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 are 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 distinctive fork pattern found on the tail of this rainbowfish, which measures 2 inches (5 cm), is well-known. Because of the yellow tips on their pectoral fins, it almost looks like the fish are waving little pom-poms as they swim around. Like most rainbowfish, the females are less colorful than the males, but we definitely recommend getting 1-2 females for every male. Males will display more color and dance in circles when they are surrounded by females.
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 are able to tolerate temperatures between 75-80degF (24-25degC), slightly alkaline pH levels above 7.0, and GHs of at least 5 deg (90 ppm). 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.
They are a schooling fish and love being surrounded with their own species. 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.
What fish can live with forktail rainbowfish? These happy-go-lucky fish can live with almost any peaceful community fish of similar size, such as corydoras, tetras, and rasboras. Slow-moving fish may be outcompeted by them at mealtimes. So make sure you keep an eye out for food to ensure everyone gets a piece. They were not a problem with the adult dwarf shrimps, but will eat any baby shrimp that catches 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 do Forktail Blue-Eyes eat?
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, cyclops, and baby brine shrimp Xtreme Nano pellets Hikari Micro Pellets Krill flakes Freeze-dried daphnia Easy Fry and Small Fish Food Live baby brine shrimp
How to Breed Furcata Rainbowfish
Pseudomugil Rainbows can be more expensive than other tropical fish and they live for only two or three years. Forktail blue-eyes can be bred as long as both sexes are present and the fish aren’t too old. Increase the temperature to about 80°F (27°C) and give them plenty of food to prepare them for breeding. You can also add a DIY yarn-spawning mop, or large floating plants with long roots (e.g. water sprite), that are easy to remove.
Each male can mate with multiple females each day, which is another reason to get more females than males. After mating, the females will lay a few eggs in the spawning mop. You can check the spawning medium every day, and then transfer the eggs to a separate container with an airstone for hatching. A few drops of methyleneblue can be added to the eggs to stop them from developing fungus. Depending on the water temperature, the eggs may hatch in 2-3 weeks. 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 (above) do not have as much yellow coloration on their fins compared to the male (middle).
The care requirements of most other Pseudomugils species, like the Gertrude’s spotted blue rainbowfish and red neon-blue eye rainbowfish Pseudomugil luminatus, are similar. You can see our preferred online retailers list to see which ones have stock of live fish.