Sheepshead Minnow in Freshwater

[Tek]

Has anyone kept Sheepshead Minnows in completely freshwater?

I have kept them before in brackish, and I have heard that they can live in full salt, but will they do well in completely freshwater? I am thinking of putting some in a planted tank. They are showing beautiful colors this year and I think they would look good against a planted background.

They are showing their breeding colored and look like a mix of emerald and turquoise with black trim.

sheepshead.jpg

I have never seen them so colorful.
Shame that this is primarily a baitfish

[wesleydnunder]

We used to catch them out of a drainage ditch that was 100% rainwater. They lived in it year round.

Mark

[Tek]

We used to catch them out of a drainage ditch that was 100% rainwater. They lived in it year round.

Mark

Thanks, I will give them a try in the planted. I hope they are not fin and leaf nippers.

[Sea-agg09]

Thanks, I will give them a try in the planted. I hope they are not fin and leaf nippers.

Plants... dont think so. Fins, more than likely

[Tek]

Plants... dont think so. Fins, more than likely

opps just dumped them in.
Well they are schooling with the cories, the rainbows are like 4 times their size and mean buggers themselves. The only ones I am worried about are the angels. The Angels rarely venture to the bottom though, and I have not seen the minnows leave the bottom of the tank (unlike the cories).

Fishing them out would be a pain I guess I would rather just move the angels lol. Those I can open the palm of my hands and they swim right in

[BrAin]

Interesting fish. Ive never heard of it around here so I had to google it. Sounds like it should do fine in the FW.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/sheepsheadminnow/

[HERM]

cool looking fish

Interesting fish. Ive never heard of it around here so I had to google it. Sounds like it should do fine in the FW.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild...epsheadminnow/

thanks for the post BrAin

[Tek]

Interesting fish. Ive never heard of it around here so I had to google it. Sounds like it should do fine in the FW.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild...epsheadminnow/

Thanks for the link.

They are pretty common in the ditches around here. If you look well you will start seeing them. It is really hard to miss the bright flash of blue around this time.

I spoke too soon earlier. They have stopped schooling with the cories and have left the bottom of the tank. I guess they feel more comfortable with the plant cover so they are swimming all over the tank now in schools of 6.

[Tek]

Hmmm, looks like they eat algae. Thats a plus.