Care
The subtle beauty of the Celebes Rainbowfish is best showcased in a well-planted aquarium, where they will feel secure and show off their delightful iridescent yellowy-greeny colouration. As an active shoaling species, Celebes Rainbowfish must be maintained in groups of 6 or more of their own kind. For quite some time, the only specimens available to the trade were wild-caught from the foothills of the small island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Their native waters are clean, well-aerated and slow-moving - conditions which should be replicated in the home aquarium. Now listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN redlist, this species is now being bred in huge quantities in the East in order to safeguard the remaining wild population. Celebes Rainbowfish are perfectly peaceful and suitable for keeping with a community of similarly sized peaceable tankmates. Much care must be taken when acclimatising this species to the home aquarium, as they can be very sensitive to changes in water chemistry and temperature. Similar care should be taken when carrying out frequent partial water changes.
Feeding
Flake, micropellets, and small frozen foods such as mosquito larvae, brineshrimp and daphnia.
Breeding
A separate breeding aquarium should be set up, with plenty of fine-leaved plants/spawning mops and at a temperature set at around 22 °C. Morning sunshine often triggers this species into spawning, and after an elaborate and often very active courtship dance, the eggs will be scattered over the plants/mops. These fish are known as 'continuous spawners' which means that the eggs are deposited over a period of some days/weeks, even months in some cases. The eggs should be removed to another tank (with matching water conditions) after each spawning, as otherwise the hungry parents will consume them. Each batch of eggs becomes progressively smaller. The eggs usually hatch within 7-14 days, the timescale being very dependent on water temperature. The fry are tiny and should be offered appropriately sized foodstuffs. Frequent partial water changes should be carried out with the utmost of care, as the fry are extremely sensitive to changes in their environment.
