White cloud mountain minnows are small, colorful fish, once termed "the working man's neon" because they compared to neon tetras in color but were not as expensive. For over a half-century the white cloud mountain minnow was the only species in the newly defined genus. However, in 2001, two additional species found in Vietnam were recognized; Tanichthys micagemmae and Tanichthys thacbaensis. Of the two, only Tanichthys micagemmae (Vietnamese white cloud) is available in the aquarium trade.