Larry,
You're quite right about fish not always showing their best colors in a
fish store. As for the 7-Line Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia maccullochi) you saw
on two different occasions, the ones that Pet Smart had one may not have been
from the same location as you saw years later. The best looking ones come
from the Jardine River on the Cape York Peninsula (Northern Territory,
Australia). There are others of this same species found not only in close-by
rivers (such as the McIvor River), but also in the Pahoturi and other rivers of
Papua, New Guinea -- a good distance (500+ miles) across the Pacific Ocean
from Australia -- which look quite drab in comparison.
I first had M. maccollochi in 1953, and they were wild caught from the
Jardine River. I agree, this species can look absolutely spectacular, as that's
just how these were. This is my all-time favorite Rainbowfish, even though
there are many other very attractive ones -- but none that I feel can
compare to this one. I also fully agree that they do their absolute best in soft
acid water, as those fish lived for at least 6 years. Don't ever put this
fish in alkaline water as they just won't hold up for very long.
Ray</HTML>
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