Rosy Red Care

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jimk

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 1, 2006
169
0
0
53
coatesville, pa
Do I need a heater to keep rosy red minnows alive. At least 10 percent always seem to die before I can hold and then feed them. I know they are kept in such bad conditions and are weakened going in. I have found if I keep a light on 24/7 they seem to do better.
 
No, no heater needed. They are actually native to NA so they are cold water tolerant. The wild versions are colored different and known as Fathead minnows...often sold in baitshops. Different color but same species. Are you keeping them in a cycled tank??
 
I should also add that 24 hour daylight is probably not a good idea. In fact, if you ever want to breed them they should have 16 hours of light and 8 hours of dark.
 
jimk said:
Do I need a heater to keep rosy red minnows alive. At least 10 percent always seem to die before I can hold and then feed them. I know they are kept in such bad conditions and are weakened going in. I have found if I keep a light on 24/7 they seem to do better.

DUDE!! fish need sleep too

if you always have the lights on they will get very stressed

can you sleep with lights on 24/7? didnt think so, you would go insane :WHOA:

give em some night time :)
 
I can sleep with lights on 24/7 :)

Seriously though, it does stress the fish. They sleep with their eyes open anyway. :D
 
They are feeder fish. I don't have interest in breeding them.I only want them alive long enough to make sure they are not sick and to gut load them. A week at most. They are in a cycled tank. I keep between 20-30 at a time in a 10 gallon.
 
Unheated tanks are best, Also use a small powerhead or several airstones as they do better at higher O2 levels.
 
jimk said:
They are feeder fish. I don't have interest in breeding them.I only want them alive long enough to make sure they are not sick and to gut load them. A week at most. They are in a cycled tank. I keep between 20-30 at a time in a 10 gallon.

Alright...don't save yourself the money, sorry for suggesting it. People breed feeder fish all the time.

BTW, I don't think a week is really long enough for a fish to stay in QT, just my personal opinion.

Maybe the reason they die is because you stuff 20-30 of them in a 10g tank, just a hunch here. Check your nitrates recently? If you want them to be disease free keep them in a healthy environment...unhealthy environments cause disease.
 
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