Honey blue-eye

Pseudomugil mellis

Also known as Honey blue-eye rainbowfish, Honey rainbowfish

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–82°F (20–28°C)
pH: 5.0–7.5
Adult size: 1.4 in (3.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 11 gal (40 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Top
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Endemic to the coastal wallum country of southeastern Queensland, Australia, between Brisbane and Fraser Island, in tea-colored, tannin-stained streams, swamps and ponds.
Family: Pseudomugilidae

Overview

Keep a group of at least six to eight in a tank of 40 litres or more at 20 to 28 C, in soft water with a pH from 5.0 to 7.5. It adapts to harder water but colors and breeds best in soft, gently acidic conditions with tannins. Keep it only with tiny, peaceful tankmates or as a species tank, since it is easily outcompeted. Feed small live and frozen foods such as daphnia, cyclops, microworm and baby brine shrimp, with fine flake as a supplement.

In the wild

Honey blue-eyes live in soft, acidic, tannin-stained wallum waters over nutrient poor sandy soil, in slow moving or almost still creeks and swamps. The tea colored water and dense marginal plants shape their needs in captivity. A small planted tank of 40 litres with driftwood, leaf litter or botanicals, floating plants and very gentle flow suits them. Soft, slightly acidic water brings out the warm honey tones of the males.

Good to know

Pseudomugil mellis was described by Allen and Ivantsoff in 1982, with the species name mellis referring to its honey coloring. It is a small blue-eye in the family Pseudomugilidae with a very limited natural range. Wild populations are of conservation concern from habitat loss and introduced mosquitofish, so aquarium stock is almost entirely captive bred.

Did you know

Males are honey to copper colored with bright blue eyes and stay under 4 cm, and because the wild fish are protected and threatened, keeping captive-bred lines going is a small conservation effort in itself.