Forktail Blue-eye

Looks how to spot one

Scaled, slender blue-eye

A small, slim fish with a deeply forked tail, which gives it its name. Males are more patterned and colourful than females and have longer dorsal and anal fins.1

Personality what they are like

Peaceful and sociable; it suits a community of similar-sized calm fish such as small gobies and gudgeons.12

Daily activity how busy a day looks

An active shoaling fish that swims in the upper and middle water, in gentle to moderate flow.1

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Needs a biologically mature tank with stable water conditions; Seriously Fish rates it moderate to keep.1

Home where they are happiest

Minimum tank base about 60 x 30 cm (around 54 litres). Temperature 24-28 °C, pH 7.0-8.0, hard water (Seriously Fish gives 15-30 dGH; FishBase lists 5-12 dH). Dense plants, driftwood, floating plants and well-oxygenated water.12

Food basics what goes in the bowl

In the wild it eats tiny floating plankton and invertebrates. Offer small live foods such as Daphnia, Moina, baby brine shrimp and microworms, plus small floating dry food.1

Company who they like around

Keep a group of at least 8-10.1

The story where it all began

Nichols described it in 1955. It spent some years in the genera Popondetta and Popondichthys before being returned to Pseudomugil in 1989. The fish in the hobby are believed to descend from a single collection made in 1981.13

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Data Deficient (assessed June 2020)2

Taxonomy

Family Pseudomugilidae; described by Nichols in 1955; formerly placed in Popondetta and Popondichthys1