White Cloud Mountain Minnow

The White Cloud Mountain Minnow is a small, hardy freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, originally from streams near Guangzhou in southern China. It is now largely maintained through captive breeding, as wild populations have become scarce. The body is slender and olive-brown with a bright iridescent line running along the flank, and the fins are edged in red and yellow, most vivid on males during display. It rarely exceeds a few centimeters in length. This is a peaceful, active shoaling species that shows its best color and behavior in groups of at least six to eight. It tolerates cooler water than most tropical fish, making it well suited to unheated or lightly heated tanks with plants and open swimming space. It accepts flake and small live or frozen foods readily, and breeds easily by scattering eggs among fine-leaved plants, making it an excellent beginner fish.