White Cloud Mountain Minnow

Minimum 40 litres (about 10 US gallons) for a starter group of 6 to 8, with a recommended base footprint of at least 60 cm by 30 cm so the fish have length to shoal. Larger schools of 12 or more do best in a 75 to 80 cm tank. Use a gentle-to-moderate flow filter (they come from slow streams, not torrents), a fine dark sand or small dark gravel substrate to bring out their colours, and furnish with driftwood, smooth rocks, and dense planting around the back and sides while leaving an open mid-water lane for swimming. A secure lid is wise as they can dart at the surface. They can also be kept in outdoor patio ponds in mild seasons, but Macau summers are too hot for an uncooled outdoor pond.

A micro-omnivore that is easy to feed. Staple: a good-quality micro-pellet or crushed flake sized for small fish, once or twice daily in pinches the fish clear in about a minute. Supplements a few times a week for colour and breeding condition: frozen or live daphnia, cyclops, baby brine shrimp (Artemia), microworms, and finely chopped or small bloodworm. AVOID overfeeding above all, as uneaten food fouls the water and is the most common cause of trouble in small tanks; avoid a diet of only dry flake with no live or frozen variety; avoid bread and human table scraps; avoid fatty mammalian meats such as beef heart as a routine food; and never add untreated tap water, as chlorine and chloramine are toxic to fish and their gills.

This is a subtropical cool-water fish, NOT a tropical one, and it needs no heater in a normal room. Target water temperature 16 to 22 C (Seriously Fish cites 14 to 22 C; the species survives brief dips far lower in ponds). Sustained temperatures above about 24 to 25 C cause chronic stress and shorten its life, so heat control, not heating, is the priority. pH 6.0 to 8.0 (aim 6.5 to 7.5); the species also tolerates up to about pH 8.5. Hardness 5 to 19 dGH (roughly 90 to 350 ppm), soft to moderately hard. Ammonia and nitrite must read 0 in a fully cycled tank; keep nitrate low with weekly partial water changes of dechlorinated water. Standard aquarium lighting on a timer is fine; a planted tank with some shade and floating plants keeps them calm and colourful. No UVB or basking heat is relevant for fish.

A shoaling species that must never be kept alone or in pairs. Keep a minimum of 6, ideally 10 or more, so they feel secure, colour up, and display natural chasing and courtship rather than hiding. Sexing is straightforward in mature fish: males are slimmer and more intensely coloured with brighter fins, while females are rounder-bodied, especially when carrying eggs. They are peaceful community fish that suit other small, cool-tolerant, non-nippy tankmates. There is no pair bonding; they breed as a group by scattering eggs among fine plants.

Enrichment for a shoaling fish means space to school and a varied, natural environment. Provide a long open swimming lane flanked by dense fine-leaved plants and mosses, gentle current to swim against, floating plants to diffuse light, and leaf litter or driftwood to graze microfauna from. Rotating live and frozen foods triggers natural foraging and hunting behaviour. A well-planted tank with a small group large enough to feel safe will show far bolder, more colourful, more active fish than a bare tank.