Gold White Cloud Mountain Minnow Breeding Guide

The Gold White Cloud is a selectively bred colour form of Tanichthys albonubes; it spawns as an easy cool-water egg-scatterer that ignores its eggs.

Overview

The Gold White Cloud is a selectively bred colour morph of the White Cloud Mountain minnow, Tanichthys albonubes. According to Wikipedia, the 'Golden Cloud' emerged in the 1990s through inbreeding, with further selection producing lighter 'Blonde' and 'Pink Cloud' variants. The underlying species is an easy egg-scattering cool-water cyprinid, and the gold form is bred the same way as the wild type.

Sexing

Wikipedia describes clear sexual dimorphism in T. albonubes: the male generally has brighter colours and a slimmer body, and his dorsal and anal fins are wide and fan-shaped, whereas those of the female are triangular and wedge-shaped. Females also show a whiter, distended abdomen when carrying eggs.

Conditioning

Wikipedia notes that adults may be conditioned for breeding with live foods such as brine shrimp and daphnia. Well-fed, mature pairs spawn readily in cool, stable water.

Breeding Setup

Per Wikipedia, breeding takes place in a small tank with a spawning mop or some java moss into which the scattered eggs fall. Dense vegetation gives the eggs and fry refuge.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

White Clouds are egg-scatterers that drop their eggs freely amongst vegetation. Wikipedia describes males attracting females by displaying their fins, often alongside one another. Signs of impending spawning include flaring of the male's fins, a gravid spot on the female, and males chasing females.

Egg & Fry Care

According to Wikipedia, the eggs hatch within 48 to 60 hours and because the parents do not generally cannibalise their offspring they can be left in the tank. Once free-swimming, fry can be fed finely powdered fish food or infusoria.