Fun Kamaka Rainbowfish Facts For Kids
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The Melanotaenia kamaka (common name Kamaka rainbowfish) is a steel silver or white-colored rainbowfish species found only in Lake Kamakawaiar, Indonesia. This fish species is strictly a resident of the lake and cannot be found in any other place in the world.
This fish species is also excessively used in the aquarium trade since they can add beautiful colors to the aquarium.
The male Kamaka rainbowfish is more colorful than the female Kamaka rainbowfish, a feature very common throughout rainbowfish species.
The fish is also very peaceful in nature and can easily co-exist with other fish species. However, the fish is not yet evaluated by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, making it hard to know a lot of information about this fish.
For more relatable content, check out these rockfish facts and humphead wrasse facts.
Kamaka Rainbowfish Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Kamaka rainbowfish?
The Kamaka rainbowfish, Melanotaenia kamaka, is a rainbowfish species found in Lake Kamakawaiar.
What class of animal does a Kamaka rainbowfish belong to?
Kamaka rainbowfish, Melanotaenia kamaka, belong to the Actinopterygii class of the family Melanotaeniidae.
How many Kamaka rainbowfish are there in the world?
Melanotaenia kamaka fish are found in abundance in nature. Their population doubles in less than 15 months hence keeping the population above the danger line. The fish is also used excessively in the aquarium trade; hence it is bred a lot, again keeping the fish population in abundance.
Where does a Kamaka rainbowfish live?
Melanotaenia kamaka fish can be found in the southern part of Asia, exclusively in Indonesia. This species is strictly restricted to Lake Kamakawaiar only and is used excessively for the aquarium trade.
What is a Kamaka rainbowfish's habitat?
The Kamaka rainbowfish's habitat is only Lake Kamakawaiar in Indonesia. Apart from that, under certain conditions, they can live in a community aquarium as well.
Who do Kamaka rainbowfish live with?
Kamaka rainbowfish are a schooling species, and whatever habitat they are given, it is always suggested to keep them in schools.
How long does a Kamaka rainbowfish live?
The life span of a Kamaka rainbowfish is five years.
How do they reproduce?
The Kamaka rainbowfish reproduces through the process of spawning, where the species deposit their eggs in a weedy area, and the eggs hatch after 7-10 days. However, the breeding can also be done in aquarium under the given conditions.
The breeding aquarium needs to be set up with 75% mature tank water and 25% dechlorinated freshwater.
The tank must also have a substrate of marbles with a small air-driven sponge filter to give enough circulation and filtration. The temperature also needs to be higher furnished with plenty of fine-leaved plants or Java moss clumps in the tank.
A suitable pair should then be put in the breeding aquarium.
After some time, the male will display the mating stripe present on his forehead to the female and will start swimming in front of the female in an effort to drive them over the plants. The eggs will be scattered on the plants a few times, continuing the process for several days, weeks, or months.
This type of spawning process is called continual spawning.
The aquarists then need to remove the hard shells from the aquarium and keep them in a separate aquarium with the same water conditions since the process of continual spawning can result in some Kamaka rainbowfish eating their own eggs. The eggs in the separate aquarium will then hatch and the fry will freely move in the tank.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of Kamaka rainbowfish has not yet been evaluated by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, since the population doubles in less than 15 months, the species will most likely not be endangered.
Kamaka Rainbowfish Fun Facts
What do Kamaka rainbowfish look like?
*We've been unable to source an image of a Kamaka rainbowfish and have used an image of a grime rainbowfish instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Kamaka rainbowfish, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.Kamaka rainbowfish have a silver-blue color on their upper back, silver-white on the lower half of their body, and their body covered with scales with narrow dark outlines.
This fish has two intense midlateral scale rows forming blue or black mid-lateral stripes on the posterior part of their body. The blue or black formation is also present on the caudal peduncle, eye region, and under the pectoral fins of the mature males.
The fish's first dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins are whitish, and the second dorsal and caudal fins of the males are also translucent and bluish in nature.
Besides this, the pectoral fins are also translucent. However, besides the color difference in the females, they also often have a diffuse mid-lateral stripe extending from the eye to the base of the caudal fins.
The body of the males and females are also different, just like most of the members of this genus.
How cute are they?
Their steel silver and white look gives them a magnificent look, making them a beautiful and wonderful fish species.
How do they communicate?
It is unknown how the fish communicates, but it is known that a male Kamaka rainbowfish would swim back and forth to attract a female Kamaka rainbowfish for mating.
How big is a Kamaka rainbowfish?
The Kamaka rainbowfish can grow up to 2.8 in (7.1 cm), which is very small compared to another famous Indonesian fish, the Spanish mackerel.
How fast can a Kamaka rainbowfish swim?
The exact speed of the species is unknown, but we know that the male would swim rapidly to attract the female Kamaka rainbowfish.
How much does a Kamaka rainbowfish weigh?
The Kamaka rainbowfish weighs around 0.22 lb (99.7 g), about 7,000 times smaller than the mahi-mahi, another famous Indonesian fish.
What are the male and female names of the species?
The male and female Kamaka rainbowfish do not have any separate names.
What would you call a baby Kamaka rainbowfish?
Just like all other fish babies, the baby Kamaka rainbowfish are called fry.
What do they eat?
The Kamaka rainbowfish is omnivorous in nature and loves to eat worms, insects, mosquito larvae, and daphnia. Their diet also requires a good source of edible vegetation as well.
Are they dangerous?
The Kamaka rainbowfish is known to be peaceful and harmless to humans.
Would they make a good pet?
The steel silver Kamaka rainbow fish looks amazing swimming back and forth in an aquarium. However, Kamaka rainbowfish care is difficult since they need to be kept with extreme care under specific conditions and temperature.
Melanotaenia kamaka should be kept in small groups of six or more. Their aquarium needs to have plants with open swimming spaces, especially in the front.
These rainbows are also excellent jumpers, so a tight-fitting lid is required for the tanks. The minimum tank size also needs to be 55 gal (208.1 l) with a temperature of 64-72 F (17.7-22.2 C) and pH 6.5-7.2.
Did you know...
Kamaka rainbowfish show their best colors at sunrise; at the same time, the males would display their bright fins to attract the females. It is thus advised to keep more females than the males in the tank to allow proper color display. Keeping more female rainbowfish also helps avoid aggression between them.
The Kamaka rainbowfish's temperament
Kamaka rainbowfish (Melanotaenia kamaka) are known to be peaceful fish.
The Kamaka rainbowfish's compatibility
Even though the Kamaka rainbowfish are known for their peaceful temperament, it is still advisable to not keep them with fishes with longer fins, as the rainbow fish tend to nip them. The Kamaka rainbowfish are also mostly compatible with small schooling fish, livebearers, small rainbowfish, small catfish, and gudgeons.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these seahorse facts and blue tang facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable rainbow trout jumping out of water coloring pages.
*We've been unable to source an image of a Kamaka rainbowfish and have used an image of a Lake Eacham rainbowfish instead as the main image. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Kamaka rainbowfish, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.
Main image by Martin F. Gomon.
Second image by JSutton93.
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