ID my minnows
- Thread starter Wulfonce
- Start date
What river drainage were these collected in? I believe you have at least three species here. The slender silvery fish may well be emerald shiners, as Journeykc suggested. The deeper-bodied silvery fish such as those at the top center and top left of the second photo look like redside shiners to me. The round-bodied fish with reddish fins look like blackside dace. I'm not very familiar with Albertan fish though.
Here, this might help: http://books.google.com/books?id=zS...gfc2zw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5
Here, this might help: http://books.google.com/books?id=zS...gfc2zw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5
Noto;3296452; said:
Thanks for the info.
These were caught in a section of the conastoga river (Ontario Canada) right at the base of a dam. http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=43.535113,-80.572132&spn=0.002271,0.005681&z=18
Sry. My profile isn't updated. I moved from Alberta to Ontario 2 weeks ago.
Ah, gotcha. In that case I'll call the deep-bodied silvery fish common shiners and the reddish-finned ones river chub; these were my first impressions, but those fish don't occur in Alberta.
If you are wanting to keep them, all those species do pretty well in unheated tanks. Common shiners and river chub both get pretty big, sometimes 12" or a little more. Emeralds stay much smaller.
If you are wanting to keep them, all those species do pretty well in unheated tanks. Common shiners and river chub both get pretty big, sometimes 12" or a little more. Emeralds stay much smaller.
Noto;3296528; said:
Well the 90g tank their currentaly in is going to become a Long Point tank (Lake Erie). I planned on putting in real plants from longpoint bay (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=42.608695,-80.355377&spn=0.147567,0.363579&t=h&z=12) as well as a few Pumkinseed.
I figured I'd keep some of the river chubs and release the shiners back into the wild. If the pumpkinseeds eat them... Oh well. but I don't think they will.
I know you've only had the fish for a little while, but it's still a risky endeavor to return any of them to the wild. Much better to let the p'seeds eat any smaller fish, or feed them off to other fish you have.
Any minnows that are too large to be eaten will do just fine with the pumpkinseeds. I have river chub, striped shiners (very similar to common shiners), and several other minnow species with dollar and redspotted sunfish; there is some interspecific aggression, but it's initiated by the minnows as often as by the sunfish, and has yet to end in injury. The minnows are actually more aggressive feeders, but the sunfish have learned that they have to push their way into the frenzy if they want to eat.
Any minnows that are too large to be eaten will do just fine with the pumpkinseeds. I have river chub, striped shiners (very similar to common shiners), and several other minnow species with dollar and redspotted sunfish; there is some interspecific aggression, but it's initiated by the minnows as often as by the sunfish, and has yet to end in injury. The minnows are actually more aggressive feeders, but the sunfish have learned that they have to push their way into the frenzy if they want to eat.