Above: The picture above shows a young premium quality Rainbow Shiner, swimming in one of our aquariums, when one of us took this picture. This is a very hardy fish.

Comments: This is a Premium Pet Fish, and we never see Premium Fish like these in any of the live fish stores or in the online stores that we visit.

Premium Pet Fish are more energetic, hardier, and have brighter colors with a beautiful metallic sheen.

Click here to learn more about Premium Pet Fish.

Origin: Their ancestors originally lived in the Southeast part of the United States, including Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.

The species was originally limited to the Mobile River drainage, but has since spread elsewhere. Now these fish are raised for aquariums by skillful fish farmers.

Maximum Size: In aquariums Rainbow Shiners can grow to be about 2.5" long but usually smaller.

Behaviors: Most Shiners are active swimmers and are not aggressive.

Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include, community fish, Rainbowfish, Danios, small Gouramis, and many other small to medium size aquarium fish.

Click here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish.

Temperature: Shiners can live pretty well from about 60 to 80 degrees F., but they're probably most comfortable at about 70 to 74 degrees F.

So they are what we call a cool water fish.

Click here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.

Feeding: Premium Fish Food Flakes when small and small Premium Pellet Food when larger.

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Water Conditions: Shiners seem to be tolerant of a wide range of water conditions. Probably a pH of about 7 with moderate hardness is best.

Most water in the US has a higher pH and is harder but seems to be OK, so it's probably best not to adjust the pH or the hardness of the water.

Here in our facilities the water is hard and the pH is usually about 7.8. We ship them in this water.

Click here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.

Aquarium Size: It's probably best to house these fish in at least a 20-gallon tank, but bigger is better.

Decor: Shiners do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.

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Live Plants are beautiful and improve the water quality.

Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended. A Penguin 200B Filter in an aquarium with 20 to 30-gallons of water is OK.

Click here to learn more about aquarium filters.

The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range. Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.

Life Span: Shiners can live for several years with good water and good food.

Gender: The male is usually larger and more colorful.

Breeding: Shiners are egg-scattering spawners, spreading the eggs out and allowing them to hatch within the tank.

Popularity: Shiners are popular fish, but not as popular as they should be.

Names: The scientific name of Rainbow Shiner is Notropis chrosomus.

Variations: These fish originated across a wide area, so we would expect that there are variations.

We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.