Rosy Red Minnows????

[rarefish]

I am interested in rosy red minnows that are $0.12 at my lfs. I was wondering if they carried disease, problems, etc.? Thanks ahead!

rarefish

 

[SirMinion]

Often sold in the US as live food for pirahna etc, rosey reds are often mass bred in poor conditions leading to weak & diseased fish.

If you are buying to keep instead of as food, ensure that you're getting 'pet quality' rather than feeder quality fish.
The price of twelve cents seems to imply that these are feeder fish...

It is of course advisable to quarantine any fish before adding them to your tank.

 

[ryan]

Taken from a previous post of mine;

Fathead or Roseyred Minnow
(Pimephales promelas)

Size: 7-10cm (3"- 4")
Origin: North America, Canada and down to some southern states.

These are a peaceful and hardy species. The name refers to the small pad of fleshy tissue on the head of sexually mature males, used in reproduction. The pad is used to keep his eggs clean by gently rubbing them with it. There is the natural coloured fish and an orange-yellow colour form.

You need a licence to keep these outdoors but not to keep them in the indoor aquarium. - Refers to the UK.

See original thread here for some other coldwater species you may be interested in keeping.

Moved to Cyprinids and Characins.