Gold White Cloud Mountain Minnow Care Guide
The Gold White Cloud is a selectively bred golden form of Tanichthys albonubes, a hardy cool-water schooling minnow from China.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
The Gold White Cloud is a golden colour form of the White Cloud Mountain minnow (Tanichthys albonubes) produced through selective breeding. It shares the same care as the wild form: a small, hardy, cool-water shoaling fish that tolerates a wide temperature range and is easy to keep. The Golden Cloud is one of several established ornamental forms of the species.
Taxonomy
- Family: Tanichthyidae
- Genus: Tanichthys
- Scientific name: Tanichthys albonubes var. Gold
- Selectively bred forms: Golden Cloud, Meteor Minnow (long-fin), Pink Cloud
Habitat
The wild species was first found at White Cloud Mountain near Guangzhou in Guangdong province, China, with a later native population on Hainan Island. It inhabits cool, clear subtropical mountain streams. The Gold form does not occur in nature and exists only in the aquarium trade.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 60 L
- Temperature: 16-24 °C (61-75 °F)
- pH: 6.0-8.0
- GH: 5-18 °dGH
- School size: 6 or more individuals
- Lifespan: 3-5 years
The wild form is reported to tolerate cool conditions and can survive temperatures as low as 5 °C, which makes the White Cloud group suitable for unheated and cool-water aquaria.
Diet
It is an opportunistic omnivore. The species feeds on small aquatic invertebrates and insect larvae such as mosquito larvae, and in the aquarium accepts good dried foods supplemented with small live and frozen items, fed about twice daily.
Compatibility
The Gold White Cloud is a peaceful, top-to-middle shoaling fish that is most comfortable in a group of at least six. It suits a calm community of similarly cool-tolerant species and should not be combined with tropical heat-loving fish kept at high temperatures.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Data Deficient. The wild White Cloud Mountain minnow is reported to be practically extinct in its original habitat due to pollution and development, although it is bred in vast numbers in captivity.
Gold White Cloud Mountain Minnow Breeding Guide
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.
Breeding White Cloud Mountain Minnow
Overview
Tanichthys albonubes is an egg-scattering continuous spawner with no parental care, and its breeding difficulty is rated beginner. In a densely planted, mature aquarium it spawns frequently and fry can appear without any intervention.
Sexing
Mature females are usually rounder-bellied and often a little larger than the slimmer, more colorful males.
Breeding Setup
- Separate tank with dim lighting and an air-powered sponge filter or air stone
- A mesh base, plastic grass matting, glass marbles, fine-leaved plants (Taxiphyllum) or spawning mops so eggs fall away from the adults
- Water pH slightly acidic to neutral
- Temperature toward the upper end of the 14-22 C range
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Introduce one to two conditioned pairs, or about six fish of each sex. Spawning should take place the following morning.
Egg & Fry Care
Adults will eat the eggs if given the chance, so remove them after no more than 2-3 days. Eggs hatch in 48-60 hours. The fry need infusoria-grade food at first, progressing to microworm, Artemia nauplii and similar foods as they grow.
Common Challenges
This is one of the easier egg-scatterers to breed. The main task is providing infusoria-sized first foods and protecting the eggs from the adults; the species tolerates cooler water well, which suits unheated breeding setups.