Forktail blue-eye care guide

Plan a tank with forktail blue-eyesSee all tank mates

Forktail blue-eye quick facts

• Known jumper: keep a tight-fitting lid.

Tank setup

A group of eight needs a tank at least 24 in (60 cm) long, and a 20-gallon long (76 L) is a good start. Plant the back and sides thickly, add some floating plants, and leave open water at the front for swimming. Keep the lid tight, because they jump, especially when males are displaying.

How many forktail blue-eyes in a tank?

The smallest common tank that suits forktail blue-eyes is a 20 gallon. Here is roughly how many fit in each size when they are the only fish, based on adult size and waste output. Leave room if you want tank mates.

Water parameters

Keep them at 24–27 °C (75–81 °F), pH 7.0–8.0 and moderately hard water of about 8–18 dGH. They do poorly in soft, acidic water and in new tanks, so add them only to a fully cycled, stable aquarium. Gentle flow and weekly partial water changes suit them.

Best tank mates for forktail blue-eyes

These popular species share forktail blue-eyes' water needs and temperament. See the full list of 80 good matches.

• Cherry shrimp

  3 cm (1.2 in) · 20–27°C (68–81°F)

• Nerite snail

  2.5 cm (1 in) · 22–27°C (72–81°F)

• Guppy

  5 cm (2 in) · 22–27°C (72–81°F)

• Bristlenose pleco

  12 cm (4.7 in) · 22–26°C (72–79°F)

• Bronze corydoras

  7 cm (2.8 in) · 21–26°C (70–79°F)

• Assassin snail

  2.5 cm (1 in) · 22–27°C (72–81°F)

• Ramshorn snail

  2 cm (0.8 in) · 21–27°C (70–81°F)

• African dwarf frog

  3.5 cm (1.4 in) · 22–26°C (72–79°F)

Avoid keeping forktail blue-eyes with

• Common goldfish: They need different temperatures: Forktail blue-eye 24–27°C (75–81°F), common goldfish 15–22°C (59–72°F).
• Fancy goldfish: They need different temperatures: Forktail blue-eye 24–27°C (75–81°F), fancy goldfish 18–23°C (64–73°F).
• Oscar: Oscar can eat forktail blue-eyes: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.
• Bala shark: Bala shark can eat forktail blue-eyes: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.
• Chinese algae eater: Chinese algae eater is aggressive and will bully or injure peaceful forktail blue-eyes.
• Convict cichlid: Convict cichlid is aggressive and will bully or injure peaceful forktail blue-eyes.

Feeding

They are small omnivores that pick tiny invertebrates and plankton from the upper water. Offer crushed flakes or micro pellets, plus baby brine shrimp, daphnia and other small live or frozen foods several times a week. Their mouths are small, so keep every food fine.

Behavior

Peaceful and active, they spend most of their time in the upper half of the tank. Males spar and flare their fins at each other all day to impress females. This is normal and rarely causes harm. Keep at least as many females as males, ideally two per male. Good tankmates are other small, calm fish such as rasboras, small tetras, corydoras and peacock gudgeons.

Breeding

They spawn almost every day, laying a few eggs at a time in fine plants, moss or a spawning mop. Adults eat eggs and fry, so move the eggs to a separate container. The eggs are slow to hatch, often taking two to three weeks, and the fry can eat baby brine shrimp or microworms straight away. Raising a few fry now and then keeps the group going, as the adults are short-lived.

Tips from experienced keepers

• Buy more females than males. Males have longer fins and more yellow, which reaches the belly and chin.
• Expect a short life of about two to three years, and raise a few fry now and then to keep the group going.
• Add them only to a mature tank. Sudden changes in water chemistry hit them hard.
• Cover every gap in the lid. Excited males can leap out.
• Feed small amounts two or three times a day rather than one big meal.

Sources

We checked these references when writing this page. Values are for healthy long-term keeping, not survival limits. Last reviewed 2026-10-13. See our editorial policy.

• seriouslyfish.com
• fishbase.se
• theshrimpfarm.com
• aquariumsource.com