Chilatherina fasciata "Mamberamo"

Chilatherina fasciata

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Natural Range: Mamberamo, West Papua

Source: Tank Bred and Raised

Estimated Size at Shipping: 2”

Max Size: 4”-4.5”

Offering Sexed Fish / Pairs: Sold Unsexed

Overview: This species has a very wide distribution and color forms vary widely depending on the collection location. This collection location is one of our favorites.

Unfortunately, many, if not most, rainbowfish are critically endangered because their habitats are being destroyed by rapid industrial expansion. The pattern has been that as soon as roads are built that allow explorers access to new rainbowfish species, industry follows and the habitats disappear in short order. The habitats of many populations have disappeared, seemingly overnight. There are no effective government controls to mitigate this and the cycle of habitat destruction is not going to stop anytime soon. Gladly, almost all rainbowfish available for sale in the USA are bred and raised in aquariums and not collected from the wild. However, if these captive populations are ever lost, many of these fish will disappear. The more of us who keep these jewels, the higher the probability they won’t completely disappear from the earth.

As is common with most Rainbowfish, males of the species will display brighter, more vibrant colors; while females remain a silver/metallic green/or brown color.

Setup Considerations: Most rainbows of the Melanotaenia, Glossolepis, and Chilatherina genre grow to 5” - 6”. Many people successfully keep rainbows in tanks that are around 3 feet long...it can be done. However, these fish are rapid swimmers and do best in a tank that is at least 4 feet long (the length of a standard 55 gallon aquarium). If your tanks is smaller, we would recommend sticking to the few species which top out at around 3.5” or less. Alternatively, looking into the closely related Pseudomugil genus (Blue Eye Fishes) might yield the perfect species for a small aquarium.

Specific Care Requirements: They can jump, so a lid is highly recommended.

Diet: Peaceful Omnivore. Rainbowfish are easy feed. They are not picky and will greedily and rapidly eat most standard aquarium foods. However, they can develop problems when fed large, hard food. So, we find it best to feed “soft” foods like flakes, frozen foods, Repashy, and the like. If pellets are fed, they should be very small (think Xtreme Nano or Hikari Micropellet size) or softened by being soaked in water before they are fed.

Current Price: 19.50

Stock Level: 9

Quantity: