Mountain maino

The White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichthys albonubes) is a small, colorful, and incredibly hardy freshwater fish native to China. Often called the “Poor Man’s Neon Tetra” because of its neon-like horizontal stripe, it thrives in cooler water and does not typically require a heater. They are peaceful schooling fish that grow to about 4 cm (1.5 inches) and are perfect for beginners, planted tanks, and unheated aquariums. The specific variety in your image features long, flowing fins with striking red and white tips. Now in stock

Category: Fishes

Description

1. Origin & History

Scientific Name: Tanichthys albonubes
Origin: Native to the streams of White Cloud Mountain (Baiyun Shan) in Guangdong, China.
Discovery: Discovered in the 1930s by a Boy Scout leader named Tan (hence the genus Tanichthys).
Status: While they are common in the aquarium hobby, they are actually rare and endangered in their natural wild habitat.

2. Appearance (Long-Fin Variant)

Body: They have a slender, silvery-green body with a bright, iridescent horizontal stripe running from eye to tail.
Fins: The standard variety has short fins, but your image shows the Long-Fin variant. These have elongated, flowing dorsal and anal fins that are vividly colored in red with bright white tips.
Display: When males spar (as seen in your photo), they flare their fins wide to look larger and more colorful.

3. Water Requirements (Coldwater Fish)

Temperature: These are cool water fish. They thrive in temperatures between 15°C – 22°C (60°F – 72°F).
- Note: They can tolerate tropical temperatures, but their colors fade and their lifespan shortens in water that is constantly warm (above 26°C/78°F). They are excellent candidates for unheated indoor tanks.
pH: 6.0 – 8.0 (Very adaptable).
Flow: They enjoy a gentle to moderate current, mimicking their native mountain streams.

4. Behavior & Tank Mates

Temperament: Completely peaceful. They are active swimmers that occupy the top and middle levels of the tank.
Social Structure: They are schooling fish. You must keep them in groups of at least 6, though 10 or more is ideal. In larger groups, the males will display their intense colors more frequently to compete for attention.
Tank Mates: Best kept with other small, peaceful, cool-water fish like Zebra Danios, Hillstream Loaches, or Neocaridina Shrimp (Cherry Shrimp).

5. Diet

Type: Omnivores (Micro-predators).
Food: They are not picky. They will readily eat high-quality flake food, micro pellets, and small frozen/live foods like daphnia, baby brine shrimp, or bloodworms.

6. Breeding

Difficulty: Very Easy.
Method: They are egg-scatterers. In a well-planted tank (especially with moss), they often spawn daily without any intervention. You may see tiny fry appear in the plants if there is enough cover to protect them from the adults.