Whats that fish with the blue eyes?

There are two groups of similar schooling fishes with bright eyes that immediately come to mind. I've kept a few of both groups & been lucky enough to have a few spawns survive to grow up. The killifish known as the lampeyes (from much of Sub-Saharan Africa include fish from the following genus:

Aplocheilichthys

Congopanchax

Foerschichthys

Hylopanchax

Lacustricola

Lamprichthys

Micropanchax

Plataplochilus (rare)

Pantanodon (brackish-marine)

Poropanchax

Procatopus

These social lampeyes actually spawn better together in a well cared for 10 or 20-gallon tank. Lamprichthys tanganicanus is better kept in a 55 or bigger and treated a lot like the Tanganyikan cichlids. Aplocheilichthys spilauchen is a brackish water killie that does ok in hard water (like our liquid rock). The larger their tank and the more plants in it, the more fry you may find growing up in there.

The Procatopus are also larger than many of the other species. They lay large eggs, but their fry. like those of the others, have very small mouths. Raising them in a well planted tank where they can take some micro-foods off of the plants is wise. One might also give them a powdered egg-layer food like APR (artificial planktom rotifer). One can also raise them in green water but that is thin soup. Don't try raising more than 15 fry in a 15-gallon tank.

At about two weeks, if they are growing, hatch out some bbs (baby brine shrimp). The bbs are smallest & most nutritious the first 5-10 hours after hatching. Try feeding a few to the lampeye fry. Watch to see that they are actually eaten.

Also after the eggs are hatched, put some rams horn snails or other small pond snails in to clean up uneaten food. That is especially urgent when feeding bbs, because that stuff can rot & provide a perfect environment for a bloom of the dreaded velvet (that can wipe out a tank of small lampeyes or rainbowfish in a day or two.)

Killifish often spawn everyday for a quite a stretch. Given space and lots of food, many will tolerate a certain number of fry.

The best trick in spawning & raising lots of them is to feed the adults meaty & live foods for a week or two & pull them out of the tank. The fry hatch out of the eggs in roughly 14 days (less in warmer water, more in cool 72 F water).

The blueeyes are schooling rainbow fish from Australia, Papua-New Guinea and a few nearby islands. They are from surprisingly similar habitats to those of the lampeyes. Call them ecological analogues. Care is often the same. As with the lampeyes, they do well in schools. There are also a few marine blue eyes, so specifically look for water requirements.

Both groups are plant spawners. One can even make acrylic mops (see below) and they will hang their eggs in them. Both groups of fish lay eggs with tiny filaments on them that hold them to plant and other surfaces. killie-nuts" and "bowheads" have even beem knows to keep a mop of eggs for a few days, lightly wring it out, put it in a plastic fish bag and mail it to a friend or purchaser. Since the eggs of both groups of fish take about 2 weeks to hatch, the eggs can be mailed all over the world (weather permitting) or taken to fish club events (meetings, shows, auctions, conventions, workshops...)

The blue eyes scienticially described (the list may have grown) is below. There are also many other rainbowfish. Please feel free to download the rainbowfish book mentioned below & check them out.

Pseudomugilidae

Kiunga

ballochi Allen, 1983

bleheri Allen, 2004

Pseudomugil

connieae (Allen, 1981)

cyanodorsalis Allen & Sarti, 1983

furcatus Nichols, 1955

gertrudae Weber, 1911

inconspicuus Roberts, 1978

ivantsoffi Allen & Renyaan, 1999

majusculus Ivantsoff & Allen, 1984

mellis Allen & Ivantsoff, 1982

novaeguineae Weber, 1908

paludicola Allen & Moore, 1981

paskai Allen & Ivantsoff, 1986

pellucidus Allen, Ivantsoff & Renyaan, 1998

reticulatus Allen & Ivantsoff, 1986

signifer Kner, 1866

tenellus Taylor, 1964

Scaturiginichthys

vermeilipinnis Ivantsoff, Unmack, Saeed & Crowley, 1991

Both lampeyes & blue eyes are raised by hobbyists. They are sometimes sold on www.aquabid.com or at aquarium club auctions. And some show up in shops, often much to our surprise! If you are really interested in those in your pet shop or elsewhere, try to at least get 2 or 3 pairs.

If you want, they will get along with small tetras, livebearers & Corys. The dwarf Corys might match well in size.

If you want to try spawning them, get an additional 10-gallon tank (unless you have a larger one available). They are a delight to have. As the Amano tanks have shown, they also thrive in a well landscaped tank.

Google species names & do an image search. Google may include every image from an article on what you are looking for. Make sure the image is of the fish you want. :)

In comments, could you mention what fishes they were? Thanks.

Good luck & all the best!

Forktail Blue Eye Rainbow

He normally has a cataract. A cataract is a fungus that seems to be cloudy movie overlaying over the eye. It's not very serious or customary but will have to be dealt with instantly. You should use Eye Fungex by using Aquatronics. But first be certain your water is up to standards. Unhealthy water exceptional can result in diseases. You could also use different fungus killing remedies for this for those who can't in finding the above product.

Take you pick as they are all called blueeyes .

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Species

Australian Rainbowfish

Banded Rainbowfish

Boeseman's Rainbowfish

Celebes Rainbowfish

Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish

Lake Kutubu Rainbowfish

Madagascar Rainbowfish

Millennium Rainbowfish

Parkinson's Rainbowfish

Red Rainbowfish

Sepik Rainbowfish

* Threadfin Rainbowfish

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http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/Rainbowfish/...

Likely they are one of the blue eyed rainbowfish species. There are many kinds, like a blue eyed signifer rainbow (http://www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk/dbimages/P_sig... ), Forktail Blue-eye (http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m87ne9kHCO1rprj1... ), gertrudes or spotted blue eye (http://watershed3.tripod.com/gertrudae.jpg ), etc.

Its called mangtull fish..