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How to look after
Melanotaenia praecox
Dwarf neon rainbowfish
(Weber & de Beaufort, 1922)

Male dwarf neon rainbows have red fin edges. Females can also have red fin edges, though usually less intense, or orange/yellow
more images here

(Other members of the genus Melanotaenia)

ADULT SIZE: 8 cm

WATER CONDITIONS: Very hard and alkaline

TEMPERATURE RANGE: 23-27 C

FOOD: Feed Melanotaenia praecox live and dried foods. Not a fussy eater.

DISTRIBUTION: This species comes from Indonesia

SEXUAL DIFFERENCES: Male fish tend to be more brightly coloured in the fins, and have somewhat deeper bodies.

AQUARIUM CARE: Dwarf neon rainbowfish hail from the Mamberamo river system in northern Irian Jaya, Indonesia. This huge river has numerous micro-habitats; M. praecox is thought to prefer shallow areas with submerged plants and driftwood. In the aquarium, this is easily replicated, and floating plants also seem to make this fish more comfortable. Some open water is also important for free-swimming, and as a shoaling fish, it should be kept in a group of at least six individuals.

BREEDING: M. praecox is a typical plant spawning rainbow; eggs are attached to plants, then left to develop with no attention from the parents. Spawning mops can be used instead of plants to allow eggs to be collected and raised in a separate spawning tank. Egg development takes a little over a week, and fry relish newly hatched artemia nauplii.

Have you bred Melanotaenia praecox? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?, or examine existing Melanotaenia praecox breeding reports

Melanotaenia praecox
Dwarf neon rainbowfish

Male dwarf neon rainbows have red fin edges. Females can also have red fin edges, though usually less intense, or orange/yellow

Melanotaenia praecox typically only reach an adult size of 8cm; smaller than many other rainbowfish

Melanotaenia praecox
Dwarf neon rainbowfish
breeding notes

BREEDING: M. praecox is a typical plant spawning rainbow; eggs are attached to plants, then left to develop with no attention from the parents. Spawning mops can be used instead of plants to allow eggs to be collected and raised in a separate spawning tank. Egg development takes a little over a week, and fry relish newly hatched artemia nauplii.

Have you bred Melanotaenia praecox? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?

This page summarises breeding reports provided by visitors to this site, along with some statistical analysis. Please feel free to contribute - whatever your experience! 1 breeder has filled in a breeding report, a summary of which is shown in the graphs below. You can read the full reports here. To add details of your experiences of Melanotaenia praecox, why not fill in a Breeding and maintenance Report.
Would Melanotaenia praecox be a good addition to a community tank? Never Doubtful, only with VERY calm fish Only with species of similar size Yes, a good community fish	How would you describe the disposition of Melanotaenia praecox? Very timid Slightly timid Neutral Somewhat aggresive on occasions Very aggressive
In which water conditions do you keep these fish? Very soft and acidic Moderately soft and acidic Neutral Moderately hard and alkaline Very hard and alkaline	At what average temperature? 10-15°C 16-19°C 20-23°C 24-27°C 28°C+
	How would you describe sex ratios when breeding Melanotaenia praecox? If you are unsure please leave this question unanswered. Almost all males Somewhat male heavy Roughly equal Somewhat female heavy Almost all females
In general, how difficult is Melanotaenia praecox to keep and breed? Very easy Easy Average Difficult Very difficult	How sucessful have you been at breeding Melanotaenia praecox? Very unsucessful Fairly unsucessful Average Fairly sucessful Very sucessful

Remember, each record represents only one persons experience; if you had different results, or used different methods, please share your experiences