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Encyclopedia / Rainbowfish / Madagascar rainbowfish
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Variations

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Madagascar rainbowfish

Bedotia madagascariensis · Bedotia geayi, Geayi, Madagascar rainbow, Bedotia

Peaceful but active; keep in a long tank in a group of 6 or more.

Most fish sold as Bedotia geayi are really B. madagascariensis, so this page covers the fish you can buy. True B. geayi is a 9 cm, Endangered fish from a single river basin.

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9 cmAdult size ✓
20–24 °CTemperature ✓
7–8pH ✓
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Madagascar rainbowfish only grows to 9 cm.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (20–24 °C vs 26–30 °C). No setting suits both.
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Madagascar rainbowfish only grows to 9 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 23–24 °C.
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

244 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 ✓9–19 dGH
Group size ?6 or more
Temperament ?Peaceful
Swims at ?Top
Care level ?Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 5–8 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful but active; keep in a long tank in a group of 6 or more. It needs clean, well-oxygenated water.

Food

Flakes, frozen foods such as bloodworms and daphnia, and small live foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males have a uniformly red tail fin with a dark spot and a red spot on the lower jaw, and more colourful fins than females.

Health

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

Breeding

Egg-scatterer (spawning mops) · Moderate

Spawns in mops daily.

Pairing

A group of 6 or more.

Setup

A 150 L planted tank with spawning mops and good flow.

What starts it

Cool-ish water and live food.

Eggs

10-30 eggs per day; hatch in 7-10 days.

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

RegionEastern Madagascar
Rivers and lakesMananjary River and nearby east-coast rivers
HabitatClear, flowing forest streams
Native rangeAbout 150 km across
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The story of the madagascar rainbowfish

A Madagascar rainbowfish found only in the Mananjary River basin of eastern Madagascar, with a black side stripe and a red tail. It is Endangered in the wild. Most fish sold under this name since the 1950s are actually the related Bedotia madagascariensis.

Jacques Pellegrin described this fish in 1907 from specimens collected by Martin François Geay. It comes from a small area of eastern Madagascar and has been bred in aquariums for decades. Captive populations help preserve a fish whose wild habitat has been heavily altered.

First described by Jacques Pellegrin in 1907. Named for Named after French collector Martin François Geay.

  • It belongs to Bedotiidae, a family found only in Madagascar.
  • Males have black-and-red edged fins and a dark stripe on the side.
  • Many introduced species compete with Madagascar's native freshwater fishes.

Sources

11 facts checked with sources