The Red Irian Rainbow is a gorgeous freshwater fish with red, orange, gold, and silver colorations throughout its body. Males will have more pronounced colorations when females are present and will dull in color when no females are in the aquarium. Sometimes called the Red Rainbow Fish, this fish is incredibly peaceful and should generally keep to itself.
This article will focus on general care for the Red Irian Rainbow Fish. It will cover aquarium requirements, food & diet needs, suggested tank mates, and potential breeding requirements.
Aquarium Requirements
Red Irian Rainbows grow to be about 4″ – 4.5″ in length. Because of their schooling requirements, max length, and active personalities, they will do best in 55 gallon aquariums or larger. Check out my list of Standard Glass Aquariums to get an idea of how big and how heavy a 55 gallon fish tank will be. This fish species also does best in planted aquariums that have a fair amount of open space to swim in.
Water Parameters
Stable water parameters are an important aspect of keeping your fish healthy and happy. Many water parameters need to be monitored while keeping fish. After your aquarium goes through its nitrogen cycle, nitrates, phosphates, pH, temperature, KH (carbonate hardness), and GH (general hardness) are probably the most important to keep your eye on. Red Irian Rainbows do best in the following conditions:
- Temperature: 72° – 77° F
- KH: 9 – 19
- pH: 7.0 – 8.0
Nitrates and phosphates should generally be kept as low as possible. This is possible through scheduled water changes, not overfeeding, and growing live plants in the aquarium. Red Rainbows have a fairly wide range of water parameters they will do well in, which is great for newer fish keepers. You can test for most of your water parameters with the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. Unfortunately, the API GH & KH Test Kits are not included but can be purchased separately by following this link.
Food & Diet
The Red Irian Rainbow Fish is omnivorous, and it is recommended to provide them with a variety of food types. I recommend feeding them brine shrimp, Mysis shrimp, and bloodworms to fulfill their protein needs. I would also supplement their diet with flake foods and pellet food. I personally enjoy feeding my fish the New Life Spectrum All Purpose Flakes.
Tank Mates
Most community fish will do perfectly fine with Red Rainbow Fish. However, I would start by creating a strong school of this fish species, which will likely become the aquarium centerpiece. In an appropriately sized fish tank, other rainbow fish species can be mixed with Red Rainbows. Otherwise, tetras, rasboras, peaceful barb species, cory cats, livebearers, and angelfish are a few types of fish that should do well with Red Rainbows. I would avoid mixing Red Rainbow Fish with aggressive fish such as large aggressive cichlids or fin-nipping barbs.
Breeding
Irian Red Rainbow Fish may breed in the aquarium without human intervention. They will typically release eggs on moss. To get the most success, eggs should be hatched separately from adult fish. Once the eggs hatch, it’s recommended to feed them very small live food such as live baby brine shrimp, or you can try feeding them this Ultra Fresh Baby Fish Food from Amazon.
If you cannot separate adults from the eggs, you can increase your chances of success by providing areas in the aquarium that are very heavily planted. This will create a lot of cover and refuge areas for your newly hatched fry.
Final Notes
Overall, the pop of color and life the Red Irian Rainbow brings to an aquarium, cannot be beaten. They’re great schooling fish for many larger community fish tanks. Remember, the male’s color will pop the most when females are present in the aquarium. I have seen Red Irian Rainbow Fish for sale both in-store and online from prices ranging from $9.99 to $18.99. If you are looking for a pop of red color in your aquarium, consider checking out 10 Red Tropical Fish for Your Freshwater Fish Tank.
Image by Hectonichus on wikiMedia