• Name:

    Red Irian Rainbow

    (View AKA's)
  • Family: Melanotaeniidae
  • Species: Rainbowfish
  • Scientific Name: Glossolepis incisis
More Details

Also Know As:

| Red Irian

| Red Rainbow

General info about Red Irian Rainbow

Males are bright red while females are silver, however , males will become dull if there isn’t any female present. They have large eyes and a horizontal stripe in the middle of the body, they can reach up to 6 inches. To keep these fish in captivity water pH should  be between 7.0 and 8.0 and water temperature should range from 75°F to 82°F. The tank should have dense vegetation, open areas for swimming and a gravel substrate. The tank should also have a cover to prevent them from jumping off. They are peaceful and can be kept in community aquariums with similar sized fish, also, they should be kept in schools of at least 6.

Red Irian Rainbow Diet & Nutrition

This species is omnivorous. In captivity they should  be fed with dried foods supplemented with live foods.

Determining Sex of Red Irian Rainbow

Males are red while females are silver.

Breeding & Spawning Red Irian Rainbow

To breed this species in captivity the breeding tank, 10 gallons, should have water around 77°F. the eggs take 6 days to hatch.

Red Irian Rainbow Origin

This species is native to Papua New Guinea.

Acclimating Red Irian Rainbow

The water in which these fish are packaged is different from the water in the tank, since these fish are extremely sensitive to water conditions the acclimation process is very important. This process should never be rushed. Aquarium lights should be off for at least the first 4 hours of the fish in the new tank and it should not be fed in the first 24h. There are two acclimation methods: Floating Method and the Drip Method.

Floating method -  the aquarium lights should be off and lights in the room should be dim, the bag in which the fish is should be placed in the surface of the water to float for about 15 minutes, this allows the water in the bag to adjust to the water in the tank. The bag should then be cut under the knot and the top edge of the bag should be rolled down one inch, then ¼ cup of the aquarium water should be added to the bag, this step should be repeated every 4 minutes until the bag is full, then half the water of the bag should be discarded and the bag should be put to float again and ¼ cup of the aquarium water should be added to the bag every 4 minutes until the bag is full. Afterwards, the Discus can be moved into the aquarium.

Drip method – the aquarium lights should be off and lights in the room should be dim, the bag in which the fish is should be placed in the surface of the water to float for about 15 minutes, this allows the water in the bag to adjust to the water in the tank. The bag contents should be poured into a 1 gallon bucket that has never been cleaned with any chemicals, the fish should be enterally submerged. A siphon, using airline tubing, should be set up and a drip line should run from the main aquarium to the bucket. Several loose knots should be tied in the airline tubing to regulate flow. Sucking the end of the airline tube that goes to the bucket will begin a siphon, the flow should be regulated to 2 to 4 drips per second. Once the water in the buckets doubles, half should be discarded and the process should be repeated until it doubles again. Afterwards, the fish can be moved to the aquarium.

 

Relevent Articles

Original Detail

Name Species Family Scientific Name More Detail Added by
Red Irian Rainbow Rainbowfish Melanotaeniidae Glossolepis incisis

Males are bright red while females are silver, however , males will become dull if there isn’t any female present. They have large eyes and a horizontal stripe in the middle of the body, they can reach up to 6 inches. To keep these fish in captivity water pH should  be between 7.0 and 8.0 and water temperature should range from 75°F to 82°F. The tank should have dense vegetation, open areas for swimming and a gravel substrate. The tank should also have a cover to prevent them from jumping off. They are peaceful and can be kept in community aquariums with similar sized fish, also, they should be kept in schools of at least 6.

PalaciosAn

Changed by users

Submitted Date Submitted By Status Action
2018-12-21 00:48:12 Joana Carvalho Approved View