Description

Less than two inches when fully grown, this small rainbow is a truly beautiful fish that fits in well with other small shoaling fish in a well-planted community aquarium. Providing that this fish is transferred over to its new aquarium home slowly, they will adapt to a wide range of water conditions ranging from soft and slightly acidic water to hard and alkaline.

Origins and Distribution

Forktailed Rainbow Fish are native to Peria Creek, Kwagira River, eastern Papua New Guinea, meaning that they are available in the wild in only a very small geographic area in the Milne Bay province. They occasionally travel into nearby rivers and tributaries, probably as a result of drainage among the different waterways. These fish prefer slow-moving streams lined with heavy vegetation; these environments make it easy for them to find their favorite foods: zooplankton, phytoplankton, and invertebrates. Pseudomugil furcatus usually mate within the shoal and lay their eggs among feathery-leafed plants.

Colors and Markings.

The Forktailed Rainbow Fish or Pseudomugil furcatus is a very attractive species with blue eyes, a silvery body, and bright yellow stripes on the top and bottom of the body in the breeding season. Two upturned almost wing-like pectoral fins, bright yellow in color along with bright yellow dorsal fins in breeding season make this little gem a great addition to any community aquarium.

Tankmates

Forktailed Rainbow Fish are a shoaling species and should be kept with between six and ten of their own kind. A generally peaceful fish, they can live comfortably with smaller goby or catfish species, danios, tetras, rasboras, dwarf cichlids, and other small rainbowfish. Do avoid keeping this species in a tank with slower-moving fish or fish with long, trailing fins as they do sometimes nip and can be a bit aggressive.