Melanotaenia
praecox, or Neon Rainbow. Amazingly, this fish is relatively new to
the aquarium hobby. While it was discovered in 1920, it was not collected
and propagated in captivity until 1992. Neon Rainbows are native to New
Guinea. They have been found in the Mamberamo River system in northern
Irian Jaya. Their natural habitat is swift flowing jungle streams, usually
near surface vegetation, submerged logs, or branches. There is an
excellent reference for this fish on the web,
here. These
fish are perfect community tank and planted tank fish in that they do not bother
their tank mates or eat the plants. Also, they do not hide, and are nearly
always visible. They tend to prefer swimming near the
surface
of the tank in schools. Females are nicely colored like their male
counterparts, but tend to have slightly more yellow tone to their fins. The male
fish has brighter red coloration to his fins. Neon Rainbows grow up to 2
inches in length. They prefer temperatures between 75 and 80 degrees
Fahrenheit. These fish eagerly eat dry food, brine shrimp, and blood
worms.