Parkinson's Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia parkinsoni

Parkinson's Rainbowfish was scientifically described by Allen in 1980. Its scientific name is Melanotaenia parkinsoni. The species was first collected by Allen in 1978 from a tributary of the Kemp Welsh River.  

Description
Parkinson's Rainbowfish can be at least 13 cm (5.1 inches) long. The body is brown or olive coloured on the back while the sides are silvery blue. A thin orange stripe runs between each row of scales.

The adult male has bright orange fins. In some male specimens, the sides of the body are also orange.

Geographical distribution, habitat and conservation
Parkinson's Rainbowfish lives in the south-eastern part of Papua New Guinea. The species is found in coastal lowland streams and pools from Port Moresby to Milne Bay. These streams are surrounded by rainforest or by grass plains with patchy rainforest. The species has for instance been found in turbid pools in severely dried out streams filled with fallen trees and branches. 

Parkinson's Rainbowfish is listed as “Not Evaluated” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Keeping Parkinson's Rainbowfish in aquariums
Parkinson's Rainbowfish is fairly easy to keep but does not appreciate crowded conditions. The recommended water temperature is fairly high; 27-30 degrees C (81-86 degrees F). It is important to keep the water alkaline, preferably around 7.6-7.8.

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The natural diet for Parkinson's Rainbowfish is chiefly made up by filamentous algae and insects that are unfortunate enough to fall into the water. Provide it with a similar omnivore diet in the aquarium, e.g. natural algae growth, algae based flake food and live meaty food such as brine shrimp and insect larvae.

Breeding Parkinson's Rainbowfish
Parkinson's Rainbowfish readily spawns in the aquarium when provided with a suitable spawning medium such as java moss or spawning mops. The safest course of action is to move the spawning medium with the fertilized eggs to a separate rearing container to avoid predation. You can expect the eggs to hatch within 10 days if you keep the water temperature within the recommended range. The fry can be fed infusoria and finely ground flakes until they are big enough to gobble down newly hatched brine shrimp and nibble at whole flakes.

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Other New Guinea Rainbowfishes

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Bleher’s Rainbowfish
Bulolo Rainbowfish
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Silver Rainbowfish
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Pima River Rainbowfish
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