I don’t know about you, but when we hear the term ‘minnow,’ all it brings to mind is bait for fishing. Given that many fish keepers may not be fishermen, we can assume these minnows are not being raised to head out on a boat with a rod and reel!
The White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichthys albonubes – heretofore shortened as WCMM, because, let’s face it, that’s a mouthful) is a freshwater fish of the cold water variety. So many of the fish we talk about are tropical it’s somewhat refreshing to have something a little bit different.
Native to China, these fish are almost extinct in the wild and very difficult to see in their natural habitat thanks to pollution and tourism. Thankfully, the ones you see widely available to purchase have been bred in captivity and seem to thrive.
They get their name from being originally discovered on White Cloud Mountain in China and are members of the Carp family.
These little minnows are easy to care for, very hardy, and make a great starter school for beginners to the hobby. With some charisma to spare, these little fish are a lot of fun to watch for newbies and make an excellent option to try.
We will now take a look at how to care for this diminutive fish species in the best possible way to encourage a thriving tank population.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow Behavior
These minnows are exceptionally peaceful and easygoing. If you plan on having any at all, plan on at least 6 – 10 because they are a shoaling species, and they will only do well in a group with a minimum of that size.
They prefer to swim around the middle or upper reaches of your tank and need open swimming areas.
If the species you want to include shoals, expect to provide them with enough fish to allow them to do what comes naturally. Some fish just aren’t meant to be loners!
White Cloud Mountain Minnows are so into their social scene, they eat as a group too. For the observer, this means that they can be fun to watch as they wrangle for food and try to dominate one another in a friendly way for the best portions.
Should you fail to provide them with a group of their kind, you can expect to see a dulling in coloration and some depressed behavior. Who wants to see that in their aquarium? Fish that are left alone in a world where they long to be part of a group will hide and become quite stressed.
Same species interaction is really important for the species that want it and need it. It’s our duty as aquarists to provide the very best we can since we are holding these fish captive and are in total control of their environment. In the wild, they would move on and find what they seek.
In addition, they will show off much better in a group in your tank too. Males will develop more brilliant coloring as they compete for female attention within your WCMM gang.
Speaking of competition, this would be the only time you might witness any aggression within your minnows. Males can get a little rambunctious during mating season and will get territorial and sometimes get aggressive between themselves.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow Lifespan
If you cater to the needs of your White Cloud Mountain Minnows, you could expect them to live for 5 – 7 years. That’s pretty impressive for such tiny fish!
We will discuss more on tank requirements a little later in this article.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow Appearance
These minnows are tiny and considered a ‘nano-fish’ by some in the trade. At full maturity, they only ready 1.5 inches in length, or 5 cm.
They have what is commonly described as a streamlined, dart-like shape with a sharp nose. Their fins are moderately sized and well proportioned and any areas not pigmented are transparent.
Males are slimmer and more colorful than their female counterparts.
With a few varieties available in the market, we’ll review what their distinctions are, which are quite remarkable:
- COMMON: Brown-green scales, black and pink lateral lines, red noses, and fins. The caudal fin has a black dot, while the dorsal and ventral fins are white-tipped.
- GOLDEN CLOUD: Cream body scales and white lateral lines, and red fins
- HONG KONG: Light golden scales and blue lateral lines, fins are all red only
- METEOR MINNOW: Identical to the Common White Cloud Mountain Minnows, but with longer trailing fins
White Cloud Mountain Minnow Habitat And Tank Requirements
As always, we want to achieve optimum health for fish we keep in captivity by closely mimicking their natural habitat. Their origins are the cold ponds and streams in the mountainous peaks of China.
That being said, these minnows are truly not picky when it comes to captive conditions. Although they are hardy, it isn’t ideal to mess around with wildly fluctuating conditions that would not respect the fish.
Unusually for trade fish, these guys are not tropical, so no heater is required!
Another bonus is that you can have a perfectly happy shoal within a smaller tank size, which is ideal if you’re stuck for space or live in a smaller dwelling but still want fish in your life.
Let’s look at some specifics that are needed to provide these bottom dwellers with a great quality of life that best suits them for optimum health.
Tank Conditions
These minnows normally live in clear freshwater with tons of vegetation and some degree of water action.
Even though they aren’t picky about decor, it will show them off to their best with a darker substrate of sand of really fine gravel. Rocks and stones can be added for interest.
Plants in your tank setup should include anchored varieties, floating varieties, and a wide variety in general. Some great options to include in your landscape would be Hornwort, Pondweed, Duckweed, Water Sprite, and Dwarf Rotalia.
Rocks, driftwood, and caves will keep them occupied and offer them places to hide and chill out when they want to relax.
Keep plants to the sides and rear of the tank and allow for the central area to be used for open, active swimming and watch them shoal.
Water changes will need to be weekly and at least 25% changed over.
Water conditions should be noted and maintained as follows:
- pH of 6 – 8.5
- Water hardness between 10 -15 dKH
- Temperature between 57 – 72ºF (14 – 22ºC), but aim for a steady 64ºF (18ºC)
- Lighting on low levels which will make their coloring stand out
Tank Size
The minimum tank size for up to five WCM minnows is 12 gallons, but ideally, you want 6 – 10 in a shoal, so 20 gallons would be more suitable.
However, this is the minimum, so getting something larger is even better to keep them active, curious, and healthier.
Choosing Tank Mates For White Cloud Mountain Minnows
When it comes to finding friendly species for your peaceful, White Cloud Mountain Minnows, you have options, but they are harder to come by since so many fish in the hobby are tropical.
You need to ensure that the cooler water parameters are a match before introducing anything to the tank.
It should be fairly obvious that your options need to be similarly nano-sized fish for their safety, as they will otherwise be viewed as food by anything with a large enough mouth.
We also want to avoid aggressive species, even if they are suitably sized, because these guys are happy-go-lucky and would not fare well in a bullying situation.
So finding these tank mates are not as easy as it may sound.
Some excellent tank mate pairings that really would work well include:
- Guppies
- Zebra Danios
- Odessa Barb
- Bloodfin Tetra
- Celestial Pearl Tetra
- Mollies
- Shrimp
- Corydoras
- Plates
- Endler’s Livebearer
- Gold Barbs
- Paradise Fish
- Cherry and Rosy Barbs
- Dojo and Horseface Loaches
Ones to avoid are anything highly aggressive which will stress them out. Avoid Bettas, Cichlids, Clown Loaches, Tiger Barbs, and Goldfish.
How To Feed White Cloud Mountain Minnows
Although these fish are tiny omnivores, they are predators by nature for even tinier things. Micro-invertebrates, zooplankton, algae, insect larvae, brine shrimp, and water fleas all make for tasty eating for White Cloud Mountain Minnows.
Great little algae cleaners for your tank they are too!
Live prey best mimics what they eat in the wild and should be included. You can add things like tubifex, Daphnia, and other micro worms that will suit their size.
Flakes and pellets are useful but should not be used exclusively. If your tank is low on algae, you can supplement with tablets from your local supplier.
They won’t consume your live plants in the tank but enjoy the odd spot of fruit and veg now and then; just be sure to remove anything uneaten to avoid fouling the water.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow Common Health Issues
Most freshwater fish are susceptible to Ich (White Spot Disease), which, as the name implies, is easily distinguished by white spots on the body due to a parasitic infection.
Ich is treatable when caught early and suitably medicated. If left untreated, Ich is usually fatal.
Fin Rot is another bacterial infection that affects their fins, just as the name implies. They may appear to disintegrate, and it is highly contagious through physical contact. If you suspect your fish has it, it’s important to quarantine it.
Fin Rot is commonly associated with poor water conditions, overcrowding, and stress which is due to both of the aforementioned issues.
Dropsy is a swelling or bloating of the fish and is often fatal. It’s caused by bacteria that is always present in tanks but becomes a problem if you have a fish with compromised immunity. Again, this can be due to poor water, fluctuating temperatures, poor diet, and too much nitrite and ammonia in the water.
Specific to the species, we can mention that they are particularly susceptible to streptococcal infections, which will cause erratic swimming behaviors. They end up sunken down in the tank and can’t rise.
All of these issues can be minimized with a strict water cleaning and change schedule along with regular checking of your water parameters. Remember, your tank is a living biome, and it isn’t just fish that are living inside it.
How To Breed White Cloud Mountain Minnows
If you wish to explore a breeding project, then WCMM’s are a great way to get yourself started!
Consider that they are all bred in captivity for the commercial trade and barely exist in the wild, it’s clear that they are easy to breed.
A shoal will naturally pair up and breed multiple times a year, but if you are looking to successfully rear their fry, you should employ the use of a separate breeding tank for better survival rates.
Warmer temperatures are needed to encourage spawning, so you’ll need to increase it to around 72ºF (22ºC).
Expect to feed them a lot of fresh, live foods to give the fish the energy needed to reproduce.
When the female lays her eggs, she isn’t too particular about where, but you can encourage them to be in an area more easily monitored if you use a spawning mop. Once fertilized by the male, these minnows are not parental towards their eggs, but they aren’t likely to eat them either.
It takes about 48 hours for the fry to hatch, at which point the parents should move back to the main tank.
Fry will be happy on the usual types of fry food such as Infusoria, liquid food, and eventually baby brine shrimp.
Are White Cloud Mountain Minnows A Good Idea For Your Aquarium?
White Cloud Mountain Minnows are a great starter fish that require less intensive care than most tropical fish because of no need to heat the water. Most ambient housing temperatures will suffice.
Their social nature and diminutive size make them ideal for people who want a fish tank but don’t have a ton of space either. You can enjoy watching their personalities and hierarchy in the tank without too much trouble or any really special decor needs.
Their ability to easily breed makes them a great experiment for first-timers too. The beauty of them is that they can quite harmoniously be added to larger tanks of similar water parameter coldwater fish to jazz up your community with some fun color and activity.
If you think you’re interested in getting started with fish keeping, these might just be your perfect match.
