Rosy reds as pets

[HeathB]

I'm trying to go for a bit more of a natural fish setting in one of my tanks, and was wondering if anybody else had ever rescued some of these minnows to keep as pets.

When I was a kid I always loved watching the little minnows swimming about by the pier at my grandma's lake cottage.

Since "feeder" minnows are usually pretty cheap compared to the standard fare, if it doesn't work well I won't be out much, but if anyone has any advice on actually keeping these guys I'd much appreciate it.

 

[tyspot1000]

Just make sure to quarantine any that you get. The ones that are in the tanks with many others of themselves are known to be packed with diseases. Treat the QT to keep them from adding any parasites/ diseases to the main tank (for the safety of the other fish you have).

I remeber when I had them in a species only tank, They always loved the caves that I provideds, always having territorial disputs over them (not bad enough to cause injury though).

 

[HeathB]

No worries there. They are the only fish in this tank, since I heard they could be pretty disease ridden.

 

[toddnbecka]

Just google rosy red minnows, you'll find all the info you want/need.

 

[HeathB]

I tried that, but it all seemed pretty generic fish care info, without too many people ever actually talking about actual experiences keeping them.

 

[toddnbecka]

I've kept them in tha backyard pond for mosquito control and netted some out to help establish new tanks, but never kept them inside after the tank/s were ready to stock. They went back out to the pond. Hard, alkaline water and they'll eat anything you feed them. In the early spring I tossed excess duckweed from the aquariums out for them since there wasn't much else available yet, but otherwise never fed the pond. They happily eat duckweed when it's available regardless of whether there are insects and other food too.

 

[HeathB]

Loving them so far. Like I said they aren't the most beautiful fish, but they are very active, and my first fish that I know is an Indiana native. Rosy reds I found out are actually just fathead minnows. Remember seeing them crowd around by the pier at my gran's lake cottage when i was a kid. Was always fascinated watching them. Now if I could just find some native aquatic plants around here aside from ludwigia.

I keep trying to google native aquatic plants of Indiana but all I can ever find is a list of invasive species on the DNR website.

 

[ChelseaLake]

Whoa, you live in Indiana too? Where? I live in Columbus, about an hour south of Indy.

 

[HeathB]

Whoa, you live in Indiana too? Where? I live in Columbus, about an hour south of Indy.

About 20 minutes outside of Fort Wayne.