Vietnamese Cardinal Minnow

The Vietnamese Cardinal Minnow is a colorful, beautiful fish from East Asia. It displays colors like red, yellow, silvery and black and grows to about 4 cm. This small fish is great to look at, especially during courtship, as the male courts the female with spread fins and thus in all his glory.

Care in the aquarium

Tanichthys micagemmae thrives in a group of at least 10 of its own species in tanks with dense background and border planting, which allows for retreat when needed, and subdued lighting. Furthermore, this cardinal fish can be socialized with other peaceful small fish. The socialization with dwarf shrimp is not a problem either. The aquarium water is ideally soft to medium hard and cool.

Feeding

Diverse feeding with small types of food is recommended for the Vietnamese Cardinal Minnow. Suitable live and frozen food is particularly popular.

Sexual characteristics and breeding

The males differ from their female counterparts in their more intense coloring and slightly smaller body size. Females are also slightly rounder than males. If you want to breed Tanichthys micagemmae, the water should be kept relatively cool. A cool partial water change can put the fish in courtship mood. The courtship is characterized by the display behavior of the males with spread fins and jerky swimming movements. The female lays the eggs near aquatic plants, which serve as a hiding place for the young fish after hatching a few days later. Normally, the parent animals do not pursue their young, which is why they do not necessarily have to be separated from each other. The offspring can be fed with infusoria and a little later with freshly hatched Artemia nauplii, copepods and fine dry food such as powdered food.