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Encyclopedia / Rainbowfish / Ornate rainbowfish
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Variations

3 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Ornate rainbowfish

Rhadinocentrus ornatus · Ornatus, Soft-water rainbowfish, Ornate rainbow, Pastel rainbowfish

Peaceful and shy; keep a group of 6 or more with other calm fish in soft, clean water.

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8 cmAdult size ✓
20–28 °CTemperature ✓
6–7pH ✓
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Ornate rainbowfish only grows to 8 cm.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Ornate rainbowfish only grows to 8 cm.
Not recommended
  • Convict cichlid is aggressive and will bully peaceful ornate rainbowfish.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

373 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 ✓0.3–5.6 dGH
Group size ✓10 or more
Temperament ?Peaceful
Swims at ?Top
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Carnivore
Lifespan ✓3–4 years
Size in shops 3–5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful and shy; keep a group of 6 or more with other calm fish in soft, clean water.

Food

Baby brine shrimp, daphnia, frozen foods and fine flakes.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males are brighter, with longer rays in the second dorsal and anal fins, and show a red stripe from the lip along the nape when spawning; females are less colourful. Both blue and red colour forms occur.

Health

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

Breeding

Egg-scatterer (spawning mops) · Moderate

Spawns like most rainbowfish: females lay a few eggs each day among fine-leaved plants or floating roots during the warm season.

Pairing

A group of 6 or more.

Setup

A 60 L planted tank with spawning mops and soft, acidic water.

What starts it

Soft water and live food.

Eggs

3-5 eggs per female each day, about 20-80 in total over several days; eggs hatch in about 6-10 days at 23-28 °C.

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

RegionCoastal south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales, Australia
Rivers and lakesCoastal wallum streams and Fraser Island (K'gari) lakes
HabitatAcidic, tea-coloured wallum creeks and swamps
Native rangeAbout 350 km across
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The story of the ornate rainbowfish

A small, variable rainbowfish from soft, acidic coastal "wallum" streams, swamps and dune lakes of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. It was described by Regan in 1914 from a pond on Moreton Island and was once called the Moreton Island sunfish. It is the only species in its genus.

C. Tate Regan described this little rainbowfish in 1914. It lives in tannin-stained 'wallum' waters along Australia's east coast, where populations vary in colour from site to site. It is popular among native-fish keepers.

First described by Charles Tate Regan in 1914. Named for 'ornatus' means 'adorned' in Latin.

  • It is the only species in the genus Rhadinocentrus.
  • It lives in acidic, tea-coloured water rich in tannins.
  • Nearby creeks can hold populations with clearly different colours.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources