a stunning blue front half of the body which slowly fades into a golden yellow to orange. Where the two sections meet in the middle there are some vertical green or olive stripes,the tail and fins are clear to opaque with bright white edges. The females are similar in shape but not quite as dramatic. They turn a deep olive colour, some variants may be more yellow but they don't develop the blue body section. Still they are a great looking fish.
They are a natural shoaling fish and do much better in mixed groups of at least 4 or more. By having mixed male and female groups, it not only dilutes aggression between males, but also causes the males to display and brings out their amazing colours that much more.
They prefer a well planted aquarium, leaving plenty of swimming space towards the front as these are active fish. Ideally you need at least a 30" tank but the bigger the better. The best thing about the Boesemani Rainbow is the fact that they are not a difficult fish to keep, as long as the water is kept clean and healthy so the good old weekly water change of between 15-20% will keep them happy and looking good. They do benefit from water movement, I find a decent filter should provide this, but a power head or wave maker can really bring these fish to life. They are not fussy feeders and will accept a variety of foods. To help them colour up live or frozen food is good as well as something with vegetable matter such as algae pellets or sinking wafers.
If you have a decent size aquarium and want a stunning shoaling fish, bright, colourful, peaceful and easy to look after, you really cant go wrong.
Your just going to have to trust me, and i promise you will love these fish just as much as I do.
