Total Pageviews

Monday, April 4, 2011

The Minnows are All Right

Fathead Minnow


I wanted to snap a picture of my progress with the greenhouse, but the camera needs batteries. So we'll talk minnows instead.

The fathead minnow is a cool little fish. They are great for live bait, and they're hardy. An eHow article on fathead minnows explains:

"It can tolerate low oxygen levels, muddy water and a wide range of pH levels, even those inhospitable to other fish. Due to its hardiness and ease of breeding, the fathead minnow is the preferred fish for toxicity testing under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines."

Most of the minnows I bought last month are still with us. It's fun to see them zipping around the tank, schooling together.

The bluegill and redear that have survived are a stolid bunch. They are slow and stealthy, hiding in the recesses of the tank. I wish the tank was lighter, because it's quite hard to see these larger fishes, lurking as they do in the depths of the tank.

Sunday the low was a nippy 29 degrees F. But as I look at the forecast and averages from here out, it looks like freezing temperatures have departed the pattern until next fall. I'm excited to see how the fish do as it starts to be consistently warmer!

No comments:

Post a Comment