Rainbowfish in 40B Advice

[KingFish735]

Hey all
Some of the people reading this might remember me from the last thread I posted, and I've settled on setting up a rainbowfish tank!
I just wanted to ask a question about rainbowfish since I'll be starting a rainbowfish tank in a 40 gallon breeder soon. I really like Goyder River Rainbows, Boesemani Rainbows, and Dwarf Neon Rainbows and was thinking of choosing one species and setting up a single species tank. I'll be using a Ehiem 2215 canister filter on the 40B btw.
I also wanted to ask if I would absolutely have to do a fully planted tank since I would rather put a piece of driftwood attached with some low-tech plant like java moss and some kind of plant the rainbowfish can weave in and out of. Plant suggestions are very welcome.
So wrapping it all up, my two main questions are:
1) What rainbowfish and how many would be nice for a 40 gallon breeder?
2a) Is a fully planted tank a must-have for the fish to thrive and show off their best colors?
<If the answer to 2a is yes>
2b) If a fully planted tank is required, what beginner/low-tech plants would you guys recommend?

P.S. If you know a quality online breeder/shop that sells rainbowfish, please feel free to tell me

 

[fishhead0103666]

I don't know of a single fish that absolutely REQUIRES plants to live however some hardy plants that are great for beginners are anubias, vals, crypts, and amazon swords.
Check out aquaticarts.com they specialize in nano fish so they may have what you're looking for. I'll check.
Here are the rainbow fish they have https://aquaticarts.com/collections/rainbowfish

 

[esoxlucius]

Anything you read about rainbows tends to say that plants are very beneficial if you want the best out of your rainbows. I have four species in my 180g low tech planted tank and they love it. Their colours are vibrant and there's always courtship going on, which is fascinating to watch. They are egg scatterers and not particularly good parents. They lay their eggs and others just gobble them up. So if you want to breed them a different tact is required.

My planted tank is very low tech and as a result over the past few months not all my plants have made it. All I do is get a bunch of different plants, give them time and see which do best in my set up. So far I can say that my amazon swords are doing OK, I have some anubias which are holding their own (one even flowered recently) but the best one so far is my vallisinaria, it is thriving, and spreading.

I can't quite picture how big a 40g breeder is so i'm not sure how many rainbows you'll get in their, bearing in mind they come in different sizes from the dwarf neons (praecox) which are 2 inchers up to a few species which can nudge 6". As with a lot of fish the males are most colourful but you need females present as well to bring out those colours and the subsequent courtship shows. Female rainbows are generally just dull.

The turquoise rainbow, however, one of my faves, is a little different in that respect because I believe it is the only rainbow where the females are just as beautiful as the males. They will max out at about 4-5 inch.

So to summarize, yes, go planted and find out which plants work best for you. Concentrate, for now, on one species, because if you do want to breed them eventually you need a species only tank to prevent crossbreeding. Ensure you have a good split of males to females and that will get you off to a good start.

Good luck.

 

[AngryRainbow]

I personally wouldn't recommend any of the larger rainbow species in a 40b. They would do better with a longer tank imo. I had turquoise rainbowfish in a 4ft tank and they would cross those 4ft in a blink of an eye. I wish I could have managed an even longer tank for them. I have a 40b and while I love the dimensions of it, I don't think the larger species of rainbows would thrive in it. I think it'll seem cramped, so I'd go with dwarf rainbows for that tank.

I also agree you should go planted if you can. The rainbows will appreciate being able to not only weave though them, but also having enough protection to hide from the high energy chasing when they need to.

 

[KingFish735]

Ok thanks guys
I'll research some more about them and decide on a species.
I'll keep you guys updated

 

[MrsE88]

Go with dwarf rainbows.
Ive kept my rainbows in a 3’ tank when in qt and it isn’t nearly long enough for how much they swim and how fast they swim. They are extremely active fish. As far as how many to get, 1m-3f I’d think would be best. Have pothos roots hanging in the tank if you want to try breeding them. They will love it and you could remove the plants after you see them spawn to raise them in a separate tank.

Plant wise, I love vals, anubias, and java fern. They are the only plants I don’t kill right away. I know swords are supposed to be good too, but if I showed you how pathetically sad my one year old plant looks you’d avoid them. Lol Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never done well with them.