How Do White Cloud Mountain Minnows Breed?

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Although almost extinct in their native habitat the White Cloud Mountain Minnow will happily breed in an aquarium. So if you have both males and females in your tank you’re likely to find that the population soon increases.

White Cloud Mountain Minnows are egg scatterers. Which means that the eggs are fertilized externally. The female scatters her eggs and as she is scattering the male releases his milt (semen) onto them. The eggs then continue to fall onto plants and other surfaces where they will develop into White Cloud Mountain Minnow fry.

In the aquarium environment White Cloud Minnows can breed all year round. So whether you intend to breed your White Clouds, or you’re just happy to wait and see what happens, knowing what to look out for is a great help.

How Can I Tell The Sex Of My White Cloud Mountain Minnows?

The first thing you’ll want to know when it comes to breeding White Clouds is whether you’ve got both sexes in your tank. I know this is an obvious statement but believe me, it’s not as simple as it sounds.

Telling the difference between a male and female White Cloud isn’t an easy task. And aquarists often have varying opinions about what to look for when trying to determine the gender of White Cloud Minnows.

Despite some differences in opinion there are a few guidelines that crop up frequently.

The main problem is that the differences are so slight they’re really hard to spot. I’ve found it impossible with my White Clouds no matter how many times I’ve tried. So I’ll just have to wait to see if they breed.

Probably the best solution is to ask when you buy them from your Pet Store or Aquatic dealer. At least you’ll know form the start. And you won’t have to spend hours trying to figure it our yourself as I have.

Although don’t be surprised if they also struggle to sex them, or get it wrong themselves.

It really is that difficult to tell them apart.

So if you want your White Cloud Minnows to breed it’s a good idea to buy a decent sized group of them. That way you stand a better chance of having both sexes. They’re a shoaling fish anyway, so the more the merrier. Just make sure your tank is big enough for them, and any new arrivals.

How Will I Know That My Female White Cloud Mountain Minnow Is Ready To Breed?

When a female White Cloud is ready to breed her belly will swell. So you’re going to notice that she’s fatter than usual. And unless you’ve been overfeeding your tank it’s likely that your female White Cloud Minnow is in breeding mode.

Her swollen belly is caused by the eggs she is carrying ready for their release during mating. And because White Cloud Mountain Minnows are egg scatterers the eggs are unfertilized at this point.

So you can’t really describe a female White Cloud as being pregnant. But nonetheless, she’s ready to reproduce young.

What Does White Cloud Mountain Minnow Breeding Behaviour Look Like?

Once you have a female that is plump with eggs and ready to breed your male White Clouds will start to compete for her attention.

The males will start to show off to the female by flaring their fins and chasing each other around the aquarium in an effort to impress the female. And they’re not just trying to win the ‘best male to mate with’ category. They’re also doing their best to keep the other males out of the way as well as out of the running.

Male White Clouds often display side by side trying to make the other male look inadequate. Which is, after all, the point of all the showing off and posturing.

However, the final decision of who’s going to be the one allowed to mate is up to the female.

Once she’s chosen her mate they will pair off and start spawning.

White Cloud Mountain Minnow Spawning Behaviour

The actual spawning, when the eggs are released by the female and fertilized by the male, generally takes place amongst the plants in the tank.

The male White Cloud Minnow encourages the female to go in amongst the plants with him. The pair briefly wrap themselves around each other. Then she releases the eggs and he releases the milt to fertilize them as they fall down onto the plants and other surfaces.

How Long Does White Cloud Mountain Minnow Spawning Last?

It’s impossible to give an exact calculation, or even an estimate, on how long it will take for your White Cloud pair to finish spawning. But up to 24 hours or so is not unusual.

The reason for this, as I understand it, is that not all the eggs are released at once. So the breeding pair will go into the plants repeatedly until all the eggs have been released.

There’s no guarantee of how many eggs they will spawn either. It could only be a few. But then again it could be a considerable amount by the time they’ve finished

It’s a case of having a little patience and letting your breeding pair of White Clouds do their thing in their own time.

What Do White Cloud Mountain Minnow Eggs Look Like?

White Cloud eggs are extremely tiny and difficult to see amongst the plants and substrate in an aquarium. In fact you may never see the eggs at all.

The eggs start off clear and become more opaque as the fry develop inside the eggs. But because the eggs stay small they’re still going to be really hard to see with the naked eye.

So don’t be too surprised if the first thing you notice after your White Cloud Minnows have spawned is the little fry on the plants or the aquarium glass. You may not even see them until they begin to swim around the tank looking for food.

How Long Does It Take For White Cloud Mountain Minnow Eggs To Hatch?

White Cloud Mountain Minnow eggs take around 2-3 days to hatch. And fortunately the newly hatched White Clouds are easier to see than the eggs are.

As I understand it, the new arrivals don’t start swimming around the aquarium straight away. They emerge from the egg with a yolk sac that feeds them for a while. And until the yolk sac is empty they won’t need to start looking for other sources of food.

How Long Before White Cloud Mountain Minnow Fry Are Free-Swimming?

It’s generally around 3 days after hatching that the White Cloud fry are free-swimming and ready for their first food.

Once they have run out of yolk you’ll see them exploring the tank on the hunt for a meal. And even though they will still be very small at first they will be a lot easier to spot.

You need to feed them almost microscopic food. You can do this in the form of powdered-down flake food, specialist powdered or liquid fry foods, and microorganisms such as infusoria.

As the fry get bigger they will be able to manage larger types of food. And because White Cloud Mountain Minnow fry grow quickly, it won’t be long before they are feeding happily alongside their parents.