Madagascar Rainbowfish
1 Species Overview
The Madagascar rainbowfish, also known as the Madagascar rainbow or stone beauty, is native to Madagascar. Adults reach 6 to 8 cm and are admired for the many color changes that appear across their bodies as the lighting shifts, making them truly beautiful.
Chinese name: Madagascar rainbowfish
English name: Bedotiageayi
Also known as: Madagascar rainbow, stone beauty
Origin: Madagascar
Family: Bedotiidae (rainbowfish family)
2 Appearance and Physical Traits
The Madagascar rainbowfish scatters its eggs to breed and is not difficult to keep. Sexing is usually done by color: females are rather plain, and in the aquarium this species stays in the upper water layer.
Adults measure 6 to 8 cm, with an oval, laterally compressed body. The dorsal fin is split into two parts, and the dorsal and anal fins are symmetrical, low, and band-like. The whole body is blue-green and shifts under light to pink, pale yellow, lilac, and silvery white, very beautiful, while the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins have dark edges.
3 Habitat and Living Environment
Keeping the Madagascar rainbowfish is not especially hard, but you should pay attention to the equipment setup to give them a stable environment. A water temperature of 22 to 26 C with mildly alkaline hard water is recommended.
Beyond the aquarium and filter, equipment includes water circulation and filtration units, heaters, aerators, lighting, and water pumps. For a single tank, use a small circulation filter pump, a 100 to 200 W heater, single- or double-outlet air pumps, fluorescent lamps, and a small submersible pump. Multiple tanks need a more complex setup. Filtration comes in internal and external types: small tanks use internal filters or low-power circulation pumps, large tanks external canisters. Heaters range from 100 W to 1000 W in glass or stainless auto-thermostat rods.
Aeration uses single-, double-, or four-outlet air pumps and turbine oxygenators. A single tank needs a single-outlet pump; multiple tanks a double or four-outlet pump. These plastic pumps oxygenate via a moving rubber diaphragm that cracks or ages over time and must be replaced promptly. Auxiliary aeration gear includes air stones and tubing.
Lighting is mainly fluorescent, with halogen and mercury-vapor lamps as options. A single tank may also use an underwater color lamp, a sealed glass tube placed underwater against the glass wall that emits red, blue, green, or white light for attractive aquascaping.
Water pumps are usually low-power all-plastic submersibles, compact and light, at 200 W, 500 W, or 1000 W with a 5 to 10 m head. Mounted on the glass wall, they can empty a tank in minutes, safe and reliable.
4 Feeding Guidelines
The Madagascar rainbowfish is not hard to keep, but stable water and scientific feeding matter. Base a feeding plan on their natural foraging habits.
Keep the temperature at 22 to 26 C, within which appetite is strong and growth rapid, unaffected by outside temperature swings. Their staple food is live daphnia (water fleas).
Feeding amount depends on fish size and number. At home, feed once or twice daily, offering only what is eaten within 5 to 10 minutes. In bulk breeding, feed 2 to 3 times daily; breeding stock 3 to 4 times. When switching foods, increase the amount gradually. Withhold food 1 to 2 days before transport.