anone get those rosy red minnows from petsmart?

[Faebinder]

Thanks, I will catch on eventually hahahaha

Mmmm... adding them to a goldfish pond (not koi)

Benefits:
1- Eat the little insects that big goldfish don't. Like mosquito larvae.
2- Easier for them to get to smaller spots that goldfish cant and eat things like fish eggs.
3- Eat left over fish food of goldfish.

Cons:
1- More pond load, especially if they actually manage to replicate, which is unlikely in a goldfish pond.
2- You really gotta be careful about adding new ones, they are often diseased and need a long watch time outside the pond.

 

[MajorDan]

Thanks. May skip them then. Was thinking I could put them in first to start the nitrogen cycle.

 

[EricV]

Mmmm... adding them to a goldfish pond (not koi)

Benefits:
1- Eat the little insects that big goldfish don't. Like mosquito larvae.
2- Easier for them to get to smaller spots that goldfish cant and eat things like fish eggs.
3- Eat left over fish food of goldfish.

Cons:
1- More pond load, especially if they actually manage to replicate, which is unlikely in a goldfish pond.
2- You really gotta be careful about adding new ones, they are often diseased and need a long watch time outside the pond.

Mine are doing just fine reproducing in a gold fish pond. I have 50-100 by now, I bet. And probably the same bio-load as one big goldfish.

I do see fewer fry this year, I think. So maybe my plan is working: have goldfish to keep down the RR population, RRs to keep down the goldfish population.

 

[MajorDan]

Nice. I may remain flexible on rosy reds for now.

 

[LarryM]

I've been breeding rosy reds in my garage/workshop for years. They are a sub species of the fathead minnow that was originally discovered in Arkansas I'm told. I have a breeder group in a 29 gal aquarium. I put six small clay flower pots on the bottom. When a male wants to breed he will take over one the pots and entice eggbound females into the pot. When the female extracts her eggs the male puts them in his mouth and sticks them on the top underside of the pot. I let him take care of the eggs for a day or so and then move the pots to five gallon tanks where the eggs hatch. When the young grow out a bit I transfer them to a larger 100 gallon grow out tank. Then when they put on some size I take them down to my bass pond where they meet their end inside a bass stomach.
I keep some in my koi pond where they do just fine in hot and cold weather. Their life span is about 18 months.

 

[MitchM]

Thanks. May skip them then. Was thinking I could put them in first to start the nitrogen cycle.

Straight ammonia is a good choice for starting the nitrogen cycle.
I have rosy reds, bought 20 and a few months later they turned into a stable population of about 1000. I like them. They’re pretty tough.

 

[MajorDan]

Thanks Mitch, I am going to see if anyone around here carries healthy ones. Still a long way from finishing my pond though.

 

[GBBUDD]

my water got down to 34 to 35 degrees this winter and they were fine.

I'm surprised red nose rummies are tetras usually south American

 

[addy1]

Straight ammonia is a good choice for starting the nitrogen cycle.
I have rosy reds, bought 20 and a few months later they turned into a stable population of about 1000. I like them. They’re pretty tough.

I had rosey reds when I first started the pond. Had a nice amount around for a few years. They all just disappeared.
Maybe the pond did not give them enough hiding spots, it was new then.

 

[Lisak1]

I was going to add - never put anything in your pond that you wouldn’t want to live with long term. We added “a few” goldfish early on - now they have their own zip code. Minnows would be nearly impossible to get rid of unless you introduce a predator fish. And even then some may find ways to survive.

 

[EricV]

I'm surprised red nose rummies are tetras usually south American

That's not what we're talking about though. We're talking about Rosy Red Minnows which are a color morph of the Fathead Minnow.

I paid about 5x what Petsmart charges for minnows from a pond store ($0.70 each!), but figured it might be worth it to not have "feeder fish".

 

[GBBUDD]

Minnows would be nearly impossible

I have been battling baby koi now for a couple months but I made a simple fish trap and I pull out at least 4 every couple days. Sooner or later i'll get the upper hand

 

[Lisak1]

It’s so curious to me that some ponds get overrun with koi fry and we have literally not had a single one. Spawning - yes. Actually babies - never. I wonder why?

 

[MajorDan]

Curious about your pond concerning fry. Please describe your pond setup so I can see if my plan matches yours or one with fry.

 

[Lisak1]

Do you mean me @MajorDan ?