Serong Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia fredericki
The Serong Rainbowfish was scientifically described by Fowler in 1939. Its scientific name is Melanotaenia fredericki. The Serong Rainbowfish was first described from juvenile specimens collected in the 1930’s, and it would take until the late 1980’s before any adult specimens were collected. The adult specimens were collected by Allen in 1989.
Description
The Serong Rainbowfish can reach a length of roughly 12 cm (4.7 inches). The body is of a pale purple shade with blue reflections on the back. On the middle part of the body, you can see broad yellow scale margins. In some specimens, the yellow colour will form weak striping along the sides. The fins are chiefly translucent, but dorsal, anal and caudal fins can have a hint of yellow or red. The Serong Rainbowfish has 5-7 dorsal spines, 13-14 dorsal soft rays, 1 anal spin, and 25-28 anal soft rays.
Geographical distribution, habitat and conservation
The Serong Rainbowfish lives in streams in Western New Guinea (Irian Jaya). It has only been encountered in a small number of creeks near Sorong, a coastal city located at the western end of the Vogelkop Peninsula. More research is necessary before anyone can know the exact geographical range of the Serong Rainbowfish. The fish is for instance believed to occur on a nearby island named Salawati, but this has not been confirmed. Within the known range of the Serong Rainbowfish, you will find a government forestry reserve protected by the Indonesian Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHPA). Inside this reserve, the Serong Rainbowfishes inhabit a narrow slow-flowing stream with clear water. The stream is shadowed by dense rainforest.
The Serong Rainbowfish is listed as “Not Evaluated” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Keeping Serong Rainbowfish in aquariums
The Serong Rainbowfish is not a common aquarium species and very little is known about its requirements. Try to mimic its natural habitat as closely as possible. You can feed it high-quality flake food combined with lived food such as brine shrimp.
Breeding Serong Rainbowfish
As far as we know, the Serong Rainbowfish has not been bred in aquariums.
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