Rainbow Forktail Blue-Eye

Pseudomugil furcatus hails from the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, where it is often found in clearwater streams that are teeming with plant life. This 2-inch (5 cm) rainbowfish is known for its glowing blue eyes, yellow fins, and distinct fork pattern on the tail. 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. In the presence of females, males display brighter coloration and “spar” with each other in a delightful, circular dance.

These happy-go-lucky fish can live with almost any peaceful community fish of similar size, such as corydoras, tetras, and rasboras. However, they may outcompete slow-moving fish during mealtimes, so keep an eye on the food situation to make sure everyone gets a bite. In our experience, they did not bother the adult dwarf shrimp, but they will happily eat any baby shrimp that happens to attract their notice. Also, they have been successfully kept in community tanks with a betta fish, but it all depends on the betta’s temperament so be prepared to remove him if necessary.

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 are not finicky at all and like to eat:

-Frozen daphnia, cyclops, and baby brine shrimp
- Extreme Nano pellets
-Hikari Micro Pellets
-Krill flakeslii
-Freeze-dried daphnia
-Easy Fry and Small Fish Food
-Live baby brine shrimp