# Minnows in my pond



## Childofthebrine (Oct 12, 2010)

i got some minnows i think darters or daces black nose or maybe baby carp but they thrive in it well even when the water wasnt running they bred and a frog came along too and i got a tadpole any recomendations on making it more to there liking? the water is thick with algea that you cant see the bottom but i think thats what they thrive on and the bugs that get trapped at the top often i see them jump to the top to eat small bugs that happen to have the misfortune to drown and they came from minnows for fish bait that i thought would all go belly up in a few days but i began running a net through the water and i found a bunch of tiny minnows and always a big one and a tadpole their was always a big one sometimes one went belly up then another grew big and took the place


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## saltydad (Jun 27, 2008)

My garden fish pond (4 small koi, 10 goldfish) also has some minnows that I added to aid in mosquito control- rosies and black fathead minnows. They do fine in a crystal clear pond. Of course, the fish are fed once daily and the minnows take their turn too. A frog usually shows up each spring also.


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## Childofthebrine (Oct 12, 2010)

cool id clean the pond but i but i dont have food i really enjoy them cause they dont just die like most fish i put in there should i bring them in for the winter tho? and what are some good pond fish that will survive better


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## AtRandom (Sep 11, 2010)

What size are these fish and the pond itself? How long have you had them in there? Do they look like this?

This is what some call a "mosquito fish" (Gambusia sp.) and is one of the most *introduced* fishes in the world. This fish is very unique because it eats almost anything (not poop or certain plants) from tiny "bugs" to algas. Where they live, they proliferate and thrive!
If you are concerned with making a better environment for _them_, I wouldn't even touch it.
Regardless, whatever you had bread - which is (in my opinion) a great indicator that they are happy. If the population seems to stay small or diminishing then you should think about solutions! People sell all sorts of fish as bait - goldfish, mosquito fish, small sunfish, and various killies. I have always wanted to find a tiger salamander at a bait shop since I saw someone fishing with one as a kid! Best of luck!
Craig


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## Childofthebrine (Oct 12, 2010)

no there like this http://www.dcnature.com/photosfull/Rhinichthys_atratulus.jpg and they have been there for about a month its not a large pond and the population is like medium-small it depends i dont often mess with them cause when i was little i kept petting my goldfish and he died  i was really sad i cried for i think hours so i know not to stress fish i hold any pet i get near and dear to my heart and if they die i still cry but i dont let others see they where left overs from a fishing trip and i filled the pond cause it was empty then put them in floated them first tho just to be safe and i went and drew a net through the pond and found a bunch of little ones with one larger one like a leader i guess prolly from the first batch he died then another one got bigger and there was a tadpole in there we got from a local area found them in a shale pit if you live in PA you know what i mean and there were little frogs there and they laid eggs in tempory puddles and we found a bigger one and we put him in our pond and we had a frog since the minnows were there so idk if i should change anything what do you think? sorry for the long post *pc


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## saltydad (Jun 27, 2008)

Depending on the minnow, you should be OK if the pond is deep enough. My pond is 2 1/2 to 3 ft. deep and the minnows (and goldfish and koi) all survive the winters. If it's shallow, and could freeze to the bottom, then no fish will be able to make it.


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## AtRandom (Sep 11, 2010)

yeah, Salty has a good point there about depth/freezing!
Childofthebrine, that link didn't work for me for some reason but I looked up that fish. I have seen similar fish here in the spring (it's hard for me to tell there's a lot of similar fish in the spring) and one species is really active and fast at the top, while another stays on the bottom. - This is all at night, I don't pay attention to them in the day!
Anyways, I read that Rhinichthys like moderate river/streams and are not found in stagnant ponds or lakes, though they do inhabit pools connected to rivers (water is still moving some).
In short, you may need to put something in there to move your water around some - these fish seem to dart around alot and play in fast current, otherwise they will prolly be fine..unless it freezes solid or something!


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## Childofthebrine (Oct 12, 2010)

i have a pond pump


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## theguppyman (Jan 10, 2010)

ok I know its not a minnow its a fish called 
The Dwarf Livebearer or Least Killifish (Heterandria formosa) is a species of livebearing fish within the familyPoeciliidae. This is the same family that includes familiar aquarium fishes such as guppies and swordtails. The Dwarf Livebearer is not as commonly kept in aquaria as these species. The Dwarf Livebearer is one of the smallest fish in the world (7th smallest as of 1991), and is the smallest fish found in North America. Despite the common name "Least Killifish", it belongs to the family Poeciliidae and not to one of the killifish families.

The Dwarf Livebearer is one of the smallest fish and smallest vertebrates known to science Males grow to about 2 centimeters (0.8 inches), while females grow a little larger, to about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches). 
The fish is generally an olive color, with a dark horizontal stripe through the center of the body. There is also a dark spot on the dorsal fin and females also have a dark spot on their anal fin. Like most poeciliids, males' anal fins are modified into a gonopodium that is used for impregnating females during mating.
he Dwarf Livebearer primarily eats invertebrates such as worms and crustaceans They also eat plant matter.
do a google on it!
sorry about the LONG post
hope I helped


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## Childofthebrine (Oct 12, 2010)

theguppyman said:


> ok I know its not a minnow its a fish called
> The Dwarf Livebearer or Least Killifish (Heterandria formosa) is a species of livebearing fish within the familyPoeciliidae. This is the same family that includes familiar aquarium fishes such as guppies and swordtails. The Dwarf Livebearer is not as commonly kept in aquaria as these species. The Dwarf Livebearer is one of the smallest fish in the world (7th smallest as of 1991), and is the smallest fish found in North America. Despite the common name "Least Killifish", it belongs to the family Poeciliidae and not to one of the killifish families.
> 
> The Dwarf Livebearer is one of the smallest fish and smallest vertebrates known to science Males grow to about 2 centimeters (0.8 inches), while females grow a little larger, to about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches).
> ...


um im pretty sure its a black dace since you got that from wikipedia and i dont trust wikipedia and i looked at the wiki after i read your post you just copied that and the picture looks nothing like my fish cause they dont have the white sac thing below there head there straighter and if they get big enough their fins get orange around the edge but those are prolly the carp minnows that get mixed up with the others sometimes


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## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

1 quick thing on ponds...everywhere has a level where the ground stops freezing. So in supposedly as long as your pond is deaper then that your fish should not freeze. Now from my experiences in Pennsylvania Gold Fish and Koi will survive better then the minnow will. Although we took a few minnow from the creek near by and added them to our goldfish population and the gold fish have bread and re bread and bread some more for the past 9 years. The minnows last maybe 1 winter but end up HUGE. Last time we did it i pulled out a 6 in minnow when it died. Our pond is something like 3 ft deep at the deepest end. If you are worried you can get a pond heater that will keep a decent size hole open in your pond so you wont have to worry to much about freezing 100% solid.


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