Species · Melanotaenia boesemani

Boeseman's rainbowfish: tank size, water and tank mates

Very active; hard alkaline water; warm.

Adult size11 cm (4.3 in)
Minimum tank40 US gal
Temperature27–30 °C (81–86 °F)
pH7–8
Temperamentpeaceful
Keep in groups of6+
Swimsmid
Shrimp & snailsCaution

Check a tank with Boeseman's rainbowfish

Good tank mates for Boeseman's rainbowfish

These species share its temperature range and temperament, with no fin-nipping or predation risk under our rules. Still check your tank size and bioload in the checker.

African butterflyfish · Agassiz's dwarf cichlid · Angelfish · Betta (male) · Black phantom tetra · Bloodfin tetra · Blue acara · Buenos Aires tetra · Bumblebee goby · Chili rasbora · Colombian tetra · Dwarf neon rainbowfish · Dwarf pencilfish · Endler's livebearer · Firemouth cichlid · Forktail blue-eye · Guppy · Head-and-tail-light tetra · Indian glassfish · Lambchop rasbora · Lemon tetra · Marbled hatchetfish · Molly · Moonlight gourami

Avoid with Boeseman's rainbowfish

African dwarf frog (temperature) · Black ruby barb (temperature) · Black skirt tetra (temperature) · Bleeding heart tetra (temperature) · Bolivian ram (temperature) · Bristlenose pleco (temperature) · Bronze corydoras (temperature) · Celestial pearl danio (temperature) · Checkerboard barb (temperature) · Chinese algae eater (temperature) · Clown killifish (temperature) · Common / comet goldfish (temperature) · Congo tetra (temperature) · Convict cichlid (aggression) · CPO dwarf crayfish (temperature) · Crystal red shrimp (temperature) · Demasoni cichlid (temperature) · Denison barb (temperature)

Sources

Checked 2026-11-09 · confidence: medium. These are cautious community guidelines, not guarantees. Not veterinary advice. Report an error.