I want a pound or two! Can I have them shipped to my home address? I live in Clinton Indiana They tend to be pretty hard to find this time of year. The best time to get them is during the spring, when many garden centers carry them, as many bait shops. Some of them are occasionally sick, but some anti-parasite medicine usually helps to get them healthy. And since they breed so fast, they usually have very healthy offspring relatively quickly.
I bought some at Petsmart on a whim and put eight in my backyard fountain. Lost only one. They are thriving in Palm Springs where summer weather is triple digits. I wish more people would give them a chance like you did.
Petsmart almost always has them. I keep a few in my goldfish tank although its not recommended. No problem yet. If the tank is large enough they are, but I find the male mosquito fish can be very aggressive — especially in smaller tanks.
One afternoon I happened to be out near the pond later in the day when the sun was hitting it just right, and there were literally thousands of fish at the surface. Among them, noticeable rosy minnows as well as mosquito fish. As far as the goldfish, we have a great blue heron that flies in daily and feeds on frogs and probably some of the fish. A couple of weeks ago we saw him come up with a HUGE goldfish—at least eight inches long and bright reddish-orange.
The fish have survived freezing temperatures the pond has frozen across the entire surface a few times and bloodthirsty mallard ducklings who start eating fish from the first day they hit the water.
They seem to be adaptable and reproduce like crazy. We just bought 20 at our local Pet-Co for 19 cents each. They were actually in a clean tank and looked very healthy so we put them in a gallon tank with our other fish at 75F and they appear to be adjusting nicely.
Our tank is highly under populated with all small fish so they have plenty of room, and we have over twice the filtration needed. In the spring we plan to move them into a breeding pond in the back yard because these fish are also good to eat, like sprats or sardines.
But in the meantime, they are fun to watch — very active and happy as they explore their new home. These are really under rated fish, and they breed like crazy in the right outdoor conditions. I bought my rosy red minnows at PetSmart for 14 cents each. I had to buy over 20 because my killifish ate one entire school of ten. They are beautiful fish. I have a school of rosy reds in my 55 gallon tank, along with two golden killifish, one cory catfish, five blind cave tetras and ten apple snails.
For the first time, they have spawned and laid eggs in the two caves I provided after reading an article on breeding. I had thought the plants would keep out the predatory killifish and tetras, but they seem to actually like them. Any ideas? I am planning on putting them in a different tank if I can catch them.
The only way to really protect them is to give them places to hide. I find floating plants, and thick mops of Java moss allow at least some of them to survive, and both of those are mostly immune from hungry snails.
I plan on transferring any fry that I see to a small tank I am setting up. That way it already has some of the bacteria and stuff that a new tank needs. Floating plants are a good idea. The live plants in my area are mostly anachris. Would that count as a floating plant? I find the roots of water lettuce, Amazon frogbit, and the spine of hornwort work best. A technique I use, is to setup a sponge filter a few weeks before the new tank is needed, and then transfer the whole filter to the new tank.
It works great for any new tanks you need to setup. I bought a sponge filter for the fry tank. Would some charcoal from the filter in my big tank work to transfer enough bacteria for new tank? I looked in the tank this morning and saw my killifish greedily eyeing the caves. They can inhale whole fish. This worries me. I might just see if the caves fit in the small tank and see how that works. One of these days, the killifish will get old and die. Hi, we just started a 38gal tank and bought some feeder rosy red minnows to start the tank.
They were from the feeder tank at petsmart. How long should we wait to get more fish, and is there a way to know whether ours are healthy?
I would wait a minimum of at least three weeks, and with feeder fish, it never hurts to give them at least one course of anti-parasite medication. Always glad to help. I have one rosy Rd and he is 2 years old. He is not doing well today after hiding for several days, he is floating upside down in the tank. What should I do? Those will clear up many problems. Is there any bloat? My rosies are spawning like crazy. They do get adequate light from my grow lamp near by. It was cool at first but now they are terrorising my fancy goldfish.
Any other ideas to give my goldy some peace? I wish I had some ideas for you beyond separating them. They seem like perfect candidates to keep together, but the rosy red minnows always end up attacking the goldfish — or at least nipping at their fins. The best thing to do is use to a divider or get separate tanks.
Though you may have more success with much larger aquariums. Last night I rearranged things so the plants make a makeshift divider and turned all caves toward the planted side wall. This seems to have calmed things down a bit. I hope they can stay together. They seemed like perfect candidates to me as well, but my fancy goldfish ate a whole school.
What type of fancy goldfish was it and what was its size at the time? Also, how small were the rosy red minnows?
Usually they coexist quite well. Hello, my husband and I had 4 rosy minnows. Last night we moved them to a new tank we set up for them.
Any idea what could have happened? We are both very sad and confused. The shock of moving to a new tank can sometimes kill fish.
In optimal conditions in captivity, you can expect your Rosy Red Minnows to live for approximately 2 to 4 years. Indeed, Rosy Red Minnows who breed will have a life expectancy on the lower end of that spectrum, as the breeding process is difficult on the Rosy Red Minnows. The level of care also affects their lifespan. Although Rosy Red Minnows are resilient creatures, they will live longer when given proper care and optimal conditions.
Things you can do to ensure that your Rosy Red Minnows thrive include:. Although from their name you would think Rosy Red Minnows are red, in actuality they are usually golden, pale orange, or pink. They have a solid color, but the hue gets lighter at the upper part of the fish.
They also have translucent fins. The females have smaller bodies than the males, but both sexes have slender bodies, with round eyes that lay laterally on their flat heads. Their bodies actually resemble torpedos, a feature that allows them to swim very fast.
One of the best ways to tell which Rosy Red Minnows are males and which are females is by looking at size. The males are about an inch longer than the females, measuring in at inches Other differences are the darker heads of the males, as well as the fatty tubercles that grow on the males as they ready themselves for breeding. Finally, white or gold bars on both the dorsal fins and back of the head are male Rosy Red Minnow identifiers. While Rosy Red Minnows are adaptable to many different conditions in their natural habitats of lakes, ponds, and rivers, you should keep a smaller range of temperatures in your home aquarium.
One reason for this is to allow for continuous breeding read more about breeding below. Starting with a tank size of at least 10 gallons, you should provide driftwood, rocks, and hiding places for your Rosy Red Minnows. They will also enjoy plants floating and planted. Just make sure you leave your Rosy Red Minnows room to swim. For substrate, my first choice for Rosy Red Minnows is gravel.
However, if you need an alternative, soft sand would also work. I would choose the substrate based on the needs of your other aquarium residents. If you have a bottom feeder that needs a softer substrate, go with that since the Rosy Red Minnows are so adaptable.
Uprooting plants and changing out the substrate can really mess up the biosphere of your aquarium and put all your fish, invertebrates, and plants at risk. If you get an inexpensive clay pot, turn it sideways in the aquarium and bury the bottom part of it, your Rosy Red Minnows will be happy to claim it as territory. A pond habitat will not require a huge investment in time and care, so if you have space, you might consider raising some Rosy Red Minnows in a pond, where they will even survive the winter months.
Clean water is key for Rosy Red Minnows, as it is for all fish. After that non-negotiable requirement, the other parameters are quite wide. Rosy Red Minnows are very forgiving with temperature, pH , and hardness, so even beginners can handle the parameters with ease.
Although I am listing optimal temperatures below, Rosy Red Minnows are still capable of surviving outside these parameters and are also able to tolerate varying levels of oxygen and water flow. With regular water changes and a decent filter, you should be able to keep your Rosy Red Minnows happy and healthy.
Just watch out for a filter with a really strong current and block the intake with a sponge to prevent the Rosy Red Minnow fry from getting sucked up in the filter. While they can survive in freezing or tropical temperatures, you want to keep the range consistent. You could keep 5 or 6 Rosy Red Minnows in a gallon tank, although if you can go bigger, that would be better.
Proper tank mates for Rosy Red Minnows really depend on your purposes. Stay away from any aggressive fish and stick to those that are smaller than they are. Rosy Red Minnows should be kept in groups—this allows for the company and allows the breeding process to commence. The Fathead minnow is omnivorous, sifting through the substrate to find small crustaceans, insects, aquatic invertebrates, and zooplankton. The fish also eat phytoplankton, algae, and general detritus that drifts to the bottom of the habitat.
The signal can be detected by other ostariophysan fish, warning them of danger and triggering antipredator behaviors such as darting away or hiding. When the alarm substance is ingested by a predator, it will chemically label that creature as presenting a danger to the minnows.
So, when in areas where the visibility is poor, the Red minnows can quickly detect ambush predators, such as Northern pike, and make good their escape. In this part of our guide, we explain how to care for these glittering fish that can make a very attractive addition to the home aquarium. In theory, you could keep a small group of minnows in a five-gallon tank, although a larger aquarium is recommended.
If you are planning on keeping a school of ten Rosy Reds, the tank size should be at least ten gallons. Rosy Red minnows can live in a wide range of water temperatures from 32 0 right up to 0 Fahrenheit, making them ideal for all freshwater tanks, including coldwater setups. Minnows can cope with a wide range of water conditions from mildly soft to very hard, and a broad pH range of 6. You can use a HOB hang-on-back filter if you want to, although a sponge filter will keep the tank clean and properly filtered.
If you do opt for a HOB filter system, you should cover the intake with a piece of nylon or a sponge to prevent the fry from being sucked into the impeller. Each male fish will claim a small territory and defend it vigorously, so the larger the tank is, the better, especially if you are planning on keeping a single-species setup.
The fish like to explore the plants and scavenge for scraps of food that have dropped onto the leaves from above. Also, you could include some driftwood that will encourage the growth of algae, providing a source of food for the minnows.
In the wild environment, the Rosy Red minnow is omnivorous, eating plant matter, algae, insect larvae, tiny crustaceans, and invertebrates that it filters from the bottom of its habitat. You may find that your tank-kept Pimephales promelas prefer more in the way of plant-based foods, happily taking a high-quality pellet or spirulina flake. Rosy Reds enjoy freshly blanched vegetables, such as cucumber, shelled peas, and cucumber, which you can cut into medallions and add to the aquarium.
Minnows are peaceful schooling fish that are happiest when kept in groups of adult pairs of up to ten fish. The Rosy Red is a hardy fish that gets on well with any small, peaceful species. Minnows inhabit the mid-water range and enjoy plenty of swimming space. So, choose tank mates that tend to stay in the bottom area of the tank, such as Corydoras catfish. Tetras get on fine with minnows, as do Gouramis. The same goes for any large species of omnivorous, potentially predatory fish.
Pimephales promelas are incredibly easy to breed, making them the perfect starter project for newbies to the hobby.
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