If you are looking for a bright, lively, and yet fairly undemanding fish for your aquarium, consider the Norman blue-eyed fish. These small schooling fish, native to Australia and New Guinea, captivate with their subtle but very elegant beauty. Their main feature is their bright blue, glowing eyes, which contrast effectively with their silver or golden bodies.
In fact, the general name covers a whole group of species, which makes them even more interesting. The most common type found in stores is the rainbow blue-eyed fish, whose fins have an orange or red tint. But there are other varieties that differ in size and color, allowing you to choose fish for different aquariums.
Blue-eyed fish are fairly easy to keep, making them an excellent choice for beginners. They need clean water, a school of 6-8 fellow fish, and peaceful neighbors. With good care, these active and peaceful fish will delight you for many years with their activity and unforgettable sapphire-blue eyes.
Habitat
The Norman's blue-eyed fish is found in the shallow streams of Africa. The fish lives in the subequatorial climate zone (from Senegal to Sudan).
Characteristics
Norman's blue-eyed fish reach a length of 4 cm. Their gray coloration can have a bluish or greenish tint. The name of the species refers to a distinctive feature of the fish: a bright blue pigment on the iris.
Sexual differences are not so easy to spot. Males are usually slightly larger than females and have longer and sharper fins. Females also have less bright coloring.
Fish live in schools of about 10 individuals. Despite their peaceful nature, they are quite active, which explains the requirement for a large aquarium for their breeding.
Keeping and care
The aquarium should be at least 60 liters, as Norman blue-eyed fish are active schooling fish. The space should include both open areas for movement and darkened shelters. These can be various snags, stones, aquatic plants, or other decorations.
It will also be useful to leave a few free-floating plants on the surface to prevent the fish from jumping out of the tank.
Suitable plants include:
Special attention should be paid to the choice of filter, outlet nozzles, and water circulation in the aquarium, as fish do not tolerate strong currents well. Biological balance in the aquarium is also very important. It is necessary to change up to 30% of the water regularly each week. For information on how to change the water correctly, please refer to our other article:
Blue-eyed normans do not have any special lighting preferences: dim light is suitable.
Feeding is not difficult. The fish are omnivorous and undemanding in terms of food, so any commercial dry food containing sufficient protein to maintain activity is suitable.
For example:
You can also sometimes feed them daphnia or cyclops. Feed 1-2 times in small amounts, as blue-eyed normans do not eat food scraps that fall to the bottom.
Blue-eyed fish have very small mouths, so it is worth choosing small food or manually crushing large flakes so that the fish can swallow the pieces at a time.
Breeding
Norman blue-eyed fish are not difficult to breed. But unlike many peciliidae, these fish are not viviparous. They can spawn even in a common aquarium among small plants, but if the offspring are not transferred to a separate container in time, very few fry may survive.
For breeding fish, choose large individuals with bright colors. But even they may not be interested in continuing the species, so if there is no caviar for a long time, it is worth replacing the producers.
Sexual maturity occurs at 4-6 months of age.
The fish spawn every day with short breaks. Females lay 2 large transparent eggs, which attach themselves to plant leaves. To prevent other fish from eating the offspring, check for eggs daily and transplant them along with a piece of the plant to a safe environment.
You can also prepare an incubation aquarium and transplant the female and male into it. There should be small aquatic plants at the bottom of the tank, without soil.
The water temperature should be 24 °C, with the other parameters being the same as in a general aquarium.
The incubation period lasts up to two weeks. Live dust and Artemia nauplii are suitable for feeding newborn fish, later you can switch to special feed for fry, such as Sera Vipan Baby or Sera Micron. Once the fish have grown stronger and a little bigger, they can be transferred to a community aquarium.
Subspecies
A similarly small fish with a greenish body and shimmering blue-blue stripes on the sides.
A small carnivorous fish with bright eyes that are especially beautiful in bright light. Requires special care, so it is only suitable for experienced aquarists.
This small fish lives in its natural environment in rivers with strong currents, so these conditions must be replicated in the aquarium. Its appearance is mesmerizing with its silvery color and bluish tints.
Choosing neighbors
Norman blue-eyed fish are peaceful fish, and aggressive behavior is very rare in their schools. Given this feature, it is important to carefully choose their neighbors so that the fish do not live in stress. It is best to choose other peaceful species.
These can be:
Avoid adding large aggressive fish (cichlids, sacgillies, pufferfish, etc.).
More care tips:
Care tips
Regularly add new fish to the school, and your Norman blue-eyed fish will bring you joy for many years to come.- Fish do not tolerate transportation well. When choosing blue-eyed fish, take a close look at their bodies: if there are cloudy spots, it is better to refrain from buying them, as such individuals have been damaged during transportation and will most likely die within 2-3 days.
- To prevent the fish from jumping out of the aquarium, you can cover the aquarium with a glass cover or add floating plants.
Norman's blue-eyed fish is a beautiful, unpretentious aquarium fish with expressive eyes and a calm disposition, ideal for both beginners and experienced aquarists. It thrives in warm, slightly acidic water, prefers quiet currents and plants in the aquarium, and will feel especially comfortable in the company of other peaceful fish. The main thing is not to forget about hiding places and darkness at night, because it is important for these fish to have a place to hide and rest in the aquarium.
Video review of Norman's blue-eyed fish
Norman's blue-eyed fish is an excellent choice for those who want to add a little movement and sparkle to their aquarium. These small, peaceful, and very hardy fish will not cause any trouble even for a novice aquarist, but at the same time will give a lot of pleasure with their active behavior.
The main thing is to remember their key needs. They need clean, old water, space to swim in a school, and calm neighbors. If you provide them with such conditions, blue-eyed fish will live a long life, and their coloration, especially in males, will only become brighter.
As a result, watching their synchronized movements and the play of light on their scales, you will get your own piece of underwater fairy tale. This is the fish that proves that large or exotic species are not always necessary for beauty and interest in an aquarium.
