Lake Tebera rainbowfish
Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
- Adult size
- 8 cm3 in
- Group
- 6+
- Tank length
- 100 cmabout 3 ft (39 in)
- Lifespan
- 5–8 yrs
- Temperature
- 24–30 °C75–86 °F
- pH
- 7.2–7.6
- Hardness
- 5–15 dGH
- Diet
- omnivore
Prefers hard, alkaline water and moderate temperatures; a bright yellow group shows best against dark decor.Prefers hard, alkaline water and moderate temperatures; a bright yellow group shows best against dark decor.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
None recorded.
Avoid with
- Black kuhli loach
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Brilliant rasbora
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Emerald eye rasbora
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
Lambchop rasboraNo shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Melon barb
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Panda garra
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Ticto barb
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- African pike
African pike may eat Lake Tebera rainbowfishAfrican pike may eat Lake Tebera rainbowfish
- Agassiz's dwarf cichlid
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Alligator gar
Alligator gar may eat Lake Tebera rainbowfishAlligator gar may eat Lake Tebera rainbowfish
- Altum angelfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Amazon leaffish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
Sources
| temperature | 24–30 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · low |
|---|---|---|
| ph | 7.2–7.6 | 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 | Lake Tebera basin, Papua New Guinea | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| notes | Prefers hard, alkaline water and moderate temperatures; a bright yellow group sh | 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 | #E8D040, #3A3A3A | 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 |
| min tank length | 100 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| body shape | rainbow | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |