White Cloud Mountain minnow
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| Tanichthys albonubes Lin, 1932 |
The White Cloud Mountain minnow (Tanichthys albonubes) is a very hardy species of freshwater fish often kept in aquaria. It is a member of the carp family (family Cyprinidae) of order Cypriniformes, native to China and Vietnam.
The species was discovered at White Cloud Mountain (白雲山; Pinyin Bái Yún Shān) in Guǎngdōng in the 1930s by a Boy Scout leader called Tan—hence the generic name Tanichthys ("Tan's fish"). The specific name albonubes is from the Latin alba nubes (white cloud).
This species grows to approximately 4 cm (roughly 1.5 in) in overall length, and is silver-green in color with a bright red caudal fin. Several varieties are known, one with bright light edges to the dorsal and anal fins and one with red edges to those fins. In addition, there is a long-finned variety.[1] Sexual dimorphism is slight, the male generally possessing more brilliant coloration and having a slightly slimmer body.
The fish are sold in the aquarium trade under a variety of names, including White Cloud, White Cloud Mountain fish, White Cloud minnow, etc. The names Canton or China danio (although it is not technically a danio) and cardinal fish are also encountered. In Chinese the fish is known as 唐魚 (táng yu), 廣東細鯽 (Guǎngdōng xìjì), or 潘氏細鯽 (pānshì xìjì). Aphyocypris pooni is an obsolete synonym for this species; it was coined to designate a color variety which is now known to be the same species as the White Cloud Mountain minnow.
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[edit] In the aquarium
White Cloud Mountain minnows are considered good fish for beginners, as they are extremely forgiving with regard to aquarium temperature and water quality, and make an ideal "starter fish" for cycling a new aquarium. They are schooling fish, and feel most comfortable in a shoal of at least five minnows. An individual one of these minnows kept alone may become timid and lose its bright color. Generally, White Cloud Mountain minnows are peaceful and happy to coexist with other fish, as long as they are not put in a tank with larger fish that may eat them. The minnows are usually top or middle-level swimmers and rarely swim close to the bottom of a tank.
While normal temperature range of the species in the wild is 18–26 °C (64–72 °F), it can survive water temperatures down to 5°C (41°F); this makes it an ideal fish for keeping in an unheated aquarium in cold climates. pH levels should range between 6.0 and 8.0.
In earlier times (the 1940s and 1950s) White Cloud Mountain minnows, as aquarium fish, had been nicknamed the "Poor Man's Neon Tetra" because back then, they were more affordable in price than the more colorful Neon Tetras.[2]
There are two variants currently in common cultivation; the "Golden Cloud" and the longer-finned "Meteor Minnow". The Golden Cloud is a relatively new variety as compared to the Meteor Minnow. The Meteor Minnow first made its appearance in the 1950s and the Golden Cloud in the 1990s. Breeding between the two varieties has recently resulted in another attractive fish, the "Golden Meteor Minnow"
[edit] Breeding
The White Cloud Mountain minnow is easy to breed and is recommended for novice breeders. It may be conditioned for breeding with live foods such as brine shrimp and daphnia. White Clouds are egg-scatterers, dropping their eggs freely amongst the vegetation. They may cannibalize their offspring.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Dawes, John (2001). Complete Encyclopedia of the Freshwater Aquarium. New York: Firefly Books Ltd. ISBN 1-55297-544-4.
- ^ Rundle, J. (March, 2004). How to breed White Clouds. Practical Fishkeeping
- "Tanichthys albonubes". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. October 2004 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2004.
- Tanichthys albonubes (TSN 163764). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 7 December 2004.
- Innes, Dr William T. EXOTIC AQUARIUM FISHES, 19th edition, Innes Publishing Co. Philadelphia, 1956.
