Spotted blue-eye care
Pseudomugil gertrudae · Rivers of southern New Guinea, the Aru Islands and northern Australia
Spotted blue-eyes are tiny rainbowfish about an inch long, with bright blue eyes and yellow, black-spotted fins that males flare at each other.
- Tank size
- 10 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 75 to 82 °F (24 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 6 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 1 in
- pH
- 5.5 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 10 dGH
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 10 gallon
20¼ × 10½ × 12 9/16 in outsideHow to keep spotted blue-eyes
Spotted blue-eyes are tiny rainbowfish about an inch long, with bright blue eyes and yellow, black-spotted fins that males flare at each other. Keep six or more, with more females than males, in a planted 10 gallon or larger tank with soft water and gentle flow. They live only a year or two, but breed among fine-leaved plants.
Diet: Omnivore: crushed flakes, micro pellets, baby brine shrimp and other small frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Top of the tank.
Spotted blue-eye tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Green neon tetra
1 in · 10+ gal · 75–82 °F
Celestial pearl danio
1 in · 10+ gal · 72–78 °F
Pygmy corydoras
1 in · 10+ gal · 72–79 °F
Salt-and-pepper corydoras
1 in · 10+ gal · 72–79 °F
Zebra nerite snail
1 in · 5+ gal · 70–80 °F
Assassin snail
1 in · 5+ gal · 72–80 °F
Ramshorn snail
1 in · 5+ gal · 64–82 °F
Flame tetra
1 in · 10+ gal · 72–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: spotted blue-eyes need 75 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: Adult fancy goldfish eat fish under about 2 in; spotted blue-eyes grow to 1 in.
Paradise fish: Adult paradise fish eat fish under about 1.2 in; spotted blue-eyes grow to 1 in.
Golden wonder killifish: Adult golden wonder killifish eat fish under about 2 in; spotted blue-eyes grow to 1 in.
Red-tail dwarf puffer: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
What a spotted blue-eye tank needs
A tank of 10 US gallons or more (such as the 10 gallon) with a tight lid (they jump), and the equipment below.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Small
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small fish. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
hygger AquaFall Aquarium Filter, S
Rated by the maker for 7–10 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon spotted blue-eye tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 5–15 gal
Rated by the maker for 5–15 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon spotted blue-eye tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 50W
Spotted blue-eyes need 75 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding spotted blue-eyes.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 75 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 10 gallon tank · Heaters for a 10 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common spotted blue-eye problems
- Short-lived: one or two years is normal, not a sign of illness.
- Strong flow and boisterous tank mates wear them out.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Pseudomugil gertrudae. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Spotted blue-eye Der Regenbogenfisch, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Celestial pearl danio Cisamarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pygmy corydoras Birger A, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Salt-and-pepper corydoras D.W., CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra nerite snail TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Assassin snail Steffi Klee, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ramshorn snail Dat doris, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Flame tetra Igor Balashov (iNaturalist), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Paradise fish André Karwath; edited by Muhammad, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Golden wonder killifish Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red-tail dwarf puffer Neale Monks (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Boesemani rainbowfish H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf neon rainbowfish Leo-nie-weh-oh; cropped by Der Regenbogenfisch, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Forktail blue-eye rainbowfish Dirk Godlinski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red rainbowfish Hectonichus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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