The silversides are typical saltwater fish, discovered in nearly all temperate waters. The Aus-tralian rainbow is one of the few that inhabit fresh water permanently.
Strangely sufficient, few of our present-day aquarium fish come from Australia, but this peaceful beauty is an exception.
The body of the Australian rainbow is mainly silver, faintly overcast with a warmish pink which runs into the centre of the tail. The scales are edged with dark brown and every one is clearly discernible as if it had been carefully drawn. The base of the scale has a thicker line, which forms distinct horizontal bars along the sides. In daylight the scales have a spectrum-coloured sheen, which is the reason for the name rainbow.
The eye, with its dark centre, has a phosphorescent outer-circle, which reflects any stray beam of light. The dark spot on the gill cover also has a luminous high quality.
These fish are perfect aquarium members. They’re effortlessly fed and hardy, and can stand a temperature range of between 60° and 90°F.
Sexing isn’t simple, even though the male is smaller and slimmer with much more brilliant colouring. They might be bred fairly successfully in the aquarium in the exact same way as the egg-layers.