I need some advice!

[Brickosaurus]

They're actually pretty cool in several ways and one of them is communication. Fatheads will swim freely with almost zero schooling tendency but when a threat is sensed they release a hormone or other chemical that causes them to bunch up. Becoming aware of the communication and observing them closely for a few years is what caused me to reconsider live feeding; I'm no longer a fan thanks in large part to a handful of lowly Fatheads years ago.

Well, I definitely want to keep them they seem to have a great personality. It's just that I don't have the capacity for over 30 of them. So I'll either rehome some of them or let them go in the creek

 

[jjohnwm]

There's a reason why releasing bait minnows into the wild is illegal in many areas, even if you have caught them yourself; it's a really bad idea. Aside from possibly introducing new pathogens into that body of water, you might also be introducing the Fatheads themselves. Just because they are found in your area doesn't mean they are found in every body of water in the area.

Why not rehome them back to the baitshop?

 

[Brickosaurus]

There's a reason why releasing bait minnows into the wild is illegal in many areas, even if you have caught them yourself; it's a really bad idea. Aside from possibly introducing new pathogens into that body of water, you might also be introducing the Fatheads themselves. Just because they are found in your area doesn't mean they are found in every body of water in the area.

Why not rehome them back to the baitshop?

I don't know if that's an option. I may just get a big plastic tote and throw a cycled filter in it until I can figure out what to do. I know someone with a huge bluegill pond so maybe I'll let them go in there if the owner doesn't mind