Description

Gold White Cloud Mountain Minnow:

A Comprehensive Guide

Gold white cloud mountain minnow (Tanichthys albonubes) is a beautiful colour variation of the popular white cloud mountain minnow. Originally from the streams of China’s White Cloud Mountain, this fish is a favourite among aquarists for its stunning appearance, peaceful nature, and remarkable hardiness.

Key Characteristics

• Size: These fish are small, reaching an adult size of approximately 4 cm (1.5 inches).
• Appearance: The gold variation features a brilliant, metallic-gold body with iridescent spots on the fins and a distinct stripe running horizontally along the body. Their fins are a striking red, especially the caudal (tail) fin, which provides a beautiful contrast to their golden bodies.
• Temperament: They are extremely peaceful and are a great addition to community tanks. They are active shoaling fish that will spend most of their time in the mid-water column.

Tank Requirements

Providing the right environment is crucial for these fish. They are often sold as tropical fish, but they actually prefer cooler temperatures.

• Tank Size: A minimum of 40 litres (10 gallons) is suitable for a small group. A larger tank will provide more space for them to shoal and is always recommended.
• Water Parameters: White clouds are very adaptable and can handle a wide range of water conditions, which makes them great for beginners.
  • Temperature: $18-22°C$ ($64-72°F$)
  • pH: $6.0-8.0$
  • Hardness: $5-19$ dGH
• Tank Setup: A well-planted tank with areas of open swimming space is ideal. They will appreciate a dark substrate, which will help their gold colouration stand out.

Diet

Gold white clouds are not picky eaters and will readily accept a variety of foods.

• Staple Diet: A high-quality flake or micro-pellet food should form the basis of their diet.
• Live/Frozen Foods: Supplement their diet with small live or frozen foods such as daphnia, bloodworms, and brine shrimp to provide essential nutrients and variety.

Behaviour and Tank Mates

As a shoaling species, they absolutely must be kept in a group.

• Social Structure: A shoal of at least 6-8 individuals will make them feel secure and show off their natural shoaling behaviour.
• Suitable Tank Mates: Due to their peaceful and cool-water preference, they should be kept with other fish that thrive in similar conditions. Suitable tank mates include:
  • Other minnows (e.g., Celestial Pearl Danios, Vietnamese Cardinal Minnows)
  • Otocinclus catfish
  • Small loaches (e.g., Kuhli loaches)
  • Small, peaceful shrimp

Breeding

Breeding gold white clouds is very easy and can often happen in a community tank without any intervention.

• Spawning: They are egg scatterers and do not care for their young. To increase the survival rate of the fry, you can set up a small breeding tank with a spawning mop or fine-leaved plants. The eggs will be scattered over the plants.
• Rearing the Fry: The eggs typically hatch in about 2-3 days. The fry are tiny and will need to be fed infusoria and liquid fry food before they are large enough to eat newly hatched brine shrimp.