Tanichthys albonubes

Alternative names

 * (longer fins),, White Cloud Mountain Minnow,


 * Pronounced - Tan-ick-thiss al-bo-new-bees.

Sexing

 * Male is slimmer and more brightly coloured and will display by erecting fins and wriggling. The female have a fuller abdomen.

Breeding

 * This fish is quite easy to breed. The young are not particularly sensitive. After a winter period at lower temperature, slowly raise the water temperature in a separated breeding tank to 22-23C. This fish are free layers so the breeding tank must contain plenty of feathery-leafed plants. Also attach a substrate spawner a few centimetres above the bottom to prevent the parent fish from eating the eggs.

Tank compatibility

 * An active shoaling fish that appreciates company of it's own kind, keep in groups of 5 or more. Will co-habit with most fish but do not keep with larger fish that could eat it such as Angelfish or Goldfish. Does best with other peaceful sub-tropical fish that appreciate a similar environment such as the Hillstream Loach.

Diet

 * An omnivore so will accept pellets and flake as well as live/frozen Daphnia and Brine shrimp.

Feeding regime

 * Feed once or twice a day in small amounts.

Environment Specifics

 * Prefers a planted tank with a good current as they originate from fast-moving streams. The White Cloud Mountain Minnow is an active swimmer. These fish like plenty of space for swimming with dense peripheral vegetation and some floating plants. A bottom consisting partly of sand will give the fish an opportunity to search for food in it now and then.


 * For breeding, clumps of close knitted plants like Java moss on the substrate is ideal.

Behaviour

 * This is a shoaling fish so must be kept in groups of 5 or more. It is a very peaceful community fish.

Special notes

 * This fish's ability to survive (and breed) over a wide range of water conditions, temperature and general hardiness means it's cheap and an excellent choice for beginners.


 * This fish is sensitive to copper in the water so ensure that you do not overdose when using any treatments containing copper and accidentally poison them.


 * It's latin name Tanichthys albonubes literally means "Tan's fish, white cloud". It was named after a boy scout leader named Tan who discovered it in the 1930s.

Identification

 * An attractive elongated fish with a bold iridescent white lateral line topped with a slender black line, the rest of the body translucent, the caudal fin and dorsal fin both have red colouration. There is a yellow, or golden, colour variant, as well as a long-fin variant.

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