My Blue Neon Rainbow Changed Colour

Hi Everyone

I suppose this is old news for most of you but I found it really awesome. Bought myself a Blue Neon Rainbow about a month back for my tank at work, but after a while it just seemed like he wasn't happy. So I took him home and put him in my 3 foot tank. He seemed a lot more happy there. Was at least moving around more. Then one fine day as I came to observe my fish, I saw my blue neon looking very beautiful. More so than I remembered. His blue colour was a very dark, almost navy blue. And the almost invisible yellow line on the top of his head was a bright luminous yellow. It was awesome! And he was doing a strange twitchy dance to some of my other fish. Not sure if he was chasing them away or if he was rowdy. Anyway... it was the first and last time I ever saw this. He is now back to his light coloured self and mild mannered again.

Can anyone explain the dance perhaps? Was my fish wanting to mate? Or was he just being territorial? I didn't think blue neon rainbows were territorial at all. So kind of ruled that one out.

My apologies if the pictures are a bit fuzzy. I'm still saving up for a good camera. Hope you all enjoy the pics though.

 

OK, good news or bad, what do you want to have first, it also depends on how you interpret it.

Bad news (or good news, you decide), these are not dwarf neon rainbows, but Kutubu blues.

Good news: the behaviour that you saw was typical egg-laying behaviour, hang a mop into the tank and they will soon lay many eggs. Do some googling on how to spawn rainbow fishes and you will soon be breeding many of them, they are easy.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

Wow that's awesome!!! :bigsmile:

But this was on Friday though. Isn't it too late to try make egg laying grounds for them?

 

Jip kutubu rainbows. They and boesemani rainbows are my fav. The dwarf neon rainbow is small about 5cm with red or yellow fins. The males have a faint yellow colour on their head when they are showing to the females. What i have seen on my dwarf neons. Also the kutubu showing his colours are Stunning.

 

They continue laying a few eggs every day, so this continues all the time.

 

Hi people

A quick update on my Blue Neon Rainbows. Once again, this might be old news for you all but I thought it was cool. When I put on my tank's light this morning, both my rainbows were a charcoal colour. The whole fish, not just the top. I guess it's the same defense mechanism that neons have when they "sleep"? So that they aren't easy to spot? Is that about right?

 

yes it is kutubu lake rainbow. The pair got their way and find housing for eggs. I have many rainbow in my tank with more than 24 different mix. Waiting for 6 rainbow. Almost every week to open their eggs and they eat it up and clown Loach loves eggs. their stand and watch rainbow waiting. lol

Important. they can start fight. best get balance rainbow.

 

Hi Fanlie,

What are you writing here? This is hardely understandable. What is going on man?

There are some things that I would like to add. Kutubu blues do not fight. If you keep a school of 6 to 8 fishes they are lively and the males will then really give the performance with the yellow foreheads. You need to make a nice mop of acrylic wool which you hang into the tank and then the fishes will spawn every day and give this nice display.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

Ok I guess I'm going to sound a bit silly now but could you explain what you meant by "...mop of acrylic wool..."? Sorry... I'm a small-fry hey. Still feel a bit stupid about these things.

 

Its easy to make. Get some acrylic wool, cut it into pieces and tie these pieces to a cork. The cork floats and the wool then dangles in the water simulating roots. Usually green wool is used

 

Cool. Thanks a lot. This is awesome. I'll let you all know how it goes. :bigsmile:
Thanks so much for all the help.

 

Hi guys

Ok so I made the "mop". Is this correct?

 

Very close. The wool needs to be dangling in the water more. Google some pics of spawning mops and you will see what I mean

 

Alright... Here is my second attempt. What you guys think?



Should I move it away from my stone structure? It kind of landed there on it's own. I'm thinking it's probably just going to go sit there again. Also, I'm scared the rainbow has laid eggs there already and I mess it up. Will the eggs be hidden or will I see it?

 

HI Fishtastic,

Your mop looks ok, the eggs are as tough as nails. Takes the mop out and press it quite firmly between your hands and even then the eggs will not pop unless they were laid less than an hour before and normally they lay them in the morning. Then move the strands of the mop apart and inspect for the eggs, they will be pinhead size, larger than what you might think they will be near the top of the mop most of the time. You can then put the whole mop in an icecream bakkie on top of the tank under the lid with tankwater and an airstone and then they start hatching after about 5-6 days. If you take the mop out inbetween you will eventually see the eyes of the fry in the eggs and then they will start hatching. Once they hatch feed them with tiny amounts of very fine granulates or liquifry or crushed flakes and then feed them freshly hatched bs as soon as they can eat them.

Have fun,

Dirk

 

Another very interesting post on a very unusual plant I assume!!

 

Plant? Uhm... actually that's wool... tied to a cork... :weird: