Tanichthys albonubes
The unheated-tank classic. Once thought extinct in the wild, most stock is captive-bred. Cooler-water nano fish that displays brightest at 18–22 °C. Long-fin and 'meteor' variants exist; wild type stays most vigorous.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichthys albonubes) reaches 3.5–4 cm as an adult and needs a minimum tank of 40 L. Native to White Cloud Mountain, Guangdong, China, it lives in the mid to top water column with a peaceful temperament. Aim for 16–24 °C, pH 6.0–8.0, and 4–18 dGH hardness. Lifespan is 5–7 years with good care. Keep white cloud mountain minnow in groups of 6+, yes schoolers need numbers to display natural behaviour. Diet: omnivore, Crushed flake, micro pellets, daphnia, baby brine shrimp. Excellent at picking off mosquito larvae. Plant-safe: Yes. Shrimp-safe: Yes (adult shrimp).
Care at a glance
The unheated-tank classic. Once thought extinct in the wild, most stock is captive-bred. Cooler-water nano fish that displays brightest at 18–22 °C. Long-fin and 'meteor' variants exist; wild type stays most vigorous.
By Mike ElmiraUpdated 2 min read
Part of our complete guide to aquarium fish for the planted tank.
The parameters that decide whether white cloud mountain minnow fits in your tank.
Mid to Top
Yes
Group of 6+
Cyprinidae
Omnivore
Crushed flake, micro pellets, daphnia, baby brine shrimp. Excellent at picking off mosquito larvae.
5–7 yrs
Easy
Cool fast-flowing mountain streams near Guangzhou
White Cloud Mountain, Guangdong, China
Tank-mate safety and the species this one is documented to thrive (or fail) alongside.
Other cold-water nano fish: hillstream loaches, celestial pearl danios, cherry shrimp adults, otocinclus (at the upper end of their temperature range).
Tropical fish needing >24 °C consistently — white clouds suffer at sustained high temperatures. Aggressive species, large predators.
Hard-won lessons from the tank.
Run them at 18–22 °C for best colour and longevity — at 25+ °C they fade and shorten lifespan. They're the only practical 'cold-water community fish' option below 22 °C besides hillstream loaches. A 60 L planted unheated tank with white clouds + cherry shrimp + hillstream loaches is a complete low-energy biotope.
Genus 'Tanichthys' honours Chinese scout master Tan Kam Fei, who discovered the species in 1932. Species 'albonubes' = 'white cloud' for the mountain habitat.
What can go wrong and how to spot it.
Failure modes, in order of how dramatic the fix is.
Robust. Susceptible to ich during temperature drops below 14 °C. Less prone to disease than most tropical fish — they're built for variable cool water.
Often dismissed as a 'feeder fish' or 'beginner waste' species — they're a long-lived, peaceful, beautiful unheated-tank fish that thrives where tropicals would struggle. Underrated by the hobby.
The practical routine, read top to bottom.
40 L+ unheated tank. Sand or fine gravel, planted with cold-tolerant species (vallisneria, java fern, anubias). Subdued lighting. Sponge or canister filter; they appreciate gentle flow.
2 weeks. Settle quickly and ship robustly.
Where it comes from, how it behaves, and the variants you'll see at retail.
Where it lived before it came home.
Cold, fast-flowing mountain streams in Guangdong, China — water temperatures often 14–20 °C in the wild. Soft to moderately hard, well-oxygenated water with abundant cover from streamside vegetation.
Aquatic insects, mosquito larvae, micro-crustaceans, biofilm.
Endangered in wild — habitat in White Cloud Mountain reduced to small populations. The aquarium trade is captive-bred and represents a conservation success story. The species exists today largely because of hobbyists.
How they pair, reproduce, and grow.
Males more slender with brighter red dorsal and tail edges. Females fuller-bodied, especially when ready to spawn, with less intense colour.
Easy. Egg scatterers — eggs adhere lightly to plants. Adults will eat eggs but predation is light. Lower temperature to 18–20 °C, dense moss or spawning mop, separate adults from eggs to maximize yield. Fry hatch in 36–48 hours, take baby brine shrimp within a week.
The named cultivars and the lookalikes worth flagging.
Wild type, 'Meteor' (long-finned), 'Golden Cloud' (yellow body), 'Hong Kong' (broader red bands). Avoid 'glow' or dyed variants.
Direct answers to the questions search engines and AI assistants surface most often about this species.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichthys albonubes) needs a minimum tank of 40 L. They live in the mid to top water column and should be kept in groups of 6+, so a longer footprint matters more than depth.
Target 16–24 °C, pH 6.0–8.0, and 4–18 dGH hardness. Acclimate slowly when moving them between water sources.
Shrimp safety: Yes (adult shrimp). Plant safety: Yes.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow are omnivore. Crushed flake, micro pellets, daphnia, baby brine shrimp. Excellent at picking off mosquito larvae.
On Fin & Stem's 1–5 difficulty scale this species rates 1/5. Almost unkillable, a solid first-tank choice. Breeding difficulty: easy.
Typical lifespan in a well-maintained tank is 5–7 years.
A planted tank is a system. Pair this fish with one entry from each other pillar to plan the whole scape.
