Western rainbowfish
Melanotaenia australis
- Adult size
- 7 cm3 in
- Group
- 6+
- Tank length
- 40 cm16 in
- Lifespan
- 5–8 yrs
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C72–82 °F
- pH
- 6.5–8
- Hardness
- 5–15 dGH
- Diet
- omnivore
Hardy, adaptable rainbow that tolerates a broad temperature range; keep in a group with room to swim.Hardy, adaptable rainbow that tolerates a broad temperature range; keep in a group with room to swim.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- African pike
African pike may eat Western rainbowfishAfrican pike may eat Western rainbowfish
- Alligator gar
Alligator gar may eat Western rainbowfishAlligator gar may eat Western rainbowfish
- Antenna ray
Antenna ray may eat Western rainbowfishAntenna ray may eat Western rainbowfish
- Arapaima
Arapaima may eat Western rainbowfishArapaima may eat Western rainbowfish
- Asian arowana
Asian arowana may eat Western rainbowfishAsian arowana may eat Western rainbowfish
- Atahualpa dwarf cichlid
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Australian pearl arowana
Australian pearl arowana may eat Western rainbowfishAustralian pearl arowana may eat Western rainbowfish
- Barred bichir
Barred bichir may eat Western rainbowfishBarred bichir may eat Western rainbowfish
- Black bullhead
Black bullhead may eat Western rainbowfishBlack bullhead may eat Western rainbowfish
- Black diamond cichlid
Black diamond cichlid may eat Western rainbowfishBlack diamond cichlid may eat Western rainbowfish
- Brown bullhead
Brown bullhead may eat Western rainbowfishBrown bullhead may eat Western rainbowfish
- Bullseye snakehead
Bullseye snakehead may eat Western rainbowfishBullseye snakehead may eat Western rainbowfish
Sources
| temperature | 22–28 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
|---|---|---|
| ph | 6.5–8 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
| gh | 5–15 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
| origin | Northwestern Australia | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| notes | Hardy, adaptable rainbow that tolerates a broad temperature range; keep in a gro | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| beginner friendly | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| care level | easy | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| color palette | #C8C0A0, #D9432E, #3E6A8A | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| activity | active | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| swim zone | middle | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| temperament | peaceful | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| fin nipper | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| long finned | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| territorial | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling min | 6 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| diet | omnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| lifespan years | 5–8 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| growth to adult months | 12 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| length weight | {"a":0.012,"b":3} | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| planted safe | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| body shape | rainbow | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |