Variations
2 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Rosy red minnow
Peaceful shoaling fish that tolerates cool water.
- Rosy red minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Cardinal tetra is tropical.
- Rosy red minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Serpae tetra is tropical.
- Rosy red minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while X-ray tetra is tropical.
- Rosy red minnow will eat baby cherry shrimp. Add lots of moss and plants so some survive.
- Rosy red minnow will eat baby amano shrimp. Add lots of moss and plants so some survive.
204 species in our list are a good match.
Care and water
Behavior
Peaceful shoaling fish that tolerates cool water. Males guard nest sites.
- cool
Food
Flake, small pellets, live foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Nest spawner · Easy
Males guard eggs under flat objects; spawning easily in ponds.
Group with a spawning tile.
Pond or tank with flat tile or pipe.
Warm spring temperatures.
Hundreds of eggs on underside of tile.
Fry take infusoria then flake.
- No spawning site
- Overcrowding
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the rosy red minnow
A small North American minnow used as a feeder and pond fish. The pink rosy red variety is common in trade.
Constantine Rafinesque described the fathead minnow in 1820. It is one of North America's most widespread minnows and a common bait and laboratory fish. The pinkish 'rosy red' variety is popular as a pond and feeder fish.
First described by Constantine S. Rafinesque in 1820. Named for 'promelas' means 'black in front', for the breeding male's dark head.
- Breeding males develop bumps called tubercles on the head.
- Males guard eggs laid on the underside of objects.
- It is widely used in water-quality testing.