Pimephales promelas

Common Names:

Fathead Minnow
Rosy Red
Tuffy

Synonyms:

Family:

Cyprinidae

Category:

Cyprinids

Distribution:

Pacific - North; Most of the US and Canada.

Main Ecosystem:

Lake; Lake

Temperament:

Territorial; Usually at least tolerant of other fish, the male of the species can be fierce in defence of his spawning site, both against other males of his species, and other species. This territory extends at least 8" from his spawning site.

Diet:

Ominvore; Ominvore

Care:

Does well on flake, supplemented with shelled peas, blanched zuchini, goldfish pellets, brine shrimp, bloodworms, etc. This fish will enjoy most meals, but care should be taken to avoid too rich a diet. Any easy to care for fish, but like many cyprinids, it can produce a surprising amount of waste. Keep up your water changes. They prefer lower currents.

pH:

6.5 - 8.2

Temperature:

2°C - 30°C

36°F - 86°F

Hardness:

Potential Size:

Male: 10cm (3.9")
Female: 10cm (3.9")

Water Region:

Middle, Bottom; Middle-Bottom

Activity:

Diurnal; Diurnal

Gender:

When in breeding condition the male will have a dusting of white tubercules along his nose and brow. Females are slightly plumper, and may be smaller.

Breeding:

Fish should be conditioned in the breeding tank, since they are not shy about spawning in a community aquarium. Long days (14+ hours of light) and warmer temperatures (22 to 29 Celcius) trigger the onset of spawning. Males will search for a shelf or cave to spawn in. This needn't be large or elaborate, I have had them spawn in an oster shell propped on its side. The male will then invite a female over, and when she enters the cave he will follow beside her and begin pushing her into the cave

Variants:

Comments:

Usually sold as a feeder or baitfish, the Rosy Red or Tuffy names usually refers to the pink color morph. This fish is fascinating in its own right. During brood care the father acts more like a Cichlid than a Cyprinid. The standard morph is commonly used in aquatic toxicity testing.

Main Colours:

Pink, Green

Markings:

Striped Horizontal

Mouth:

Normal

Tail:

Concave

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Image Credit:

Submitted By:

achtanelion

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