The White Cloud Mountain minnow (Tanichthys albonubes) is a hardy species of freshwater fish and coldwater fish often kept in aquaria. They make excellent pets for children as they are very easy to look after. The species is a member of the carp family (family Cyprinidae) of order Cypriniformes, native to China. The White Cloud Mountain Minnow is practically extinct in its native habitat. It was believed to be extinct for some years, but an apparently native population of this fish was discovered on "Hainan Island", well away from the White Cloud Mountain. They are bred in farms and are easily available through the aquarium trade.
The species was discovered at White Cloud Mountain (白雲山; Pinyin Bái Yún Shān) in Guǎngdōng in the 1930s by a Boy Scout leader called Tan, —hence the generic name Tanichthys ("Tan's fish"). The specific name albonubes is from the Latin alba nubes (white cloud).
The fish are sold in the aquarium trade under a variety of names, including White Cloud, White Cloud Mountain fish, White Cloud minnow, etc. The names Canton or China danio (although it is not technically a danio) and cardinal fish are also encountered. In Chinese the fish is known as 唐魚 (táng yu), 廣東細鯽 (Guǎngdōng xìjì), or 潘氏細鯽 (pānshì xìjì). Aphyocypris pooni is an obsolete synonym for this species; it was coined to designate a color variety which is now known to be the same species as the White Cloud Mountain minnow.
Read more about White Cloud Mountain Minnow: Description, In The Aquarium, In The Pond, Breeding
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