White Cloud Mountain Minnow

This species grows to approximately 4 cm (1.6 in)) in overall length, and is silver-green in color with a bright red caudal and dorsal fin. Several varieties have been developed through the fish's domestication, one with bright light edges to the dorsal and anal fins and one with red edges to those fins. The species can also be found in a golden cultivar and a rosy pink variety that displays red on all of the fins, and all color morphs can have long finnage. Sexual dimorphism is slight but noticeable. The male generally has brighter colors and a slimmer body, and the male's dorsal and anal fins are wide and fan-shaped, whereas those of the female are triangular and wedge-shaped. Females also present a whiter, distended abdomen.

The White Cloud Mountain minnow is an opportunistic omnivore. It will commonly feed on a variety of aquatic plants and insect larvae. They particularly relish mosquito and shrimp. In times of extreme ecological pressure, such as drought or sunlight infiltration, the minnow often overlooks the simple vegetation for more nutritious food sources including fruits, nuts, and in extreme cases mountain minnows have been observed scavenging off carcasses of fellow pond dwelling organisms.