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Dwarf Rainbow Questions

1K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  jaysee 
#1 ·
When I researched Dwarf Rainbows before I purchased them I was tiikd they were a schiooling fish but could be kept in groups of 3-5 if they were the same sex they would school withother fish.

I purchased 4 males and added them to my community tank I was told they are a peaceful fish.

All was fine and they started to grow I was also told that there would be a alpha fish who would hae lots of color and then the others would work out who would be next in order and then the others would have less color but they all seemed the same color with one a larger one and they didn't really school that often

a week and a half ago I found one dead with its tail eaten. My tank is fine with no disease I have my temp warm and have a uv sterilizer and no new fish in a long time in my tank.

I went to my LFS and asked I was told sometimes they might pick on the weaker one, I was thinking of buying 3 more to make a school but they only had small females.

I noticed that the 3 are being agressive with each other now today one was in the corner and when it came down there was hours of them stalking each other.

If I purchase more and they are smaller will they kill them off? If I have 3 males and purchase 3 more what sex should they be? Will my 3 settle down? they were fine again later in the evening or will they keep killing each other off?
 
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#2 ·

I started off with a group of 5 - one male and 4 females. They did great together. They never get that "colorful", IMO, and I'm down to 2 females now. How big is your tank? They do need a fair amount of swimming space. I've read also if you're keeping less than 6 you should have all one sex, but it sounds like your males are fighting for territory. Do they have spaces to establish territory, like rocks, plants etc? I'm just wondering if your tank is too small, and that is creating the aggression. If it was me, I'd add a few females to the mix. I doubt it will "settle down" if you do nothing.

Gwen
 
#4 ·
Since there isn't much of a sexual dimorphism, I would keep a mixed school. I agree about getting females. I also agree about the tank not being large enough. I started mine in a 20 high, then moved them to a 29, then a 45, and now they are in a 4 foot tank. I would not keep them in less than a 4 foot tank, nor would a suggest it to anyone. They are fast, active fish that need a larger school.

I think the best thing to do would be to return them and get a smaller species of rainbow, like celebes or gertrudes - any of the blue eye rainbows.

Male rainbows will often spar with each other, but there is rarely any damage. I can understand how someone who is not familiar with rainbow behavior would be concerned, but it's almost entirely a show.
 
#5 ·
Oh I was under the understanding that I could keep them in my size tank since they are off the dwarf series not the regular rainbow which grow very large

rather then return them I would like to hang in them I will be upgrading to at least 100 gallons within the next few months and have had these guys for quite a while would like to keep them and upgrade
 
#6 ·
There are varying opinions on the matter, as some people like their fish to have more swimming space than others. There is this obsession many people have with cramming the biggest fish they can into the smallest tank they can "fit" in, and I just don't understand it. Thankfully, it's a hobby, and I don't have to understand it. But it's not anything I would ever suggest anyone do. It's hard sometimes not to say "I told you so" when things go wrong. The fact is that there is just a smaller margin of error with such a setup.

My dwarf neon rainbows outgrew the 45 gallon (3 foot). My regular rainbows outgrew the 90 (4 foot) - I don't think they should be kept in less than a 6 foot tank. It's not just a function of size, but speed and activity level. Fast, active fish need room to swim.
 
#7 ·
Nothing to add except there is some info in our profile, click the shaded name Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish. It recommends 2 females per male, and groups of six or more with this ratio.
 
#8 ·
Thank you for the info the rainbows facinate me and am still learning about them have read so much on the internet and some of it contradicts others I figured forrums would have more accutate info.

The one that died I am asuuming that the rainbows had somtehing to do with it but it could also have been that I knocked over a large tank ornament when doing a water change I had done an extra clean and cleaned out the filter pipes and such and when putting it in it grabbed ahold of part of a large rock and knocked it down.
 
#9 ·
unless you noticed the tail damage while the fish was still alive, it's impossible to tell if the fish sustained those particular injuries pre or postmortem.
 
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