Filigree Rainbowfish / Magnificent Rainbowfish - Iriatherina werneri

With its filamentous and elongated fins, the Filigree Rainbowfish or Magnificent Rainbowfish, Iriatherina werneri, has long enjoyed great popularity in aquaristics. Its fragile appearance and the interesting fin flapping of the males make it an enchanting highlight in the aquarium that is easy to maintain. Iriatherina werneri are peaceful schooling fish that originated in Australia and Papua New Guinea and are found in clear, slow-moving waters with dense vegetation.

As their name suggests, Filigree Rainbowfishes have a filigree and slender body structure with a pointed and superior mouth. Conspicuous are the thickened lips and the large eyes. In the basic color the animals are rather olive-brown to bluish, at the upper back also metallic shimmering, in the flank and belly region however rather pastel-yellow. Males may have red bellies colored to the base of the tail. The dorsal and anal fins are pointed and very elongated and black in color. The caudal fin is sickle shaped and also elongated, it may be red fringed. The males differ from the rather smaller and more colorless females mainly by the extended fin filaments and grow to about 4-5 cm in length.

Especially the mating season is a wonderful spectacle with the Filigree Rainbowfish. The males court the females by circling them, violently folding their fins in and out. At this time, its color is particularly splendidly pronounced. Breeding can be successful in a community aquarium if you are lucky, but it is more successful to transfer a selected pair to a spawning aquarium with fine plants or java moss . Once the female has found a suitable spot, the male will stand next to her and both will release the spawn while trembling. The animals should be put back after spawning. The eggs have filamentous adhesive threads with which they attach themselves to the spawning substrate as soon as they come into contact with it. They develop within 6-14 days, depending on the environment. The rather large fish larvae can be raised with freshly hatched Artemia nauplii.

The aquarium for the Filigree Rainbowfish should be at least 54 liters. A light-colored sand is suitable as substrate. A dense planting in places serves as a retreat for the sometimes hard-pressed females. These fish like to live in shoals, so we recommend keeping them in groups of at least 10. As in their habitat, the animals like rather slightly acidic and soft water with a pH between 6-7 and a total hardness below 10 °dGH. The temperature may be 24-27°C.

Filigree Rainbowfish are very peaceful aquarium fish for which a species aquarium is suitable. However, they can be socialized with other rainbowfishes coming from similar water values, for example with the Spotted Blueeye (Pseudomugil getrudae). Since Filigree Rainbowfish have a very small mouth, they can besocialized well with shrimp , but they may chase their young somewhat. A socialization with dwarf crayfish, which pinch the long and soft fins of the rainbowfish, is rather not recommended, also crayfish can hurt and even eat them under certain circumstances.

As carnivores, the Filigree Rainbowfish feed on small approaching insects, but also on tiny crustaceans, which they pick out of growth. They can be fed with very fine granulated food for carnivorous fish or, even better, micronized dust food that floats on the water surface for a while. Preferably, the fish can be fed with very small live and frozen food such as cyclops, enchytraea, micro or grindal worms, as well as with  Artemia nauplii.

Our food recommendation: The professional NatureHolic Nanofeed is a staple food for all small aquarium fish. This mini fish food and rearing food is a fine soft granulate which, thanks to its softness, resembles the consistency of tiny crustaceans and insect larvae and protects the delicate mouths of nano fish and fry from micro-injuries.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.