Rainbowfish

[Robcurry12]

Several books that I have read over the years have all left me with a bad taste in my mouth about Rainbowfish. They all describe them as a fish that should be in a one species tank. Why is this? Every time I've seen any in a fish store they are with other species of fish and seem to be fine. Some of them are absolutely beautiful and am thinking about purchasing one for awhile but I am not sure how they would get along with the Barbs/Tetras I am planning on buying. What are your takes/experiences with these fish? Are they good community fish?

 

[KyloRen]

I have my Rainbows with 6 Tetras, 1 Electric blue Acara and 2 yoyo loaches and have not had any problems whatsoever(other than an Ich outbreak). As for the barbs they could get a bit nippy so I would keep an eye out on them but other than that I think rainbow fish are great for community tanks! I'm not quite sure as to why they say they should be kept in a species tank perhaps its because they can get pretty big and will end up eating the smaller fishes or outcompete them for food.

 

[sam180]

I've had 5 Australian and 2 Madagascar Rainbows in my community tank for a long time and have never had any issues.

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[erla]

I love my Rainbows! They are very fast moving, so they can stress out more sedate fish. They are also aggressive eaters, so slower eaters can have a hard time getting food.

That said, I think they should be fine with tetras and barbs. They should be too fast to get nipped. They also have tiny throats, so are not likely to eat smaller fish.

That said, they are schooling fish, so the more the better. They also need a good size tank, since they are so active.

 

[Pseudomugil]

Several books that I have read over the years have all left me with a bad taste in my mouth about Rainbowfish. They all describe them as a fish that should be in a one species tank. Why is this? Every time I've seen any in a fish store they are with other species of fish and seem to be fine. Some of them are absolutely beautiful and am thinking about purchasing one for awhile but I am not sure how they would get along with the Barbs/Tetras I am planning on buying. What are your takes/experiences with these fish? Are they good community fish?

Rainbowfish are great community fish. They do grow larger and are more aggressive eaters than most community fish though, so can often out-compete other slower fish for food.

If you have any questions about them I'd be glad to help! I specialize in rainbows.

 

[RackinRocky]

Rainbows annoy me. I'm down to my last two, and won't be replacing them. As already mentioned, they are voracious eaters, and that means you have to watch and make sure everyone gets enough to eat in a community tank. They don't go well with slow moving fish because of this. I have to distract mine with food in one end of the tank while I feed the slower fish in the other end. It's a pain. Rainbows are very attractive, but they also are very hard to catch! And they are not as personable as some fish, but that's just a preference of mine.

 

[sam180]

Mine are voracious eaters as well but I haven't had any problems with them stealing all the food. My big, slow angels certainly have no issues getting plenty of food at feeding time.

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[bigsea]

Mine are voracious eaters as well but I haven't had any problems with them stealing all the food. My big, slow angels certainly have no issues getting plenty of food at feeding time.

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Same here. I have turquoise rainbows in with angels, siamese algae eaters, and chain loaches. Everyone eats fine. Love em.


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