Rainbow Dority

Rainbow Dority, scientific name Glossolepis dorityi, belongs to the family Melanotaeniidae (Rainbows). The fish was first discovered by the famous German explorer Heiko Blecher in 1999. But he was unable to collect samples for a detailed study of the new species. Other researchers were more fortunate. In April 2000, Glossolepis dorityi was collected by Dan Dority and David Price and entered into the international fish catalog as a new species.

Habitat

The fish comes from the island of New Guinea, located north of Australia. The natural habitat is limited to river systems in the west of the island. The region is known as Irian Jaya and is characterized by a mountainous lowland area covered by vast swamps and jungles.

A typical biotope is the shallow lake Nengwambu, which has no inflowing rivers and is connected to other lakes through underground limestone grottoes. Due to the absence of inflowing rivers, the water in the lake is very clean. Many aquatic plants grow along the banks. The biodiversity is quite modest, but among the fish there is the Rainbow fasciata, which is popular in the aquarium hobby.

Description

Males reach a length of up to 10–11 cm. The color of the body is greenish with a silvery sheen. Pale horizontal stripes of an orange or bronze hue run along the upper body. On the lower part, the stripes become more contrasting, acquiring rich red-orange hues. The fins are greenish or translucent with pinkish hues.

Females are somewhat smaller – about 8–9 cm. They are not so colorful. The main body color is also greenish, but there are no bright horizontal stripes.

Behavior and Compatibility

Schooling moving fish. Males compete with each other for the attention of females, but things do not come to aggression. Other types of Rainbows will be good neighbors in the aquarium. Also compatible with other species of comparable size and temperament.

Brief information:

• The volume of the aquarium – from 150 liters.
• Temperature – 26-30°C
• Value pH — 5.0–8.0
• Water hardness – soft to hard (5-20 dGH)
• Substrate type – any
• Lighting – subdued / moderate
• Brackish water – no
• Water movement – weak/absent
• The size of the fish is up to 11 cm.
• Food – any food
• Temperament – peaceful active
• Keeping a flock of at least 6-8 individuals

Maintenance and care, arrangement of the aquarium

The optimal size of the aquarium for 6-8 fish starts from 150 liters. In the design, it is recommended to combine areas with dense aquatic vegetation and free places for swimming.

For long-term keeping, it is important to ensure a stable water composition and a high temperature around 28°C. The parameters of water of medium hardness and pH in the region of 7.0 are considered comfortable.

High temperatures speed up decomposition processes, so uneaten food and excrement can quickly pollute the water. To prevent this, the aquarium must be equipped with a productive filtration system and weekly replace part of the water with fresh water, combined with the removal of organic waste.

Food

Undemanding to the diet. They will accept most popular feeds in dry, frozen and live form.