Product Details

Bleher’s Rainbowfish – Chilatherina bleheri

The Bleher’s Rainbowfish is a beautiful freshwater rainbowfish with an active schooling nature, elegant body shape and impressive adult colouration. Mature males can develop rich yellow, orange, red, blue-green and metallic tones, making this species a superb choice for larger planted community aquariums. It is peaceful, energetic and best kept in groups, where its natural display behaviour and colours are shown at their best.

Key Identification:

Common Name: Bleher’s Rainbowfish
Other Names: Bleher’s Rainbow, Bleher’s Rainbow Fish, Bleheri Rainbowfish
Scientific Name: Chilatherina bleheri
Fish Type: Rainbowfish
Water Type: Freshwater

Natural Range & Habitat:

Chilatherina bleheri is a freshwater rainbowfish from New Guinea, where it is associated with clear, well-oxygenated waters, vegetated margins and open swimming areas. Like many rainbowfish, it is adapted to active midwater swimming and benefits from clean, stable water with good oxygenation.

In the aquarium, Bleher’s Rainbowfish does best in a mature planted setup with open swimming space, gentle to moderate flow and areas of cover from plants, wood or décor. A darker substrate and good lighting can help bring out the colours of settled adults.

Appearance & Adult Size:

Bleher’s Rainbowfish have a streamlined rainbowfish body with a slightly deeper adult profile and attractive metallic sheen. Males are usually more colourful than females and may show yellow, orange, red, blue-green or golden tones, especially when displaying or kept in a well-conditioned group.

Adults usually reach around 10–12 cm. Females and younger fish are usually slimmer and less intensely coloured, but colour improves with maturity, diet, group size and stable aquarium conditions.

Aquarium Suitability:

This is a peaceful but active species for larger community aquariums. It is best kept with other fish that enjoy similar clean, well-oxygenated freshwater and enough swimming space.

Bleher’s Rainbowfish are not suitable for nano aquariums or cramped setups. They are active shoaling fish and should not be kept singly, as group living encourages confidence, natural behaviour and better colour display.

Recommended Aquarium Size:

A practical minimum is 200 litres for a group, with a tank length of at least 100–120 cm recommended. Larger aquariums are preferred for mixed rainbowfish communities or larger groups.

Keep in groups of 6 or more, with 8 or more preferred where space allows. A mixed group with several females helps reduce constant male attention and encourages natural display behaviour.

Water Conditions:

Temperature: 24–28°C
pH: 7.0–8.0
Hardness: Moderately hard to hard water preferred
Additional Notes: Stable, clean and well-oxygenated water is important. Rainbowfish do best with regular water changes, good filtration and open swimming room. Avoid soft acidic extremes, poor water quality, cramped tanks and unstable new aquariums.

Temperament & Tank Mates:

Aquarium Category: Community Fish

Bleher’s Rainbowfish are peaceful, active and best kept with similarly sized community fish. Males may display and chase lightly within the group, but this is normal behaviour when enough space and females are available.

Suitable tank mates include other rainbowfish, larger peaceful tetras, rasboras, danios, peaceful barbs, corydoras, bristlenose plecos, livebearers in suitable water and other active community species. Avoid very timid nano fish, slow long-finned species, fin-nippers, aggressive cichlids and fish that require very soft acidic water.

Feeding:

Bleher’s Rainbowfish are omnivorous and easy to feed once settled. Offer quality tropical flakes, small pellets and rainbowfish foods as the staple diet.

Supplement with frozen or live foods such as daphnia, brineshrimp, bloodworm, mosquito larvae and cyclops. Include occasional spirulina or vegetable-based foods for variety. A varied diet helps support colour, body condition and breeding display.

Behaviour in the Aquarium:

This is an active midwater shoaling fish that spends much of its time swimming in open areas. Males may display to females and rival males by intensifying their colour, spreading fins and making short display chases.

Bleher’s Rainbowfish are usually confident once settled and look best in a group. They are especially attractive in planted aquariums where open swimming areas are combined with background cover and stable water conditions.

Care Notes:

Provide a spacious aquarium with open swimming room and a secure lid, as rainbowfish can jump when startled. Keep water clean and oxygen-rich with regular maintenance.

Young fish may appear relatively plain, but males colour up strongly with maturity and good care. Avoid keeping them singly or in very small groups, as this can reduce confidence and natural behaviour. Do not mix with aggressive fin-nippers or very delicate slow-moving fish.

Recommended For:

Beginner to intermediate freshwater aquarists

Availability:

Occasional / Specialist freshwater import or captive-bred availability

Image Disclaimer:

All images are a visual representation of the fish you will receive, made to be as accurate as possible. Natural variation in size, colour intensity, male or female colour form, body tone, fin shape and markings can occur between individual fish.