Blacknose Dace - Rhinichthys atratulus

[Garter_Gertie]

They look look like wild mollies. Weird.

[kurtnagel]

They look look like wild mollies. Weird.

That's what I thought. They look like any number of your basic live breeders I've kept in my aquariums for years. Right now I am loading the tank with plenty of cover so that some of the babies can survive without being eaten! Hopefully I can maintain a sufficient population over the winter for feeding.

Just as a side note, I did buy some rosies yesterday to feed in the meantime. Rosa ate one, but threw it up partially digested later and has since ignored the rest. If I put the mosquito fish in her bowl, she will snap them right up. Go figure....

[Garter_Gertie]

She know her 'poison', Kurt...

Good girl!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

they more closesly resemble guppies than mollies, platies or swordtails IMO... but either way... i know a certain bunch of snakes that would suck them up!!!

[kurtnagel]

they more closesly resemble guppies than mollies, platies or swordtails IMO... but either way... i know a certain bunch of snakes that would suck them up!!!

True,

Add the fancy tails and they *could* be guppies, although I've never seen guppies get this large. The largest ones in the creek (that I couldn't catch, fast buggers) were 2 1/2 - 3 inches.

And yes, not really important to the snake

[infernalis]

And yes, not really important to the snake

My snakes think so, the second one of the minnows starts thrashing about, they swallow it right up

[infernalis]

I just got done looking at the cabellas web site, and found a 3x3 umbrella net for 12 bucks!

We have been catching these minnows from smaller isolated pools with an aquarium dip net.

With a 3 foot square net on a rope, the "catch" would be substantially more minnows.

With winter right around the corner, I'd like to stock up on the fishies...

Only a couple snakes are going down for brumation, so I will have to feed the rest.

[reptile3]

I look out my backyard... creek.. NOPE no creek. No worms, no slugs, no nothing.

The creek out back is abundant with them

One thing I have noticed already, I have a bunch and they do not die like the feeders were.

The fish from Petco would drop so fast I had to skim dead ones daily, these Dace minnows are hardy fish! very robust, and they flop around a lot, so they get the attention of the snakes quickly.

The local wild Garters and Nerodia eat this species of minnow frequently......I'd wager to say they are the primary diet of the wild nerodia.

[GartersRock]

Ok... What do you guys know about:
Texas Shiners (Notropis amabilis)
Blacktail Shiner (Cyprinella venusta)
I THINK thats mostly what is in our rivers... But why is it so hard to find info on this stuff. LOL

[Garter_Gertie]

I know they're NOT a dace - because of the names! LOL!!!

Shiners, I think, aren't good. BUT I don't know what the proper names of the shiners are that aren't good!

We've got shiners, crapie minnows, bullhead minnows, and some I'm forgetting in the bait shops. And I don't know which - if any - are bad and which - if any - aren't bad!

Can you look up like common minnow and compare the proper name to those above? What's the name of the minnow on our care sheet - if minnow is even listed?