Add vivid color and lively movement to your planted nano aquarium with the Blue-Eyed Tenellus Rainbowfish (also known as the Spotted Blue-Eye Rainbowfish). Renowned for its electric blue irises, semi-transparent body, and intricate black-spotted fins, this nano freshwater fish is a top choice for aquascapers and community tank enthusiasts alike.

Place of Origin: Native to tropical freshwater habitats in Northern Australia and Southern Papua New Guinea, these peaceful fish inhabit slow-moving streams, swamps, and densely vegetated billabongs enriched with leaf litter and driftwood.

Care & Water Parameters: The Blue-Eyed Tenellus is easy to care for when provided with stable water conditions. They thrive in clean, well-oxygenated water with gentle flow.

• Care Level: Easy to Intermediate

• Temperature: 72°F – 82°F (22°C – 28°C)

• pH Range: 6.0 – 7.5

• Water Hardness: 5 – 12 dGH

Minimum Tank Size: A 10-gallon tank is recommended for a small group of 6 to 8 individuals. As a schooling micro fish, keeping them in groups reduces stress and encourages males to display their vibrant fin-flashing behavior.

Environment & Setup: Create a natural aquascape using live plants like Java Moss, Anubias, and floating vegetation to diffuse bright lighting. Dark substrates, piece of driftwood, and leaf litter mimic their natural blackwater habitats and help make their neon colors pop.

Feeding & Diet: As micro-predators with small mouths, their diet should consist of small live or frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, and cyclops. High-quality crushed flakes and micro-pellets formulated for nano fish are also readily accepted.

Tank Mates: Extremely peaceful, the Blue-Eyed Tenellus makes an excellent tank mate for small, gentle species such as Chili Rasboras, Celestial Pearl Danios, Pygmy Corydoras, and Neocaridina dwarf shrimp (Cherry Shrimp). Avoid housing them with larger, aggressive, or fast-moving fish that may nip fins or compete for food.

Breeding: Breeding this species in a home aquarium is straightforward. They are egg-scatterers that spawn daily among fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. For high fry survival rates, move spawned mops or plants to a separate rearing tank, feeding the newly hatched fry infusoria or liquid micro-foods until they can accept baby brine shrimp.