# Tank for brackish fish (ie Celebes rainbowfish)



## iris600 (Feb 12, 2004)

I have always admired rainbowfish, from the Australians to the "mutts" but I recently saw in a petstore some GORGEOUS celebes rainbowfish. 
Heres some information of the "blue-eyed" rainbowfish, either genus is lovely.
http://www.mongabay.com/fish/pseudomugilinae.htm
I had originally planned to do a heavily planted discus tank, with some neons or rummy nose tetras until the water conditions were stabilized,.. but I've come to think that I would like to start off with a smaller tank (between 20 and 50 gallons, preferably 50). I would like input on good media and plants to use for such a setup.


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## Wheeler (Feb 8, 2004)

FYI, I have kept and bred Celebes rainbows in a soft water, fresh water plant tank. You don't need brackish water to keep any of the dwarf rainbows from Australia, Papau/New Guinea, or the surrounding islands-- At least not any that I've been able to find in a LFS. This includes: Telmatherina sp., Kyunga sp., and Pseudomugil sp.

I know what the references say, but I believe most admit that these fish are quite adaptable and I find that to be true. The key is warm water ~80-82 Farenheit, and regular water changes. I often miss those fish. Celebes rainbows have a nice personality and they are faithful schoolers, IME. They don't, however, match very well with red plants aesthetically.

If you insist on doing a brackish tank with plants, then the biggies would be Vallisneria, Sagitarria, Hydrilla, Anubias, and some Crypts.


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## iris600 (Feb 12, 2004)

*Celebes*

Really? They adapt well? I remember reading that they are very fussy about water quality. What types of fish would they be compatible with? You think they could go with discus in a well planted tank with plenty of space, or am I asking for trouble?


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## Wheeler (Feb 8, 2004)

I didn't have any trouble with them. They're all bred in mass quantites in Singapore anyhow. I guarantee they don't use full brackish conditions. Therapeutic levels of salt perhaps...but from the distributors all the way to the LFS, they will have been kept in good ol' fresh water, The ones unable to adapt will cull themselves if this is even an issue which I suspect it is not. Amano keeps them in FW plant tanks, and I have as well. 

They should go fine with discus.


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## CoolT (May 13, 2005)

I have kept Pseudomugil signifer in both brackish and fresh tanks. They are very easy and adaptable, esp. as to temperature and salinity (my solar fishkeeping is pretty low-tech). I suspect the Threadfin PNG ones are somewhat more delicate.

They are found in our local river, both headwaters and lower reaches where the salinity would be very variable, daily and seasonally. The males are fantastic little displayers and the colours can be quite good in some forms (they are quite variable, some very yellow and others with flashing silver side stripes). We call them Blue Eyes. I kept them with Gobies, and they were my favourite tank for a long time, the Blue Eyes with their flashing and dashing displays and the Gobies being good-humouredly grumpy.

I've got to say I can't imagine them with Discus, but probably because I don't see the two together when snorkelling in the river! They are a little nervous and the males can hound the smaller ones a bit. Cover is the go to keep them from stressing.

In the brackish set up I used Vall, Hygrophila polysperma and Echinodorus latifolius (the last of which was never really happy, but survived) with mangrove wood.


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