Pacific blue-eye

Care at a glance

Overview

Pacific blue-eyes are small, peaceful fish that feel settled in a group of eight or more, where the males display their bright blue eyes and yellow-tipped fins to one another. They keep to the middle and upper water and belong with other gentle, small companions rather than anything large or nippy. They are commonly slim and only a few centimeters long, so feed small foods such as micro pellet, crushed flake, frozen cyclops, daphnia, and baby brine shrimp. They tolerate a range of conditions but like clean, planted water. Aim for a tank around 95 liters or larger.

In the wild

The Pacific blue-eye ranges along the eastern coast of Australia, from Queensland into New South Wales, in coastal streams, estuaries, and pools, sometimes where fresh water meets a little salt. It handles neutral to slightly hard water, matching a pH of about 6.5 to 8 and a temperature between 20 and 26 degrees Celsius. Recreate its home with fine substrate, plants around the edges, some wood, and clean, gently moving water.

Good to know

Pseudomugil signifer is a blue-eye in the family Pseudomugilidae. FishBase lists a maximum of about 7 centimeters, though most fish stay closer to 3 to 4 centimeters, and northern populations tend to run larger than southern ones. Males display with spread fins and compete in color rather than fighting. It scatters small eggs among fine plants and roots over a long spawning period, giving no care, and the very small fry make breeding hard.

Did you know

Pacific blue-eyes vary so much from north to south along the Australian coast that scientists have long debated whether they are one species or several. Fish from warmer northern rivers grow noticeably larger than those from the cooler south.

Related species

• 

  Delicate blue-eye

  Pseudomugil tenellus

  2.2 in (5.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)77–90°F (25–32°C)

• 

  Forktail blue-eye

  Pseudomugil furcatus

  2.2 in (5.5 cm)22 gal (85 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Spotted blue-eye

  Pseudomugil gertrudae

  1.5 in (3.8 cm)17 gal (65 L)70–82°F (21–28°C)
• Popondetta blue-eye

  Pseudomugil connieae

  2 in (5 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
• Honey blue-eye

  Pseudomugil mellis

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)
• Paska's blue-eye

  Pseudomugil paskai

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)