Threadfin rainbowfish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Threadfin rainbowfish | ||||||||||||||
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| Iriatherina werneri Meinken, 1974 |
The threadfin rainbowfish or featherfin rainbowfish, Iriatherina werneri, is a rainbowfish, the only species in the genus Iriatherina. It is characterized by long beautiful fins, and is among the most attractive of the rainbowfishes.
It is native to freshwater swamps and demersal or thickly vegetated areas of flowing waters, in tropical Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
It grows up to 5 cm (2 in) in length, but this does not include the Threadfin's long tail. Sexing is easy by examining fins: males have larger, gaudier finnage than females. Males also have more intense colours. When reproduction takes place eggs are scattered among fine leaved plants, and hatch after 8-12 days.
[edit] In the aquarium
In aquaria they are usually peaceful, they live preferably in groups of six or more. Because of their long fins they should obviously be kept in a tank without fin-nippers. They breed best in tanks without other species.
Threadfin Rainbowfish do well in aquariums of 20 US gallons, however 30 US gallons is preferred. They are best housed in a "species only" tank; meaning that the tank is reserved for the Threadfins alone. Because of their tiny mouths, they can be difficult to feed. They do well with live foods, such as baby brine shrimp, and the micron larval diets.
They prefer water that is soft to moderately hard, slightly acidic (pH 6.0–7.0), and with a temperature of 23–29 °C (73–84 °F),
[edit] References
- Iriatherina werneri (TSN 630747). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 11 March 2006.
- "Iriatherina werneri". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 10 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
