Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish
Peaceful and active; keep in a group of 6 or more.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
- Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish only grows to 10 cm.
- Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish only grows to 10 cm.
- Convict cichlid is aggressive and will bully peaceful lake kurumoi rainbowfish.
Care and water
Behavior
Peaceful and active; keep in a group of 6 or more.
Food
Flakes, micro pellets, frozen foods and small live foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Egg-scatterer (spawning mops) · Easy
Spawns daily in mops.
A group of 6 or more.
A 100 L planted tank with spawning mops.
Warm water and live food.
A single spawning by a large pair gave about 76 larvae; eggs were about 1.2 mm across with about 92 % hatching. No hatch time was found.
Feed infusoria, then baby brine shrimp.
- Keeping too few fish so spawning does not start
- Eggs eaten by adults
- Cold or dirty water
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the lake kurumoi rainbowfish
A rainbowfish found only in Lake Kurumoi in West Papua, Indonesia, discovered by Gerald Allen in 1989 and described in 1990. Males are bluish-mauve with a black side band or silvery with red lines, with red fins, and young males turn orange-red as they grow. Live fish reached the hobby via Heiko Bleher in 1999. It is listed as Critically Endangered.
Gerald Allen described this rainbowfish in 1990 from Lake Kurumoi on the Bird's Head Peninsula of Indonesian New Guinea. It is one of several rainbowfishes confined to a single small lake. Captive-bred fish are kept by rainbowfish specialists.
First described by Gerald R. Allen in 1990. Named for 'parva' means 'small' in Latin.
- It is known in the wild from just one small lake.
- Despite its name 'parva', males develop high backs and colourful fins.
- The Bird's Head Peninsula is a hotspot for rainbowfish species.
Sources
9 facts checked with sources
- Scientific name
Valid. FishBase spells the common name 'Lake Kuromai rainbowfish'; the lake is Danau Kurumoi. Close relative of M. angfa from nearby streams. Sometimes sold as 'sunset dwarf rainbowfish'.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Melanotaenia parva · FishBase: Melanotaenia parva summary - Familycorrected
Legacy has no family; recorded as sourced.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Melanotaenia parva · FishBase: Melanotaenia parva summary - Sizecorrected
Size rule: no Seriously Fish profile. ANGFA says up to 9-10 cm and cultured broodstock males averaged 9.8 cm TL (females 8.4 cm TL); FishBase max is 6.7 cm SL (originally described at 3.8-5.3 cm SL). Recorded as 10 cm TL. Despite the name 'parva' (small) it is not a dwarf. The quote's '±' is the page's own mis-encoded ±.
ANGFA Home of the Rainbowfish (Tappin): Melanotaenia parva · Kadarini, Subandiyah & Zamroni 2015, Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 1: 1227-1232 (doi:10.13057/psnmbi/m010546) · FishBase: Melanotaenia parva summary - Swimming level
FishBase says benthopelagic; nothing supports top-dwelling.
FishBase: Melanotaenia parva summary - Where it livescorrected
Legacy has no native range. IUCN: Critically Endangered (assessed 2019, per FishBase).
ANGFA Home of the Rainbowfish (Tappin): Melanotaenia parva · FishBase: Melanotaenia parva summary - Male or female
Sources describe male colour (bluish-mauve with black band, or silver with red lines; red fins; young males turn orange-red) but none describes females or a male-female comparison, so legacy sexing is left unconfirmed.
ANGFA Home of the Rainbowfish (Tappin): Melanotaenia parva - Breeding
Bred in captivity in Indonesia in pairs (Kadarini et al. 2015), but no source describes the spawning method (mops, daily spawning) for this species.
Kadarini, Subandiyah & Zamroni 2015, Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 1: 1227-1232 (doi:10.13057/psnmbi/m010546) - Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy says 10-30 eggs per day, hatching in 7-10 days; neither figure is confirmed. '±' is the page's mis-encoded ±; '1:22' mm on the page means 1.22 mm.
Kadarini, Subandiyah & Zamroni 2015, Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 1: 1227-1232 (doi:10.13057/psnmbi/m010546) - Storycorrected
Legacy says 'golden-yellow body and a dark line' and 'small'; sources describe mauve or silvery-red males with red fins, reaching 9-10 cm. 'Threatened' is right: Critically Endangered.
ANGFA Home of the Rainbowfish (Tappin): Melanotaenia parva · FishBase: Melanotaenia parva summary