Stocked as Gold White Cloud, Golden White Cloud or Gold White Cloud Mountain Minnow depending on the shop, with a cream to yellow-gold body and the red held in the fins. Wikipedia names the Golden Cloud and the longer-finned Meteor Minnow as the two commonly available variants, so this is the color half of that pair. Gold intensity varies between suppliers, so look at the fish rather than the stock photo.
In the wild
A captive color form that is not found in wild white cloud populations. Wikipedia dates the Golden Cloud to the 1990s, later than the long-finned meteor minnow, but that passage carries no citation and no primary source stands behind it. Sellers describe the fish only as tank-bred, and no breeder or country is on record.
Good to know
The gold is usually described as a loss of dark pigment rather than added yellow, with the wild fish's dark lateral line fading or vanishing while the red in the fins survives. The farm trade that turns out these color forms carries a cost: Seriously Fish notes that inbreeding has left many of the fish available today genetically weak and prone to disease or physical deformity. Wikipedia records the same about farm-bred stock in this species.
Did you know
Push the selection further and the fish keeps fading. Wikipedia records that inbreeding Golden Clouds has produced Blonde Clouds, light yellow fish colored like blonde guppies, and Pink Clouds, pinkish-beige fish that have lost almost all remaining pigment except the red on the fins.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Golden white cloud minnow is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
Is a Golden white cloud minnow a different species from the White Cloud Mountain minnow?
No. A Golden white cloud minnow is a variety of the White Cloud Mountain minnow, Tanichthys albonubes, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.
What size tank does a Golden white cloud minnow need?
A Golden white cloud minnow needs at least 12 gal (45 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
How big does a Golden white cloud minnow get?
An adult Golden white cloud minnow reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).
Does a Golden white cloud minnow need a group?
Yes. A Golden white cloud minnow is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.
1.2 in (3 cm)12 gal (45 L)64–73°F (18–23°C)
1.6 in (4 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
1.6 in (4 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
1.6 in (4 cm)20 gal (75 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)
1.6 in (4 cm)16 gal (60 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
1.6 in (4 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)