RAINBOWFISH OF THE WEEK. Melanotaenia praecox (dwarf neon rainbowfish) This beautiful little rainbow is probably the most commonly kept of all rainbowfish with very good reason. The amazing colour contrast between fins and body, the shine of the scales, the small size, and the fact that this rainbow is always on all contribute to its success. It is also one of the fastest growing rainbows and with good care, the fry can reach breeding age in as little as three months! These guys are from the Mamberamo River system in New Guinea. Unfortunately, with great success, comes a lot of problems, and praecox have their share. The initial collecting of these was very small and the extreme popularity led to a population explosion from those few fish. The price plummeted and most rainbow breeders abandoned this fish because the sale value was so low. The fish farms didnt selective breed and with such a collection bottle neck, the results are quite sad. The current day lfs praecox is now a shadow of the fish it once was. They grow much larger and often have physical deformities like twisted spines, missing fins, jaw problems and general lack of colour. The red fins have become shorter and the resistance to disease has also decreased. Fortunately for us though, Gary Lange collected new specimens in 2009 from near the village of Pagai in an attempt to reintroduce that fish we all loved. He distributed them throughout the hobby and sparked a new interest in this familiar fish - without all the familiar problems. Although they were widely distributed, they are now being threatened by another Gary Lange import.... the Wapoga Red Laser. This closely related fish does not get the same high body but does have red stripes between the scale rows making it extremely attractive. I fear that our beloved praecox may still be at the mercy of the fish farms, so in February I got some eggs from my good friend Jeff Burch so we can keep this fish going in Canada, the way it is supposed to be. Here are some pictures of my group of 11 fish. At six months old, they are 1.5 long and throwing eggs like crazy in the 15 gallon tank they share with some peacock gudgeons. Thanks go out to my friend Dean Campbell for helping me out with the camera.... Im not actually this good at taking pictures. ;)
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 20:53:32 +0000
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