Care Guide for Forktail Blue-Eye or Furcata Rainbowfish
People gravitate to guppies and platies sold at major pet stores chains, as they are small and energetic and very colorful. But if you’re looking for a slightly uncommon fish to liven up your aquarium, let us introduce you to the forktail or furcata rainbowfish.
What is Forktail Rainbowfish?
Pseudomugil fucatus comes from the rainforests of Papua New Guinea. Clearwater streams are teeming in plant life and it is frequently found there. The 2-inch (5-cm) rainbowfish is well-known for its bright blue eyes and yellow fins. It also has a distinct fork pattern on its tail. The yellow tips of their pectoral fins make it look almost like the fish are waving little pompoms as they move about. The females of rainbowfish are less colorful that the males. However, it is recommended to get 1-2 females per male. In the presence of females, males display brighter coloration and “spar” with each other in a delightful, circular dance.
Furcata rainbowfish are known for their yellow “pom-poms” that frantically wave while they swim.
How to Set Up an Aquarium for Furcata Rainbows
This nano fish is quite the speedy swimmer, so set up a 20-gallon aquarium or bigger to give them plenty of room. They enjoy temperatures between 75-80degF (24-27degC), slightly alkaline pH above 7.0, and at least 5deg (90 ppm) GH. Rainbowfish tend to swim in the upper half of the aquarium, so an aquarium hood or lid is a must to prevent them from jumping out. Given their natural habitat, consider creating a forest of live aquarium plants for them to explore and swim between.
As a schooling fish, they appreciate being surrounded by as many of their own kind as possible. To ensure rainbowfish don’t get over-purchased, fish shops often sell male-female rainbowfish pairs. Therefore, it is a good idea to have at least three pairs of rainbowfish (or two males plus four females) in your aquarium.
Can you live with forktail rainbowfish and other peaceful fish in your community? They can outcompete slower-moving fish at mealtimes so make sure to keep an eye on food situations to ensure everyone has a chance to eat. We found that they didn’t bother the adult dwarf shrimp, although they will eat any baby shrimp that is attracted to their attention. We have also successfully kept Pseudomugil Rainbows in community tanks together with a Betta fish. However, it all depends upon the temperament of the betta so be ready to remove him if necessary.
Furcata rainbows, which are peaceful community fish, do well in planted aquariums.
What are Forktail Blue Eyes Eating?
These are small fish with small mouths, so aim for a spread of tiny foods that will give them a healthy variety in nutrients. They love to eat and are not fussy.
Frozen daphnia and cyclops Xtreme Nano Pellets Hikari Micro Pellets Krill Flakes Freeze-dried daphnia and small fish food Live baby brine Shrimp
How to Breed Furcata Rainbowfish
Pseudomugil rainbows are a more expensive option than most tropical fish. They also live a shorter life span, only two to three years. Thankfully, forktail blue-eyes are pretty easy to breed as long as you have both sexes and the fish are not too old. Increase the temperature to about 80°F (27°C) and give them plenty of food to prepare them for breeding. Also, you can add a DIY yarn breeding mop or large floating plant that has long roots (e.g., water Sprite) to make it easy to take down.
A male can mate multiple females every day. This makes it possible to have more females than males. Afterward, the females will deposit a few large eggs in the spawning mop or floating plant roots. For hatching, make sure to check the spawning media every day. A few drops of methyleneblue can be added to the eggs to stop them from developing fungus. The egg’s hatching time will vary depending on the water temperature. Feed the fry a diet of infusoria, vinegar eels, and powdered fry foods. Once they are large enough, switch them to live baby brine shrimp for fast and healthy growth.
The two females shown above don’t have as much yellow coloring on their fins than the males.
Other Pseudomugil species, such as the red neon blue-eyed rainbowfish (Pseudomugil lumitus) or Gertrude’s spotted rainbowfish (Pseudomugil gertrudae), have similar care requirements. So make sure you choose the nano rainbowfish that interests you. While we do not ship live fish, you can check out our list of preferred online retailers to see what they have in stock.