How to Breed White Minnows

White cloud minnows originate in China, where they were first discovered on White Mountain near Canton. The white cloud minnow is a highly social species and is found in large shoals or schools. The white cloud minnow, which is a member of the carp family, is a peaceful fish that feeds on tiny aquatic insects, including mosquito larvae. These small, fresh water fish, which are almost extinct in their natural habitat, thrive and breed at average room temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit, but elevated temperatures will induce spawning behavior. Captive breeding of this species ensures a constant supply of white cloud minnows to the aquarium trade.

Things You'll Need

  • 20-gallon aquarium
  • 2-oz bottle of chlorine neutralizer
  • Submersible aquarium filter and associated pump
  • 8-oz nylon bag of charcoal
  • Fist full of aquarium filter wool
  • Three spawning mops
  • Live foods such as brine shrimp and daphnia
  • 10 adult minnows
  • Finely powdered fish food
  • Plastic peg
  • Syringe
  • Aquarium net
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill the 20-gallon aquarium with tap water.

    • 2

      Add 1.5 fl. oz of chlorine remover to the water.

    • 3

      Rinse the nylon bag of charcoal under running water. Continue to rinse until the water that flows out of the bag is dust free and clear.

    • 4

      Open the submersible filter compartment and place a fist full of filter wool in the unit. Place the nylon bag of charcoal on top of the filter wool. Close the compartment and place the filter into one of the rear corners of the aquarium.

    • 5

      Plug the submersible filter's pump into a wall power source and turn on. Allow the water to circulate for 24 hours.

    • 6

      Place three spawning mops into the aquarium. These will drift on the water's surface and it is among the strands of the mop that the minnows will scatter their eggs.

    • 7

      Introduce the ten minnows to the tank. Remove the elastic band that secures the plastic packet in which they arrive. Float the plastic bag containing the fish and water in which they traveled in the aquarium to equalize the temperature in the bag. Use a plastic peg to hold the bag onto the aquarium rim to prevent the packet from sinking into the aquarium water.

    • 8

      Use the syringe to draw up aquarium water every 10 minutes. Add this water to the bag, to slowly acclimatize the minnows to the aquarium water chemistry.

    • 9

      Release the minnows into the aquarium after an hour. Catch them in a net and discard the traveling water.

    • 10

      Condition the minnows with the live food of brine shrimp and daphnia.

    • 11

      Allow the fish time to spawn. They will scatter eggs among the strands of the spawning mop.

    • 12

      Leave the minnow fry in the aquarium with the parents, which classically do not eat their own young. The fry will also hide in the spawning mop, until they are too large to be of interest to their parents.

    • 13

      Feed the finely powdered fish food to the fry.