The Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecoxis) is a popular smaller rainbowfish with blue iridescence sides. The male’s fins are red/orange in color making the fish standout in any aquarium. They come from New Guinea, Indonesia. These are captive raised. They are perfect community fish with other similar fish.
They grow to the adult size of less than 3 inches. They make a perfect addition to a 20-gallon tank or larger with like sized calm fish. They enjoy being around live plants, so those are a plus. It is encouraged that they be kept in groups of 8 to 10 so they feel comfortable in their aquarium. In a group of males and females, the males will have brighter colors as they display to the rest of the group.
To replicate their natural habitat, the use of rock work, plants, and driftwood should be included in the aquarium. They also enjoy tannins in their water, so the use of Indian Almond or Guava leaves is highly recommended. They enjoy having a shaded aquarium so keeping floating plants is encouraged to cut down the light reaching them. We would not recommend keeping this fish with shrimp colonies due to the likeliness of the dwarf neon rainbowfish eating baby shrimp and potentially picking at adult shrimp.
The scientific name for the dwarf neon rainbowfish is: Melanotaenia praecoxis
They are omnivores by nature. We feed our dwarf neon rainbowfish a mix of frozen foods including daphnia, baby brine, cyclops, and bloodworms.
Our Tank Parameters
Tank Recommendations