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Encyclopedia / Rainbowfish / Dwarf neon rainbowfish
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Variations

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Dwarf neon rainbowfish

Melanotaenia praecox · Praecox, Neon rainbow

Peaceful, active.

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6 cmBody length, without tail ✓
24–28 °CTemperature ✓
6.8–7.5pH ✓
54 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Dwarf neon rainbowfish is tropical.
  • They need different temperatures (24–28 °C vs 14–22 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Dwarf neon rainbowfish only grows to 6 cm.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (24–28 °C vs 10–22 °C). No setting suits both.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: 6.8–7.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: 6.8–7.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

284 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓5–15 dGH
Group size ✓6 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ?Middle
Care level ✓Easy
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 2.5–3.5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful, active.

Food

Flakes, small pellets.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males are larger, deeper-bodied and more colourful, with red fins; females are plainer and often have yellow-orange fins.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Easy

Spawns continuously, laying small batches of eggs each day among fine plants or spawning mops.

Pairing

Group of 6+.

Setup

A 60 L tank with mops and plants.

What starts it

Frequent feeding and water changes.

Eggs

About 27 eggs per spawning on average; eggs hatch in about 7-10 days depending on temperature.

Raising the fry

Infusoria, then baby brine shrimp.

Common mistakes
  • Eating eggs
  • No mops
  • Overcrowding
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionNorthern West Papua – Indonesia
Rivers and lakesMamberamo River basin
HabitatClear, vegetated streams and swamps
Native rangeAbout 250 km across
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The story of the dwarf neon rainbowfish

A small rainbowfish with an intense neon-blue body. First collected by Dutch naturalist W.C. van Heurn in 1910, described by Weber and de Beaufort in 1922, and brought into the aquarium hobby by Charles Nishihira around 1991.

Max Weber and Lieven de Beaufort described this little rainbowfish in 1922 from northern New Guinea. It only became widely available to aquarists in the 1990s. Its shining blue body and red-edged fins quickly made it a favourite for planted tanks.

First described by Max Weber & Lieven F. de Beaufort in 1922.

  • It reaches only about 5 cm.
  • Males have brighter red fins than females.
  • It is one of the smallest Melanotaenia species.

Sources

16 facts checked with sources