# Rainbow fish in 75 gallon community?



## Kazaloful (May 31, 2010)

Hi everyone.

I have a 75 gallon tank with live plants, a canister filter, and heater. Right now I have these fish:

Bloodfin tetras
Cherry Barbs
Harlequin Rasboras
Black Neon Tetras
Green Cories

Each group has about 6 fish give or take a few.

I want to add some rainbow fish to the tank. I need something larger to fill up the tank. I was thinking about 6 since they like groups. Would that work? Are they aggressive at all? Do the different colors/species behave differently or have special requirements?

Which ones would you pick? I like the turquoise. I'd also like to make sure they won't stress the other fish since they are pretty large/active?

Any advice appreciated.


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## reignOfFred (Jun 7, 2010)

I have yet to see rainbows cause a problem in a community. I personally don't like a million species of schooling fish in the same tank and would beef up the current schools rather then add another type, but that's just preference I guess. I like the Boesemani rainbow, blue in the front half, yellow in the back.


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## Kazaloful (May 31, 2010)

Thanks for the reply. I also liked the Boesemani. Can I add 4 turquoise and 2 boesemani or should they all be the same?


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## Cuchulainn (Nov 2, 2010)

Your tank is pretty stocked already, but if you have more than ample filtration, and do large weekly partials, it should work. How much filtration do you have currently? 

Rainbows are all kinds of awesome! Turquoise would work with the tetras. Try and get a male and maybe two females.The female Turquoise look almost as colorful as the males.Millenium rainbows would also give nice contrast, males being a dark red, females a golden/brassy color. If you decide to put males and females together, probably two males and 3 or 4 females would be good for your 75, providing of course you have alot of filtration. Make sure you post some pics up when you've decided what to get!


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## reignOfFred (Jun 7, 2010)

I've never mixed them myself buy I have seen it done - they are not timid or fragile fish and don't need huge groups for security - should be just fine and I would most certainly do it if I stocked that way.


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## Kazaloful (May 31, 2010)

I have a Rena filstar xp4. These would be my last fish to add unless some die. All the fish I have now are really small..so I think it would work. Can you sex them as juveniles? So are my choices either all males or males and females with more females than males? haha did that even make sense?


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## Cuchulainn (Nov 2, 2010)

With that beast of a filter you should be fine  
Maybe add just three at a tyme giving your filter a week or so to adjust to the new bio load. Sexing Turquoise rainbows should be pretty straightforward when they are juvies. The males will have deeper bodies, and the foreheads are more often brighter colored. In pristine water conditions, the males will "flash" there foreheads producing some intense color variations from blues, greens, reds, and yellows. Looks like there heads are on fyre. Yah you could say I'm rather fond of Rainbows.


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## Cuchulainn (Nov 2, 2010)

So are my choices either all males or males and females with more females than males? haha did that even make sense?

Yup, makes perfect sense! 
Personally yah I'd go with no more than two males for that size tank, with 4 or 5 females. Or go all males, but where's the fun in that. There very frisky fish, so putting in some females may produce a spawn for yah, but tetras are fast, and sneaky egg bandits.


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## Kazaloful (May 31, 2010)

Thanks for the info.

Ok so, say I get to the store and can't tell the difference between male and female. Would it be really bad to just get 6 of whatever?


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## Cuchulainn (Nov 2, 2010)

It could work out fine, really depends on the disposition of the individuals, some males can get territorial, but if thats the case maybe you could just exchange the problem maker for another more well behaved one


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## Gad (Apr 6, 2008)

They'll be fine. I have two in a 30 tall with pretty much the same fish you have plus 3 Angels. No problems at all.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Rainbow work well with smaller fish. I like Turquise for the set up you have. 
I would double the number of all the smaller fish, to make much better schools. A dozen or more is a much better school than half a dozen of anything. 
Then, as some fish do not survive add more of whichever do survive. You might end up with one or two large schools, and not so much of a 'Noah's Ark' tank. 

Most Rainbows mature late, so telling male and female apart is difficult when they are young. A fish you think is female might be a later maturing male. Anyway, get half a dozen of whatever, though if there is any way of telling, try for more females than males. Look at the head, straight on. Males have that cream-yellow-orange band, and sometimes you can see this in younger fish.


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## jjp2 (May 24, 2008)

you can tell young rainbows by looking at the anal fins. Females will be rounded while males are pointed. This gets easier as they age and the fins get longer. Once they mature, the colors appears and the males will have the more pronounced colors while the females will appear faded or washed out..


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