Care Guide for Forktail Blue-Eye or Furcata Rainbowfish
Because they are small, playful, and colourful, many people choose platies, guppies, and zebras danios from major pet shops. But if you’re looking for a slightly uncommon fish to liven up your aquarium, let us introduce you to the forktail or furcata rainbowfish.
What is Forktail Rainbowfish, and how do they differ from other fish?
Pseudomugil furcatus hails from the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, where it is often found in clearwater streams that are teeming with plant life. The 2-inch (5-cm) rainbowfish is well-known for its bright blue eyes and yellow fins. It also has a distinct fork pattern on its tail. It almost seems like they are waving little pom poms while swimming around because of the yellow tips on the pectoral fins. Although the females of rainbowfish are less colorful than their male counterparts, we recommend that you get at least one female for each male. Males are more colorful in the presence of females. They also display a circular dance that is delightful and playful.
Furcata rainbowfish are known for their yellow “pom-poms” that frantically wave while they swim.
How to Set Up an Aquarium for Furcata Rainbows
This nano fish is quite the speedy swimmer, so set up a 20-gallon aquarium or bigger to give them plenty of room. They are able to tolerate temperatures of 75-80degF (22-47degC), slightly alkaline pH levels above 7.0, and GHs at least 5deg (90%). Rainbowfish tend to swim in the upper half of the aquarium, so an aquarium hood or lid is a must to prevent them from jumping out. Given their natural habitat, consider creating a forest of live aquarium plants for them to explore and swim between.
They are a schooling fish and love being surrounded with their own species. Rainbowfish can be purchased in male-female pairs at fish stores to keep them from buying too many boys. To avoid this, start with at least three pairs, or two males for each female.
What fish can be paired with forktail Rainbowfish? These happy fish can share their home with corydoras (tetras), rasboras, and almost all peaceful community fish. However, they can be more efficient than slower-moving fish, so ensure everyone gets a piece. Our experience shows that they do not bother adult dwarf shrimp but will eat any baby shrimp they find. Also, we have successfully kept Pseudomugil rainbows in community tanks with a betta fish, but it all depends on the betta’s temperament so be prepared to remove him if necessary.
Furcata rainbows, which are peaceful community fish, do well in planted aquariums.
What Does Forktail Blue Eyes Eat?
These small fish have small mouths. So make sure you give them plenty of healthy foods. They don’t seem to be fussy and enjoy eating.
– Frozen daphnia, cyclops, and baby brine shrimp Xtreme Nano pellets Hikari Micro Pellets Krill flakes Freeze-dried daphnia Easy Fry and Small Fish Food Live baby brine shrimp
How to Breed Furcata Rainbowfish
Pseudomugil Rainbows can be more expensive than other tropical fish and they live for only two or three years. Forktail Blue-eyes are relatively easy to breed provided that both sexes are present. For breeding purposes, you should raise the temperature to approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). Plus, add a DIY yarn spawning mop or large floating plant with long roots (e.g., water sprite) that is easy to remove.
A male can mate multiple females every day. This makes it possible to have more females than males. The females will then deposit large eggs in the floating roots or spawning mop. Check the spawning media daily and transfer the eggs to another container with an egg stone. Some hobbyists like to add a few drops of methylene blue to prevent the eggs from growing fungus. Depending on the water temperature, the eggs may hatch in 2-3 weeks. You can feed the fry infusoria, vinegar-eels, or powdered fry food. When they reach adult size, you can switch to live baby brine shrimp to promote healthy and rapid growth.
The fins of the females (above and middle) are not as yellowed as those of the males.
The care requirements of most other Pseudomugils species, like the Gertrude’s spotted blue rainbowfish and red neon-blue eye rainbowfish Pseudomugil luminatus, are similar. While we do not ship live fish, you can check out our list of preferred online retailers to see what they have in stock.