Pseudomugil sp. 'red neon'

Overview

The blue-eye traded as Pseudomugil sp. 'red neon' suits a mature, densely planted aquarium with filtered light. Its peaceful nature is accompanied by poor competition at feeding time, so small size alone does not make it suitable for a busy community.

Distribution & habitat

Collection near Timika in Indonesian Papua has been proposed, but the precise origin remains uncertain. Habitat accounts emphasize submerged terrestrial bankside plants, with murky brown water at a site named the Samba River. The connection between that site account and the exact geographical range is not firmly established.

Aquarium setup

Use dense planting with floating cover, roots, or branches to soften illumination. If fry are to survive with adults, place fine moss high in the aquarium and retain trailing roots beneath floating plants.

Maintain good oxygenation and some water movement. A biologically immature tank is unsuitable because sudden shifts in water chemistry can affect the fish.

Diet & feeding

Natural food probably includes suspended or floating zooplankton, phytoplankton, and small invertebrates. Captive food must be small enough to swallow. Live Daphnia, Moina, newly hatched Artemia, and microworms should form much of the diet, although tiny or crushed floating dry foods are accepted.

Behaviour & compatibility

A species aquarium or companions of comparable size, temperament, and environmental needs are preferable. Suitable freshwater ornamental shrimp can also be considered individually. Avoid fishes that monopolize food.

Keep at least eight to ten, preferably more where space allows. A larger group reduces nervousness and encourages natural male displays and color as they compete for female attention.

Sexual dimorphism

Males are more patterned and colorful. Their unpaired fins become distinctly extended with maturity.

Breeding

It scatters eggs without parental care and will eat its own eggs and fry. Spawning is more likely toward the warmer part of its suitable range. Females can deposit a few attached eggs daily over several days, and one male may mate with several females during a day. Spawning can continue through daylight during warmer periods.

One method separates a male with two or three females, an air-driven sponge filter, and nylon spawning yarn or moss. Inspect the material several times daily and remove eggs to a separate hatching container.

Alternatively, keep adults in a mature, densely planted aquarium and allow a proportion of fry to survive. Young initially stay close to the surface, where elevated moss and floating-plant roots provide cover. Yield is usually lower, but stable water and resident microorganisms make this approach simpler.

Incubation is roughly ten days, depending on temperature. Fry need microscopic food such as Paramecium initially, sometimes for up to five days, before progressing to Artemia nauplii, microworms, and comparable foods. Appropriately graded high-quality powdered foods can also be used. Growth is relatively quick compared with some related species.

Eggs with developed embryos that fail to hatch have reportedly responded to mechanical agitation in water, possibly through pressure changes. This is not a required step for every batch. Offer small meals at least twice daily, make regular small water changes, and remove uneaten food. Prolonged use of unchanged water can lead to high losses.

Notes

When it appeared in the hobby in 2011, it was suspected to be a hybrid or selected form of Pseudomugil paskai. DNA comparisons instead supported a distinct lineage close to that species and Pseudomugil gertrudae. Red Neon, Irian, and related commercial labels do not by themselves verify origin or formal identity.

The genus tends to be short-lived, with wild females sometimes completing only one breeding season. Good aquarium care can extend survival, but fertility commonly declines after about 12–18 months. An age of reduced fertility is not a defined maximum lifespan.