Fathead Minnow

COMMON NAMES: Fathead Minnow, Red Minnow and Rainbow Dace.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pimephales promelas.

DESIGNATION: Coldwater but can tolerate the tropical range as well.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: North America.

SIZE: Around 10 cm (c. 4 in).

WATER PREFERENCES: Not critical. Wide temperature range tolerated.

DIET: All foods.

BREEDING: Males are distinguished by their fatter heads and by a notch on the front edge of the dorsal fin. They develop conspicuous `pimples' (nuptial tubercles) on the snout during the breeding season. Eggs are laid on the underside of floating leaves from late spring onwards.

DESCRIPTION: This species is now almost exclusively available in the golden form. It is a very active, hardy, shoaler which can disturb more sedate fish, even though it is not an aggressive species.

Fathead Minnow Information

• The snout of the fish is rounded in form and fins with rounded edges. The fish is marked by a dark speck at the base of the tail fin along with a blotch at the anterior part of the fin toward the dorsal side. The anal fin of the fish has seven rays and the middle line part of the back has a darkening shade.
• The fathead minnow mainly swim in the middle layer and the bottom layer of the water.
• In wild the fish mainly feed on the vegetation matter even though it can also survive on consuming small sized invertebrates.
• The season of pawning of the fish extends from the time of late spring to the middle of the summer months. The female fish lays its eggs on objects submerged in water. The male fish takes the responsibility to guard and protect the eggs.
• A typical nest of the fish may contain approximately around 12000 eggs. Some fish do get sexually mature in their fist summer since their birth and lay eggs but ideally the fish should be allowed to spawn the second summer of their birth. A female fish ahs the capacity to spawn as many as 12 times in a single breeding season.
• The fish is often cultured in ponds and is commercially sold as common fish baits.
• The fish is a common breed found in regions where there is minimal competition among other fish species to establish their supremacy. the fish is quite hardy in nature and can survive the extremities of the water composition to a great extent. The fish can tolerate high temperature, high turbidity and low levels of oxygen.

The fish is generally raised as bait for fish of other bid species. Only the rosy red variety of the fish is sold in the pet shops for aquarium owners.