Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I am planning ahead for when I install my next system and am wondering if anyone has tried Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelus) as a feed add on. These are common bait minnows in the US, breed readily, never get very large, move slowly and just about every other fish loves them. Thought maybe these could be added to the sump or have a pre-sump breeding tank.

i started cycling my system with common bait minnows, not sure if they were fat heads, but i think so.. was told they wouldn't live in a tank.. i put them in some time in late may, they did well on a diet of crushed cat food pellets till i added bluegill and began using fish pellts, but they were gone a week after i added yellow perch in july, the bluegill left them alone. i think it would be difficult to get them to spawn without providing habitat.. i think they need mostly underwater plants for that

depending on the food fish you want to grow, it may be difficult to get them back on pellets after providing living food, and a good quality pellet will provide a better meal and help your fish grow to their full potential

i still do throw in worms occasionally, and bugs/caterpillers etc.. a light in the tank outside helped attract lots of bugs to the water, and the fish kept eating their pellets.. the yp are a little more finicky..

Hi Keith, thanks for the information. I haven't tried it but what I'm finding online indicates that these are very easy if you provide the right conditions. I think it's one of the reasons they are used for toxicity testing by the government. Looks like they just need a clay pot and temps around 72 degrees F. I thought this tip from e-how was informative.





Another good quote - from this site http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Live%20Food ... nnows.htm;



I got a kick out of this one from the same site;



I was thinking about having one tank for crappie or yellow perch and another for trout with the sump getting used as a minnow tank but it may not be warm enough so might have to change this idea. Don't want to too much going in the sump anyway since water quality would be an issue.

i was thinking along the lines of polyculture as well, i have a few crayfish in one tank (i've seen them breeding 2x in the last week), bg in one, and yp in the third.. couple of bg look like they're ready to lay some eggs, yp will probably not be ready till spring.. i've been thinking of adding more minnows in the cray tank and just see what happens this winter,, maybe i'll try to get them to breed too.. i don't really have that many perch left, maybe 8, and 10 or so bluegill(and 1 bluegill that thinks he's a perch, i've moved him 3 times back to the bg tank)
i'll defintely need some tank dividers if i do, or i'll be pumping fry through the whole system if anything does breed

cool, I like this thread.

Does anyone know if catfish like fathead minnows? I've been planning on getting something like cherry shrimp to breed as a feed supplement for them but minnows might be cool too!

Yep, small feeder fish are about the best feed you can give. I have an unpublished paper from over here that shows that Gambusia produced twice the growth rate in Barra compared to Barra fed on pellets.

However, you may have to feed the minnows to your fish on a daily basis, rather than putting a hundred or so in and thinking you can leave it for a week.

Nocky took that approach back when he had redfin perch and put in a couple of hundred Gambusia. Unfortunately, being aggressive, the redfin ate what they wanted, then ran around and killed all the others which ended up fouling his water.

You'll have to go through a bit of trial and error, but I reckon it's worth it.

Let us know how you go.

Somebody may beat me to this since we are buying a house and I won't be able to start until I get a system going. I have a feeling this would be well worth the effort and should be self sustaining with a just a little extra effort.

TC I suspect channel catfish do but you could buy some from a local bait shop and try it first.

Couldn't get back in and edit my post quick enough. Found a quote at the following site - http://www.essortment.com/all/pondfarmpond_rnzd.htm



Looks pretty much like a go if you want to try it TC but wouldn't hurt to test it first anyway.

I also see where these guys are omnivores.

The minnows or the catfish?

Should of made this clearer, I was referring to the minnow. I used to use a minnow seine to catch them and I would sprinkly some corn meal over the top as the bait then wait for them to come over the net before I pulled it out. Here's from another source - From the following website - http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2010/ahr ... rition.htm

picked up 40 rosy red minnows yesterday (just a color variation of the fat head) this weekend, right now they're sharing a tank with 3 crayfish, gotta get some tank dividers..

all the bait shops around here only sell emerald shiners, or golden shiners, these seem to be open water spawners.. so i got the rosy red's from pet smart, .13 each, sold as feeder fish

Fathead minnows are generally the cheapest minnow sold at bait shops in MN and WI. You can buy a couple dozen for a few bucks. I have an uncle with a couple of ponds he raises fatheads in and then stocks them into a small lake he keeps overstocked with trophy game fish.

TCLynx, you may want to go to a local bait store and see what they stock for minnows. The fathead does not appear to be native to Florida, but it has been introduced there at some point (along with everything else.) Bass fisherman prefer shiners and similarly shaped bait, but they may stock them.

Glad to see you managed to get some locally Keith. Let us know how they're coming along.

we often stock ponds with fatheads or tuffie minnows as they are often called. they need a spawning mat or low plant life to rub their bellies and lay eggs.
one thing to think about as minnows as a feed source for your food fish...
minnows are sold as bait, and its the last meal some fish ever see.
now being fed as a long term food source could add some nasties into YOUR food chain. in the 70's commercial fish ponds raising minnows used potasium dicloride to ease the fish thru their spawning process by altering their metabolisim. its a form of chromium a heavy mettle ...i would have to think that its still in the ponds even tho it was banned 30 years ago. the practice has changed but the ponds remain the same.
i would not eat or feed them for fear of what is stored in their body fats. i have seen drunk fishermen eat a minnow on a dare and i cringe knowing what and where they came from and what they were hauled in.
food for thought folks
edit...
i guess i'm saying raise your own and don't keep feeding commercial raised minners