Transparent blue-eye

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a school of eight to ten or more in 40 liters or larger, with fine-leaved and floating plants to display around. It is completely peaceful and belongs with other small, calm fish or in a species tank, since anything fast will outcompete it. Feed small live and frozen foods such as cyclops, daphnia, and baby brine shrimp along with fine crushed flake. Males spar constantly with spread fins, and the anal fin stripe runs from yellow to red depending on the individual.

In the wild

The transparent blue-eye comes from shallow, slow rainforest streams around Timika in southern West Papua, Indonesia, where clear or lightly tannin-stained water flows over sand, gravel, and rock. It stays near the surface under overhanging and floating plants. Match that with a well planted tank, floating cover, gentle flow, 24 to 28 degrees Celsius, and a pH from about 6.5 to 8.0.

Good to know

Pseudomugil pellucidus was described by Allen and Ivantsoff in 1998, and the name means pellucid, for a body so clear the spine shows through. It is a blue-eye in the family Pseudomugilidae, reaching about 4 centimeters, and like its relatives it is short-lived, usually two to three years. It scatters unusually large eggs among fine plants, and freshly laid eggs are bright red, fading as they develop. The species is assessed as Vulnerable because its small range sits in a heavily mined region, so tank-bred fish are the norm.

Did you know

The transparent blue-eye lays bright red eggs, an oddity in the genus, and its glassy body shows the spine right through the skin, sometimes with a reddish glow.

Related species

• Ivantsoff's blue-eye

  Pseudomugil ivantsoffi

  1.6 in (4 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
• New Guinea blue-eye

  Pseudomugil novaeguineae

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)15 gal (55 L)79–86°F (26–30°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)
• Red neon blue-eye

  Pseudomugil luminatus

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
• Swamp blue-eye

  Pseudomugil paludicola

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)79–86°F (26–30°C)