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Madagascar Rainbowfish

Red-Tailed Silverside ~ Madagascan Rainbow Family: Bedotiidae

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Bedotia geayi Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

  Adding a few exotic and uncommon fish like the Madagascar Rainbowfish, is a great way to make your tank stand out!

   The Madagascar Rainbowfish is a great fish for the large tank fish keeper. It adds visual interest and is able to adapt to a variety of conditions. A commitment to keeping a school of healthy specimens means the aquarist will be rewarded with beautiful coloration and hours of entertainment.

   The appeal of the Madagascar Rainbowfish is easy to see. The cool shimmer of the silver scales, smoldering red fins, and thick black markings make this bold fish unforgettable. Aquarists often find that the Madagascar Rainbowfish is more civilized than the other rainbowfish, making it suitable for pairing with a wider array of tank mates.

For more Information on keeping freshwater fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Distribution:
   The Madagascar Rainbowfish or Red-Tailed Silverside was described by Pellegrin in1907. True to its name, the Madagascar Rainbowfish inhabits clear swift moving streams on the tropical island of Madagascar.

Status:
   The Madagascar Rainbowfish is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: VU - vulnerable.

Description:
   The ecology of this fish is quite apparent. The Madagascar Rainbowfish is long and slender, it is built as river fish and a powerful swimmer. The fins are short but strong. The overall body color is a pale yellowish brown, with a slight blue sheen. A heavy, dark blue band runs the length of the fish, with a second fainter and shorter band just below it. The fins of males are black at the very base, fading through white into red, and finally ending with a black outline. The female’s fins will be clear or sometimes a subdued version of the male’s fins. Note that there are many regional color variants.

Size - Weight:
   The Madagascar Rainbowfish grows to about 6 inches in the aquarium (15cm).

Care and feeding:
   Madagascar Rainbowfish in the wild are basically carnivorous.They are easy to feed, all they really need is a high quality flake food and occasional live prey. Some good examples of suitable live food include bloodworms, tubifex worms, water fleas, or brine shrimp. These should be fed at least twice per week as a supplement to the prepared diet. If these are unavailable live, frozen (defrosted) substitutes would also be accepted.
   Madagascar Rainbowfish are big, active, schooling fish. It is the aquarist’s responsibility to set up a suitable environment before purchasing this species. Start with a tank at least 30 inches long and no less than thirty gallons in capacity. Eventually adults will need a much larger tank, with 100 to 150 gallons being reasonable. At least 25 - 50% of the tank water should be replaced weekly, especially if the tank is densely stocked.
   When decorating the aquarium, use only tank safe rocks, bogwood, and aquatic plants. Leave a stretch of open water for swimming. A dark background and ideally dark substrate will bring out better colors and make the fish more secure. Try, if possible, to plan for one or two hours of sunlight hitting the tank. This should be time when you can view the tank as the illumination will make the fish even more stunning. Finally, top it off with a secure lid to prevent escape.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   Madagascar Rainbowfish mostly inhabit the upper or middle portions of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Temperature: 72 - 77° F (22 - 25° C)
   Hardness: 8 - 25 dGH
   Ph: 6.5 - 8.5

Social Behaviors:
   Madagascar Rainbowfish are schooling fish and require at least six buddies to be at all comfortable. Life in the school should generally be peaceful, with occasional squabbles. The Madagascar Rainbowfish is usually friendly with other species, so it adapts well to life in the community tank. That being said, it should be noted that occasionally one will come across a fish, usually older and male, with a more belligerent disposition. Care should be taken that in all instances, other tank mates are similar in size, temperament, and activity level.

Sexual Differences:
   Male Madagascar Rainbowfish will have brighter colors than females, especially on the fins and tail.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   To breed the Madagascar Rainbowfish, a tank should be set up with moderately hard, alkaline water. The tank must be fairly large, at least 24 inches long. and should have a good current. Fine leaved plants and a sponge filter should be included.
   The pair will spawn continually over a few weeks. A few large brown eggs are laid each day, attached to the plants by threads. The eggs hatch after about a week. The parents usually ignore the fry and eggs, but breeders usually separate them anyway. The fry grow slowly and should be fed infusoria or liquid fry food until they can handle baby brineshrimp. Breeding is difficult and the young are very sensitive to their surroundings.  

Buy Madagascar Rainbowfish From LiveAquaria.com

See an overview of how to breed Rainbowfish in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:
   The Madagascar Rainbowfish, also sold as the Madagascan Rainbowfish or the Red-Tailed Silverside, is somewhat rare. Quality specimens sell for about $8.00 - $15.00 USD each.

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Latest Comments
These fish are great! My local fish store had one lonesome Madagascar Rainbow, so I bought him and he is a delight. Begs at the front of the tank, very active, very agile almost acrobatic..and most of all, very peaceful. He lives in a 95 gal with 7 Boesmani Rainbows, tetras, gouramis, loaches etc. I have been looking for more, but with no luck, They seem to be pretty rare. Gary T 2007-09-18

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