Vietnamese Cardinal Minnow

Not to be confused with the cardinal tetra, these small minnows are related to white clouds, only grow to one inch and are wild-caught in central Vietnam. Brightly colored white, reds and greens on this fish are lovely but hard to pick out until the fish nears its adult size. Peaceful and very adaptable, these fish go well with any other smaller community fish and fancy shrimp. The scientific name comes from Tan Kam Fei, the Boy Scout who discovered the white cloud minnow family.

Quick Facts

Care Guide

Tank setup: Give them plants and gentle filtration. These are cool-water fish that do fine at room temperature, and they also do well in outdoor ponds and patio tubs in warm months. Keep a lid on the tank.

Feeding: Feed a quality flake or small pellet once or twice a day, only as much as they eat in a couple of minutes. They also enjoy frozen foods like bloodworms and brine shrimp.

Tankmates: They get along with other small, peaceful fish like ricefish, danios, small rasboras, and dwarf shrimp, and can share an unheated tank with other cool-water species. Avoid large fish (including goldfish) that may eat them.

Good to know: White clouds have been kept in aquariums since the 1930s and are one of the hardiest small fish in the hobby. Males show the brightest color when they display to each other.