The White Cloud Mountain Minnow is a peaceful fish that’s happy to share the tank with others. So it’s not going to be difficult to find suitable tankmates for your White Clouds and build up a friendly community aquarium.
Suitable Tank Mates For White Cloud Mountain Minnows Include:
- Livebearers (Platy, Endlers, Guppy)
- Zebra Danio
- Bronze Corydoras
- Ricefish
- Amano Shrimp
- Nerite Snails
Of course there are other options to choose from. But the ones on my list are a great starting point. They are also easy-care additions to your community aquarium that are happy to live in cooler water with your White Cloud Mountain Minnows.
You can click on the links in the numbered list above if you want to go straight to a particular fish type for more information. Or you can just read as you scroll to give yourself some idea about what kind of tankmates you would like for your White Clouds.
1. Livebearers With White Cloud Mountain Minnows
Unlike the White Cloud who scatter their eggs, livebearers give birth to free swimming live young. Despite the difference in the way they reproduce White Clouds and some livebearing fish can be kept together.
Below are 3 popular livebearers that can share the tank with your White Cloud Minnows.
Platy Fish
There are many varieties of Platy fish to choose from. But whichever one you choose for your aquarium you’ll find them to be a peaceful and lively small fish.
Platys grow to between approximately 1.5” (3.81 cm) to 2.5” (6.35 cm). The females are generally larger than the males and can be quite chunky around the middle.
Although the Platy is bigger than the White Cloud they don’t pose a threat to them. I keep White Clouds and Platys together in one of my tanks and they don’t bother each other at all. They just get on with their own thing.
The Platy fish lives for an average of 2 years and during that time they breed freely in an aquarium environment. Female Platys are often already pregnant when you buy them. So if you don’t want lots of little Platy fry to care for it’s best to buy only males for your tank.
Platys do well in the same tank conditions as White Clouds and will also eat the same types of food. Which means that you won’t have to make any special provisions if you want to add some Platy fish to your White Cloud tank.
For more information about keeping Platy fish check out my Platy posts by clicking here
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Endlers
Endlers are also known as Endler’s Guppy or Endler’s Livebearers. It’s the same fish just named in a slightly different way. So don’t let that confuse you if you want to get some to share the tank with your White Cloud Mountain Minnows. You can always check with the store assistant before you buy if you’re not sure you’re looking at the right fish.
Endlers are definitely what you would describe as a Nano fish. The males grow to about 1” (2.54 cm) and the females are a little bigger at around 1.8” (4.572 cm).
The males are more brightly coloured than the females but both sexes are peaceful and easy to keep.
They’re also lively and rarely stay still. And with their bright almost ‘neon’ colouring they add to the visual effect of the aquarium
While Endlers are probably most often kept in tropical aquariums they also do well in cooler water. So keeping them with White Clouds isn’t a problem.
And just like the White Cloud Minnow, Endlers are omnivorous and will eat the same food. You will need to make sure that a portion of the food is broken down into tiny pieces though, so that your Endlers get their fair share of the food.
For more information about Endlers check out the articles I have written here.
Guppy
Guppies are generally kept in heated aquariums but they can do well in lower temperatures. Even if you have to heat your aquarium a little to 20 degrees Celsius, which is fine for your White Cloud Mountain Minnows, it’s worth the effort to keep the Guppies more comfortable.
Having said that, people do keep them successfully in unheated indoor aquariums. So getting some advice before you buy is a good idea.
There are several reasons why I’ve chosen the Guppy as a potential tank mate for White Cloud Mountain Minnows.
Apart from the way the males look with their colourful, flaring tail fins, they are hardy, easy to keep and sociable. Perfect attributes when you’re looking for White Cloud tankmates.
They’re also generally a small fish. Although you should check what size a particular variety will grow to before adding them to your tank, as some varieties grow to be quite a bit larger than others.
2. Zebra Danios With White Cloud Mountain Minnows
There are several varieties of Danio fish but the Zebra Danio is probably the one most often seen in Pet Stores. The reason is for this is likely to be that the Zebra Danio is so easy to keep.
Zebra Danios are non-aggressive but can, on occasion, nip at the fins of species that have longer flowing fins. So if you’ve chosen Guppies as tank mates for your White Cloud Mountain Minnows adding Zebra Danios too might not be the best idea.
The Zebra Danio grows to about 2” (6 cm). And as it name suggests it’s striped like a zebra. Colours can vary a bit, but black stripes on a silver or blueish-silver body, is a common theme.
This Danio is happy in cooler water and will eat the same food as your White Clouds. So no special treatment is needed.
If you’re interested in keeping Danios, but would like something a little different from the Zebra Danio, have a chat with your Pet Store or Aquatic dealer.
3. Bronze Corydoras With White Cloud Mountain Minnows
Corydoras, also known as the Cory Catfish, are a popular and interesting addition to any community tank. They make good tankmates for your White Cloud Mountain Minnows. And because they’re bottom dwellers they’re also a great help in keeping the substrate clean.
There are lots of different Corydoras to choose from but the Bronze Corydoras is ideal in a White Cloud aquarium. They are often called by a different name, such as the Green Cory, so check you’re getting the right type before you buy them.
The Bronze Corydoras grows to about 2.5” (6.35 cm) in length with the females being a bit wider around the middle than the males.
And although they are a fairly shy fish they are generally active low down in the tank. They do come up to the surface sometimes for a gulp of air, which is fascinating to see. My daughter has Bronze Corydoras in her community tank and it’s amazing how fast they can move up to the surface when they want to!
Feeding the Bronze Cory Catfish is easy as they are omnivorous. But as they are bottom feeders it’s best to buy some sinking pellets that are suitable for Corydoras as an addition to the other foods that you’re feeding to your White Cloud Mountain Minnows.
4. Ricefish With White Cloud Mountain Minnows
At only 1.5” (3.81 cm) long, the Ricefish is another Nano fish that will happily share a tank with your White Cloud Mountain Minnows.
The Rice fish is peaceful by nature, hardy and easy to care for. They are also an attractive little fish that catch the light as they move around the tank.
Colouring can vary depending on where you buy your Ricefish from. Some are more golden in colour, some have red markings and others are more like their original white/silver colour.
They will eat a wide variety of foods and will be happy to share the food that you feed to your White Clouds.
Just like White Cloud Mountain Minnow the Ricefish prefers cooler water temperatures. In fact they can survive temperatures as low as 3 degrees Celsius (37.4 Fahrenheit) if necessary. However, they do prefer it to be a bit warmer than that, which means that an indoor temperate tank is just fine.
I have also written more about Ricefish in these articles. (Link opens in a new window)
5. Amano Shrimp With White Cloud Mountain Minnows
Amano shrimp can live in a wide range of water temperatures which means they do well in cooler aquariums with White Cloud Mountain Minnows.
These shrimp will eat the foods that you feed to your White Clouds. But they also have a taste for the algae that grows on tank decorations and plant leaves. Which is an added bonus to keeping Amano shrimp.
Amano shrimp grow to about 2” (5.08 cm) long. Which means that despite their mainly translucent colour they are easy to see in the tank. They don’t breed in freshwater so you can be assured that you won’t be overrun with baby Amano.
I have Amano shrimp in one of my tanks and it’s always fun to watch them run-swim around the aquarium in the search for food.
For more of an in-depth guide about Amano Shrimp, click here.
6. Nerite Snails With White Cloud Mountain Minnows
Nerite snails just get on with their own thing oblivious to anyone else in the tank. And your White Cloud Mountain Minnows won’t even notice that the snails are there.
The Nerite snail grows to about 1” (2.54 cm) or so in length and, like the Amano shrimp, it doesn’t breed in freshwater.
Cooler temperatures are not a problem for this snail. So they are happy to live in a unheated tank with your White Cloud Minnows.
Food-wise the Nerite is easy to please. This snail is a great algae eater and will also eat any other food that’s added to the tank. Nerite snails are good at cleaning up food that the White Clouds have left, but they do appreciate the occasional algae wafer too.
I have more articles about Nerite Snails which you can find by clicking here.
