Paska's Blue-eye - Pseudomugil paskai

Paska's Blue-eye was scientifically described by Allen & Ivantsoff in 1986. Its scientific name is Pseudomugil paskai. Paska's Blue-eye was first collected by Allen and Balloch in 1983.

Description
Paska's Blue-eye can reach a length of 3.5 cm (1.4 inches). The body of the fish is clear and semi-translucent or of a transparent bluish colour. Narrow dark scale outlines are present on the back and that part of the fish can also develop a bright yellow tinge. Dorsal, anal and caudal fins are more or less clear and decorated with and abundance of black dots.

You can sex Paska's Blue-eye by looking at the firs dorsal fin and the anterior rays of the pelvic fins. If they are highly elongated, you are looking at an adult male.

Geographical distribution, habitat and conservation
Paska's Blue-eye lives in central New Guinea. It has only been encountered in small creeks in the upper Fly River system, near the port town Kiunga. The area is located 120 meters (almost 400 feet) above see level. This habitat consists of rainforest. The streams in which the Paska's Blue-eye lives are all slow-flowing; some are turbid and some are tea-coloured due to suspended tannins in the water.

Paska's Blue-eye is listed as “Data deficient” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This means that too little is known about the fish to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution and/or population status.

Keeping Paska's Blue-eye in aquariums
Paska's Blue-eye is a good choice if you have a comparatively small aquarium, because even a 20 litre (5 gallon) aquarium is large enough for a small group of Paska's Blue-eye. You should however keep in mind that it is harder to keep the water quality up in small aquarium than in a big one. Frequent water changes are an absolute must.

Try to mimic the natural habitat of Paska's Blue-eye when you set up the aquarium and use driftwood and plants to create an ample amount of hiding spots. Floating plants that will dim the light a bit are known to be appreciated.

Ideally keep the water acidic, around pH 6.0-6.5. The recommended water temperature is 22-26 degrees C (72-79 degrees F).

Breeding Paska's Blue-eye
Acidic water and ample servings of live food is known to trigger spawning in Paska's Blue-eye. You can for instance cultivate your own brine shrimp at home. Insect larvae are also known to be highly appreciated. 

You must also provide the fish with a suitable spawning medium, such as densely grown java moss or spawning mops. The eggs are sticky and will stick to the spawning medium. If you want to raise eggs and fry in a separate container, simply move the spawning medium with the eggs. Use water from the breeding aquarium to avoid shocking the eggs.

You can feed the fry infusoria and finely grounded flake food to begin with. After a while, they will be large enough to eat newly hatched brine shrimp.

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