Fish ID help - wildcaught Florida minnows

[Linwood]

I caught some minnows in a lake in Florida (Lakes Park, Ft. Myers). I have them in a QT to see how they develop, and get rid of whatever bad stuff they are carrying, but I am not sure what any of them are.

I've seen the Florida fish ID guide but it is for adult fish, and I struggle with the babies.

Anyone know?

#1: Looks like some kind of molley perhaps? The black spot is prominent on all the fish with this profile, and the anal fin even more prominent than shown here. A bit over 1" long, very fat (already pregnant? Just eating too much?)

#2: Sorry about the root in the way, but that's the best shot I could get. Might be a male of the above? Or something different? About the same size (1") and no prominent markings.

#3: Only got a couple of these, they are thinner, about 1.5 to 1.75" long, and swim faster and with less "wiggle".

Do they need to grow to ID, or anyone know for sure what they are?

 

[treemanone2003]

Ask the Florida fish and game. Then ask them if it's legal to take without a permit.


Sent from my iPhone that doesn't like me. Or you !!

 

[Linwood]

Ask the Florida fish and game. Then ask them if it's legal to take without a permit.

Thank you for the helpful advice. Why do you assume I lack a permit? In fact, I have a freshwater fishing permit for this purpose specifically, and collected in an area where it is allowed.

 

[Pseudomugil]

Search up mosquito fish, those look pretty similar to them and I'm sure they can be found in the Florida area.

 

[Linwood]

Search up mosquito fish, those look pretty similar to them and I'm sure they can be found in the Florida area.

I've seen those here, was about to right that the first didn't match, and I just looked again. Interestingly the first image seems a match for the western, not eastern mosquito fish, the #1 a female and the #2 maybe a male.

Florida's got so many non-native fish anything is possible. The very first wild-caught fish I found was a Cichlid from Africa or S. America.

Any thoughts on the third? It looks too sleek, and too different an anal fin to be mosquito?

 

[treemanone2003]

Thank you for the helpful advice. Why do you assume I lack a permit? In fact, I have a freshwater fishing permit for this purpose specifically, and collected in an area where it is allowed.

I don't assume things. I presume. And generally it's because someone that claims to have permits for activities of taking wildlife for whatever purpose will not usually show up on a forum asking "What is this?" but instead show up and say "look what I just found!". And a FW fishing permit has nothing to do with removal of wildlife. Two entirely different things.

 

[Linwood]

I don't assume things. I presume. And generally it's because someone that claims to have permits for activities of taking wildlife for whatever purpose will not usually show up on a forum asking "What is this?" but instead show up and say "look what I just found!". And a FW fishing permit has nothing to do with removal of wildlife. Two entirely different things.

Look, treemanone2003, I don't know what I've done to offend you, but try to get over it. I came asking for help. If you choose not to offer that help, you can simply move on to other threads.

I do have a license -- if anyone present has authority to check, I can provide more details, but a redacted copy is attached.

I am absolutely certain that it permits collection of fish as I have done, I did my homework. For your information here is the quote from the florida conservation commission site:

What regulations apply to harvesting fish for home aquaria? Rules and regulations for recreational take and possession apply. You cannot be in possession, nor may your aquarium contain more than these limits. Legal methods of collecting and license requirements also apply. You need a freshwater fishing license to take (defined as “taking, attempting to take, pursuing, hunting, molesting, capturing, or killing any freshwater fish, their nests or eggs, by any means, whether or not such actions result in obtaining possession of such freshwater fish or their nests or eggs”). Avoid taking Florida’s endangered species.

Being allowed does not mean I have the knowledge to identify what I catch (and yes, I suppose there is some risk I would catch an endangered minnow, but at least so far it appears I did not). So shame on me for asking for help in what would appear to be an appropriate venue.

To call me a liar, which you seem to still be doing, is simply uncalled for. While I may not be able to identify the minnows I caught, I can identify a troll. I shall not respond further to any posts from you on this topic, but wanted to confirm to the rest of the audience that I was doing this legally.

 

[Alexwm125]

Stop fighting it's a few **** minnows.


I love my fish!!!

 

[Patty1980]

Stop fighting it's a few **** minnows.


I love my fish!!!

No one is fighting. Seems they are clearing up a misunderstanding. Just breath....

 

[Linwood]

So not sure if anyone is interested given the rough start in the topic... but any idea on the third photo?

The mosquito fish, from what I read, doesn't look like very interesting in a community tank. Compatible, but dull and not interesting from what I see.

If the third is not better I may just cull this group and try again.

 

[Aliray]

Hey Florida Neighbor. I live in Rotonda West on the Cape Haze peninsular. By the way on Craigs list someone in your area is selling some lovely albino BN plecos for 2.99 each. Back to fish and game regs. When I moved hear 8 years ago I was looking at some of the fishing regs, and down here if I remember correctly , it is illegal to catch and release any non native fish back into the water. I would have no idea how to tell baby fish apart. Are you doing a wild baby fish tank? It would be fun to see what they grow up to be. . Pictures of the tank set up please. ...Alison

 

[Linwood]

Hey Florida Neighbor. I live in Rotonda West on the Cape Haze peninsular. By the way on Craigs list someone in your area is selling some lovely albino BN plecos for 2.99 each. Back to fish and game regs. When I moved hear 8 years ago I was looking at some of the fishing regs, and down here if I remember correctly , it is illegal to catch and release any non native fish back into the water. I would have no idea how to tell baby fish apart. Are you doing a wild baby fish tank? It would be fun to see what they grow up to be. . Pictures of the tank set up please. ...Alison

Hey... not far up north. Nice to "meet" you.

I see some now for $2, but don't know the seller. There's a guy at Page Field that has set up what looks like 50-75 tanks, and he always has great deals. I got a half dozen plecos from him, as well as SAE's for $3 each. He occasionally advertises there, he's right beside Tanks-A-Lot who advertises even more, and has good deals on used stuff.

You are correct on the invasive species. Obviously a bit problematic if you don't know the species you catch, but in principle you are supposed to sort through any catch and destroy the invasive ones. The reality is that most of the enforcement officials struggle to tell adult species apart.

I've got a large community tank (220G) and a smaller one (45G), so looking for fish that are interesting, but (especially when we have northern visitors) it is very nice to be able to point to some fish and say they are locally caught. I got a few sailfin molleys in that way that are just breeding like mad, and very interesting.

I actually went out that day looking for ghost shrimp, and got quite a few, and for reasons still a mystery they all died over the first night. But the minnows lived, so I figured I would see what they were and if interesting.

Photos, sure:

Large tank below, it's the newest, started planting last September.

Incidentally the hygrophila polysperma (left side front) and Rotala rotundifolia (middle front) are also wild caught plants that did very well. The latter I've been pruning and replanting to spread, but once it starts getting tall near the lights I hope it gets a bit of red in the tank.

Small tank a bit older, started planting last July +/-:

 

[mrvincent]

Look like moskitoe fish...

But will also say look like a male norman killie lampeye... But the belly seems too big for a male killie lampeye...

 

[Aliray]

Linwood you are right on the albino BN pleco. I checked CL today and that is the price. I have 2 plecos now. A young probably female L144 lemon, blue eyed pleco and a few days ago I bought a male albino BN pleco who is 4 inches long from EBAY. A place called imperial tropicals in Lakeland. Fla. They are in seperate tanks. No hanky panky leading to hybrids thank you but no. The plecs are now my favorite fish. What kind of Plecs do you keep? I never would have thought of getting plants from the wild. They look great. If I was younger I would give it a try. Pushing 70 and at this point I would probably fall in the water in the back of my house and be a snack for Fluffy the gator that waits patiently for me to do just that. Every once in a while I see him on the other side of the water swallowing some good sized fish. Love Fla wildlife. Thanks for posting the tank pics. And the tips on the fish stores. Alison....

 

[Linwood]

We're a bit off topic, but I have a few regular color BN plecos, they are breeding, they threw an albino once but I think it got eaten (it's a tough life in a community tank).

Back to the original... mcvincent.. I guess one could be a Killifish, there are many in the waters here, but I can't find one that seems to look like photo #3.

 

[B-Chrono]

Can you post some pics of your wild caught sailfin mollys? I'm just curious what they look like

 

[Brookster123]

Lin, just had a thought.. you were collecting ghost shrimp? Was the source brackish? Is this the same source?

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[Gillie]

Lin, just had a thought.. you were collecting ghost shrimp? Was the source brackish? Is this the same source?

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Ghost shrimp in Florida are predominantly found in freshwater. I never found many in brackish.

OP all of your fish are Gambusia affinis

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[CatfishRex]

Ghost shrimp in Florida are predominantly found in freshwater. I never found many in brackish.

OP all of your fish are Gambusia affinis

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More likely gambusia holbrooki
The last one, with the long anal fin is male they ones with the black dot are female.
Either way they are mosquito fish

 

[Gillie]

More likely gambusia holbrooki
The last one, with the long anal fin is male they ones with the black dot are female.
Either way they are mosquito fish

Holbrooki have finely spotted tails the op's fish don't so they are affinis

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