Zona

About

The zona (Bedotia madagascarensis) is one of the few Malagasy rainbowfishes to have found a foothold in the aquarium hobby, having first been imported back in the 1950s. It comes from small streams and the lower sections of rivers in eastern Madagascar's Atsinanana region, most of which empty into a chain of coastal lagoons and lakes. Despite its long presence in the hobby, it is routinely mislabeled and sold as its close relative Bedotia geayi. The two are most reliably separated by looking at the caudal fin, where male zona show a bold extension of the body's midlateral stripe flanked by silvery or golden pigmentation and tipped with dark red or bright white, rather than the simple red fin with a distinct isolated spot seen in B. geayi males. In the aquarium, this is a relaxed, easy-going species that works well in a peaceful community alongside similarly sized rainbowfishes, barbs, or characids. Keeping it alongside other Bedotia species risks hybridisation, so it's better to mix it with unrelated tankmates. Like most schooling fish, it really needs numbers. A group of eight to ten or more brings out the best colours in males as they display to each other, and helps keep everyone calmer and more confident.