Encyclopedia / Rainbowfish / Lake Tebera rainbowfish

★New · no ratings yetIllustration

Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Lake Tebera rainbowfish

Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi · Herbert axelrod's rainbowfish, Tebera rainbow, Herbertaxelrodi

Peaceful, active schooling fish; keep a group of 6 or more in a long tank.

Local price coming soon

Prices for· real AED shop prices, never conversions

9 cmBody length, without tail ✓

22–26 °CTemperature ✓

7–8pH ✓

81 LSmallest tank ✓

Add to my tank Compare

Tank mates

Check your own mix →

Not recommended

White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Lake Tebera rainbowfish is tropical.
Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.

Not recommended

Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Lake Tebera rainbowfish only grows to 9 cm.

Not recommended

Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Lake Tebera rainbowfish only grows to 9 cm.

With conditions

Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.

With conditions

Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.

Compatible

297 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 ✓10–15 dGH

Group size ✓6 or more

Temperament ✓Peaceful

Swims at ?Top

Care level ✓Moderate

Diet Omnivore

Lifespan ?Unknown

Size in shops 4–7 cm

Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful, active schooling fish; keep a group of 6 or more in a long tank.

Food

Flakes, micro pellets, frozen foods and small live foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Mature males are larger, brighter and deeper-bodied than females, with longer dorsal and anal fins.

Health

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

Breeding

Egg-scatterer (spawning mops) · Easy

Egg scatterer: spawns daily for several weeks into plants or mops; adults tend not to eat the eggs, but rearing in a separate tank is easier.

Pairing

A group of 6 or more.

Setup

A 100 L planted tank with spawning mops.

What starts it

Warm water and plenty of live food.

Eggs

Batches of eggs daily for weeks; eggs hatch in 7-12 days depending on temperature.

Raising the fry

Feed infusoria, then baby brine shrimp.

Common mistakes

Keeping too few fish so spawning does not start
Eggs eaten by adults
Cold or dirty water

Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

Loading the map…

Native range (rough area)Centre of the rangePlaces on the World Map

RegionLake Tebera basin, Papua New Guinea

Rivers and lakesLake Tebera and nearby swamps in the Purari River system

HabitatClear highland lake and surrounding swamps

Native rangeAbout 30 km across

Open on the World Map

The story of the lake tebera rainbowfish

A highland rainbowfish found only in the Lake Tebera basin, Papua New Guinea, in clear, heavily planted water. Listed as Vulnerable by IUCN (2019) and probably at risk from overfishing.

Gerald Allen described this rainbowfish in 1981 and named it after aquarium-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod. It comes from Lake Tebera in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Captive-bred fish soon spread through the hobby thanks to their golden-green colour and easy care.

First described by Gerald R. Allen in 1981. Named for Named after aquarium publisher Herbert R. Axelrod.

Males show yellow-gold fins and a dark stripe along the body.
In the wild it is limited to one small lake system.
It belongs to a group of rainbowfishes found in highland lakes of New Guinea.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources

Scientific name
Named after Herbert R. Axelrod (1927-2017).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Melanotaenia · FishBase: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi summary
Familycorrected
Legacy has no family; recorded as sourced.
FishBase: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi summary · Seriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
Sizecorrected
size-pick: Seriously Fish 9 cm SL (about 11 cm TL) kept as live-adult size; FishBase 15 cm TL is a maximum record well above aquarium figures. Legacy 10 cm is consistent once tail is included.
Seriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi · FishBase: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi summary
TemperatureSeriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi · FishBase: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi summary
pHSeriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
Hardnesscorrected
Legacy has none.
Seriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
Smallest tankcorrected
90 x 30 x 30 cm = 81 L (Seriously Fish figure). Legacy 150 L is generous but not sourced.
Seriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
Group sizeSeriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
TemperamentSeriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
Care levelcorrected
Seriously Fish: needs a steady pH and high water quality.
Seriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
Where it livescorrected
FishBase says Southern Highlands, Seriously Fish Central Highlands; province not given in the value.
FishBase: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi summary · Seriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Melanotaenia
Male or female
Legacy 'dark midline' on males not sourced.
Seriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
Breedingcorrected
Legacy 'adults eat some eggs' contradicts Seriously Fish.
Seriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy 10-30 eggs/day not sourced.
Seriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
Story
Location verified. 'Dark lateral stripe and golden-yellow sheen' not quoted in a fetched source.
Seriously Fish: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi · FishBase: Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi summary

Lake Tebera rainbowfish

Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi · Herbert axelrod's rainbowfish, Tebera rainbow, Herbertaxelrodi

Peaceful, active schooling fish; keep a group of 6 or more in a long tank.

Local price coming soon

Prices for· real AED shop prices, never conversions

9 cmBody length, without tail ✓

22–26 °CTemperature ✓

7–8pH ✓

81 LSmallest tank ✓

Tank mates

Check your own mix →

Not recommended

White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Lake Tebera rainbowfish is tropical.
Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.

Not recommended

Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Lake Tebera rainbowfish only grows to 9 cm.

Not recommended

Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Lake Tebera rainbowfish only grows to 9 cm.

With conditions

Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.

With conditions

Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.

Compatible

297 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

Where it lives in the wild

Loading the map…

Native range (rough area)Centre of the rangePlaces on the World Map

RegionLake Tebera basin, Papua New Guinea

Rivers and lakesLake Tebera and nearby swamps in the Purari River system

HabitatClear highland lake and surrounding swamps

Native rangeAbout 30 km across

Open on the World Map

The story of the lake tebera rainbowfish

A highland rainbowfish found only in the Lake Tebera basin, Papua New Guinea, in clear, heavily planted water. Listed as Vulnerable by IUCN (2019) and probably at risk from overfishing.

First described by Gerald R. Allen in 1981. Named for Named after aquarium publisher Herbert R. Axelrod.

Males show yellow-gold fins and a dark stripe along the body.

In the wild it is limited to one small lake system.

It belongs to a group of rainbowfishes found in highland lakes of New Guinea.