Some minnows are on the endangered list! Luckily many are making it off the endangered list including the Foskett's speckled dace, a spotted minnow native to two springs in Oregon. With that in mind, pet fish owners should consider minnows so they're around for many years to come. The White Cloud Mountain Minnows make wonderful fish for beginners.
Some cool facts about this freshwater fish:
- They can live anywhere from 5 to 7 years and are very popular with fish keepers.
- A school of 5 minnows is only $4 to $6! The larger the school the less timid they'll be.
- They don't harass other fish so make great tankmates for a community tank.
White Cloud Mountain Minnows are peaceful fish and they love showing off their bright colors. The body is a shimmering bronze-brown with a fluorescent line running from eye to tail, where it ends in a dark spot surrounded by brilliant red.
The Spruce Pets explains that when it comes to finding these fish in the wild, the species is still very rare and is considered an endangered species in China. Efforts are underway to reintroduce captive-bred populations into the wild. Currently, all White Cloud Mountain Minnows sold in the aquarium trade are captive-bred.
Tank conditions
Fish Keeping World provides lots of advice for beginning fish keepers. White Cloud Mountain Minnows are hardy little fish.
- Your tank should be kept between 64-72°F. Fluctuations above and below this range are tolerable, but the temperature should never exceed 80°F.
- The pH can range from 6.0 to 8.0, however, you should aim for 6.8-7.5.
- What about the substrate? You need extra shelter for these little fish giving them places to hide. You should use a rocky gravel substrate, with large pebbles. Larger boulders and cobbles should be included as part of your décor.
The top of your tank needs to be covered so they don't jump out.
- You need at least a 10-gallon aquarium. This would be suitable for up to 5 Cloud Minnows.
- You will need 2 gallons of water for each White Cloud in your tank.
Don't forget that you want a school of minnows.
What do White Cloud Mountain Minnows eat?
The Spruce Pets tells us their diet is fairly straight forward.
"White Cloud Mountain Minnows eat all types of food, including live, frozen, and flake food. In their native habitat, they are voracious insect eaters. They particularly relish mosquito larvae, daphnia, and shrimp. Feed a good variety of dry and frozen foods, including some live foods whenever possible."
Typical behavior
They are top- or middle-dwelling fish and are rarely seen in the bottom region of the tank! As a first-time fishkeeper, these are great fish to start with. We may sound like broken records but they need to be kept in good-sized schools of at least 5 or 6 minnows. You'll have a tank full of timid fish if you add less and they'll be hiding all the time.
They are peaceful and fit well with other small peaceful fish. Always ask the pet staff where you buy them about other tankmates as you'll want to avoid larger fish. They will be inclined to eat White Cloud Mountain Minnows. The same is true of any aggressive species of fish.
As with any fish, you need to pay attention to water quality, and water temperature when you're adding schooling fish to the tank. The care level of these minnows may be lower maintenance but they're community fish so details are important.
White Cloud Minnows should have a minimum tank size of at least 10-gallons. Other fish you can add are neon tetras and spotted danios.
Thank goodness a small number of native populations have been discovered in isolated locations within the coastal province of Guangdong and Hainan Island in China, as well as in Qu?ng Ninh province in Vietnam. Let's make sure these White Cloud Mountain Minnows are still in the wild!
Treat your minnow with some high-quality brine shrimp and worms! These omnivores will love those special treats.
Other common names are Canton Danio, Chinese Danio, White Cloud, and White Cloud.
Please leave us a comment below and let us know what you think of your fish tank?
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