white cloud mountain minnows
- Thread starter green_fox
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They make good feeders. But, to produce enough to furnish a barely sufficient supply, you'll need several breeding tanks and grow out bins/tanks.
How to breed White Clouds
John Rundle explains how to keep and breed the White Cloud Mountain minnow, Tanichthys albonubes.
Copyright © Practical Fishkeeping
Just because a certain species is widely available doesn't make it common, dull or uninteresting. Imagine what the UK?would be without fish and chips or even a curry... perish the thought!
The White Cloud Mountain minnow can be found in most dealers in both tropical and coldwater tanks, so one can immediately see that it is very adaptable. Some readers may object, saying that it is a boring fish - but don't you believe it.
Even the history of how it got its name is interesting. The fish was caught by a Chinese scoutmaster, Tan Kam Fei, in a brook in the canyons of the White Cloud Mountains near Canton (now Guangzhou) in China. He passed it on to Lin Shu-Yen, the director of the fisheries experimental station, for identification.
In 1932, Lin Shu-Yen named the fish Tanichthys albonubes (Tan = the surname of the discoverer, ichthys = fish, albo = white, nubes = cloud). So we have "The fish that Tan found in the White Cloud Mountains". Finally in 1938, the fish found its way into Germany from the USA.
In these early days it was dubbed "the poor man's Neon tetra" - then the true Neon tetra, Paracheirodon innesi, was quite expensive, but the easy-to-breed White Cloud Mountain minnow could be produced in large numbers and was therefore cheaper.
An added bonus was how in those early days, White Clouds had brilliant colours of bright red and yellow fins, set against bright yellow colours in the body.
In 1958 a fish came onto the market with the name "Meteor minnow". It had extensions on the fins giving them a flowing appearance and intense, bright colours. It was said to have been developed from a fish called Edward Gollory in Toronto, Canada.
They next arrived in Europe from the USA, but almost as suddenly as they appeared, they disappeared.
Fading colours
Over the years I must have seen hundreds of White Clouds, and I've noticed that the colours on many of the modern fish do not seem to be so bright. It pays to shop around for good-coloured breeding stock.
Having said this, I am breeding a line of White Clouds that have a good quality of colour resembling the reds and yellows of the Meteor minnows, but without the flowing fins. My stock came from fish I bought at an auction at my
local fish club. They were bred by a member who has been breeding these highly coloured minnows for a long time.
Perfect for beginners
This hardy little fish is ideal for any fishkeeper who wants to breed an egglayer that scatters its eggs.
White Clouds can be kept in unheated indoor tanks at temperatures of between 16ºC and 22ºC/61-71.5ºF. In fact, I have found their colours are stronger at the higher end of this range.
However, as they are accustomed to waters having a relatively high oxygen content, if you keep them in warmer waters, make sure you provide good aeration.
Over the years I have used two methods to breed them with a high success rate. Temperatures for both were set at 22-23ºC/71.5-73ºF.
The first method is based on the standard bare tank set-up. I use quite a small tank, 40 x 30 x 20cm/16" x 12" x 8", with no gravel substrate. The only items in the tank are a small sponge filter, a nylon wool spawning mop suspended from a strip of polystyrene, and two mops resting on the base. A heater/stat maintains the required temperature.
Once the tank is filled with water, I leave it for 24 hours before adding a pair. The female must be in breeding condition, as shown by her fat belly region. I also choose the best coloured pair.
It can take up to two days before they spawn, even though the male will chase the female. When they do, they will come close together side-by-side and with a trembling motion, the female will release a few tiny clear eggs that are fertilised by the male. This spawning action carries on until the female has released all her eggs.
White Clouds can spawn for over a day, and on the second day I remove the pair. I do not cover the tank as the eggs are not sensitive to bright light. They will hatch within 48 to 60 hours, depending on the temperature, and the very tiny yolk-sac larvae can be seen suspended on the sides of the tank and on the spawning mops. Do not feed them until they become free swimming.
You can then offer a minute source of food, usually an infusion-type food. In my case, it is my own cultured infusoria. You could also use a very fine powdered dry food by ZM Foods.
After about a week, the brood (which could number up to 200) should be large enough to take live brineshrimp nauplii. As they grow, I include a varied diet of live foods such as microworm and Grindal worm, plus standard flake food. After 10 to 12 weeks, the fish are about 4cm/11/2" in length.
The second method is more informal and not one that I would normally use for egg-scattering fish.
I set up a tank about 60 x 30cm/24" x 12", and on the base is a 12mm/1/2" layer of gravel. I also provide plenty of cover in the form of Java moss for the fish to spawn, and which also provides cover for the eggs and fry.
Filtration is a box-type with the cover off. Do not use an internal power filter because fry could get sucked into the filter. I then place in it four or five pairs of my best coloured White Clouds. These are fed as you would feed the fish in your community tank.
Once the pairs spawn, it is not long before you can see tiny fry swimming among the Java moss.
I skip the infusoria stage and go straight to feeding brineshrimp. While many species will devour their eggs and fry, White Clouds show a preference for eggs. As such it is perfectly safe to leave the adults in the tank with the fry, which I later remove and grow on in another tank.
So how can the White Cloud Mountain minnow be described as boring? It has an interesting history, is perfect for the novice breeder and if you are lucky, you could find some bright-coloured fish like mine.
In summer I keep White Clouds in large container on my patio, and at the end of the season when I bring them back indoors, there are always a few more additions.
So why don't you give them a go - you may be pleasantly surprised...
This article was first published in the March 2004 issue of Practical Fishkeeping magazine.
How to breed White Clouds
John Rundle explains how to keep and breed the White Cloud Mountain minnow, Tanichthys albonubes.
Copyright © Practical Fishkeeping
Just because a certain species is widely available doesn't make it common, dull or uninteresting. Imagine what the UK?would be without fish and chips or even a curry... perish the thought!
The White Cloud Mountain minnow can be found in most dealers in both tropical and coldwater tanks, so one can immediately see that it is very adaptable. Some readers may object, saying that it is a boring fish - but don't you believe it.
Even the history of how it got its name is interesting. The fish was caught by a Chinese scoutmaster, Tan Kam Fei, in a brook in the canyons of the White Cloud Mountains near Canton (now Guangzhou) in China. He passed it on to Lin Shu-Yen, the director of the fisheries experimental station, for identification.
In 1932, Lin Shu-Yen named the fish Tanichthys albonubes (Tan = the surname of the discoverer, ichthys = fish, albo = white, nubes = cloud). So we have "The fish that Tan found in the White Cloud Mountains". Finally in 1938, the fish found its way into Germany from the USA.
In these early days it was dubbed "the poor man's Neon tetra" - then the true Neon tetra, Paracheirodon innesi, was quite expensive, but the easy-to-breed White Cloud Mountain minnow could be produced in large numbers and was therefore cheaper.
An added bonus was how in those early days, White Clouds had brilliant colours of bright red and yellow fins, set against bright yellow colours in the body.
In 1958 a fish came onto the market with the name "Meteor minnow". It had extensions on the fins giving them a flowing appearance and intense, bright colours. It was said to have been developed from a fish called Edward Gollory in Toronto, Canada.
They next arrived in Europe from the USA, but almost as suddenly as they appeared, they disappeared.
Fading colours
Over the years I must have seen hundreds of White Clouds, and I've noticed that the colours on many of the modern fish do not seem to be so bright. It pays to shop around for good-coloured breeding stock.
Having said this, I am breeding a line of White Clouds that have a good quality of colour resembling the reds and yellows of the Meteor minnows, but without the flowing fins. My stock came from fish I bought at an auction at my
local fish club. They were bred by a member who has been breeding these highly coloured minnows for a long time.
Perfect for beginners
This hardy little fish is ideal for any fishkeeper who wants to breed an egglayer that scatters its eggs.
White Clouds can be kept in unheated indoor tanks at temperatures of between 16ºC and 22ºC/61-71.5ºF. In fact, I have found their colours are stronger at the higher end of this range.
However, as they are accustomed to waters having a relatively high oxygen content, if you keep them in warmer waters, make sure you provide good aeration.
Over the years I have used two methods to breed them with a high success rate. Temperatures for both were set at 22-23ºC/71.5-73ºF.
The first method is based on the standard bare tank set-up. I use quite a small tank, 40 x 30 x 20cm/16" x 12" x 8", with no gravel substrate. The only items in the tank are a small sponge filter, a nylon wool spawning mop suspended from a strip of polystyrene, and two mops resting on the base. A heater/stat maintains the required temperature.
Once the tank is filled with water, I leave it for 24 hours before adding a pair. The female must be in breeding condition, as shown by her fat belly region. I also choose the best coloured pair.
It can take up to two days before they spawn, even though the male will chase the female. When they do, they will come close together side-by-side and with a trembling motion, the female will release a few tiny clear eggs that are fertilised by the male. This spawning action carries on until the female has released all her eggs.
White Clouds can spawn for over a day, and on the second day I remove the pair. I do not cover the tank as the eggs are not sensitive to bright light. They will hatch within 48 to 60 hours, depending on the temperature, and the very tiny yolk-sac larvae can be seen suspended on the sides of the tank and on the spawning mops. Do not feed them until they become free swimming.
You can then offer a minute source of food, usually an infusion-type food. In my case, it is my own cultured infusoria. You could also use a very fine powdered dry food by ZM Foods.
After about a week, the brood (which could number up to 200) should be large enough to take live brineshrimp nauplii. As they grow, I include a varied diet of live foods such as microworm and Grindal worm, plus standard flake food. After 10 to 12 weeks, the fish are about 4cm/11/2" in length.
The second method is more informal and not one that I would normally use for egg-scattering fish.
I set up a tank about 60 x 30cm/24" x 12", and on the base is a 12mm/1/2" layer of gravel. I also provide plenty of cover in the form of Java moss for the fish to spawn, and which also provides cover for the eggs and fry.
Filtration is a box-type with the cover off. Do not use an internal power filter because fry could get sucked into the filter. I then place in it four or five pairs of my best coloured White Clouds. These are fed as you would feed the fish in your community tank.
Once the pairs spawn, it is not long before you can see tiny fry swimming among the Java moss.
I skip the infusoria stage and go straight to feeding brineshrimp. While many species will devour their eggs and fry, White Clouds show a preference for eggs. As such it is perfectly safe to leave the adults in the tank with the fry, which I later remove and grow on in another tank.
So how can the White Cloud Mountain minnow be described as boring? It has an interesting history, is perfect for the novice breeder and if you are lucky, you could find some bright-coloured fish like mine.
In summer I keep White Clouds in large container on my patio, and at the end of the season when I bring them back indoors, there are always a few more additions.
So why don't you give them a go - you may be pleasantly surprised...
This article was first published in the March 2004 issue of Practical Fishkeeping magazine.