Establishing a colony of rosy-red minnows in a red-eared slider tank? Any advice?

[Wayfarin]

Hello, folks!

We just purchased some feeder fish (rosy-red minnows) from our local pet store. They seem to have been kept in better conditions than most Petco and Petsmart feeders.

They are currently being kept in a small plastic container.
We don't give our red-eared slider feeder fish very often. Carp relatives, like minnows, are not nutritionally complete and are even unhealthy when overindulged on.
We are currently looking for tips on keeping turtles with fish successfully. They aren't really to feed the turtle at all. They are more of "edible" tank mates.
However, even despite finding out many ways to keep fish with turtles, there's little chance that the fish will survive more than a couple of weeks.
Fathead minnows are infamously prolific. In the wild, they survive in the same ponds as predators mostly by breeding.

Could a coexistence such as this possibly be replicated in a 75-gallon tank?
And if so, are there any breeding tips for successfully keeping the delicate fry in a large tank like this?

Rosy-red minnows contain thiaminase. Because of this, it would not be ideal for the minnows to overrun the tank. Red-eared sliders can't think for themselves when it comes to eating. They will eat to their heart's content, not to their health's.
The goal is to breed the minnows in such a way that only about 5-15 individuals survive to maturity. But without predation from the turtle, how could this be accomplished?
One of my theories was cannibalism. Since fathead minnows are naturally cannibalistic, would it be possible to allow the minnows to consume enough fry for only a few to mature?
I heard that minnows can lay almost 700 eggs in one spawning. Does this lead to the hatching of 700 fry? Or do only a certain number of fry hatch?
Even a 75-gallon tank could not contain 700 minnows.
Likewise, are the fry nearly microscopic? Could a water change be conducted without siphoning out most of the fry?

I've never attempted to breed rosy-reds before, and it's a little intimidating. If anyone has had experiences with breeding these hardy cyprinids in aquaria, be sure to comment below!
All comments are welcome.
Thanks for reading!
God bless!

 

[Alepop1211]

Hello, folks!

We just purchased some feeder fish (rosy-red minnows) from our local pet store. They seem to have been kept in better conditions than most Petco and Petsmart feeders.
View attachment 425547
They are currently being kept in a small plastic container.
We don't give our red-eared slider feeder fish very often. Carp relatives, like minnows, are not nutritionally complete and are even unhealthy when overindulged on.
We are currently looking for tips on keeping turtles with fish successfully. They aren't really to feed the turtle at all. They are more of "edible" tank mates.
However, even despite finding out many ways to keep fish with turtles, there's little chance that the fish will survive more than a couple of weeks.
Fathead minnows are infamously prolific. In the wild, they survive in the same ponds as predators mostly by breeding.

Could a coexistence such as this possibly be replicated in a 75-gallon tank?
And if so, are there any breeding tips for successfully keeping the delicate fry in a large tank like this?

Rosy-red minnows contain thiaminase. Because of this, it would not be ideal for the minnows to overrun the tank. Red-eared sliders can't think for themselves when it comes to eating. They will eat to their heart's content, not to their health's.
The goal is to breed the minnows in such a way that only about 5-15 individuals survive to maturity. But without predation from the turtle, how could this be accomplished?
One of my theories was cannibalism. Since fathead minnows are naturally cannibalistic, would it be possible to allow the minnows to consume enough fry for only a few to mature?
I heard that minnows can lay almost 700 eggs in one spawning. Does this lead to the hatching of 700 fry? Or do only a certain number of fry hatch?
Even a 75-gallon tank could not contain 700 minnows.
Likewise, are the fry nearly microscopic? Could a water change be conducted without siphoning out most of the fry?

I've never attempted to breed rosy-reds before, and it's a little intimidating. If anyone has had experiences with breeding these hardy cyprinids in aquaria, be sure to comment below!
All comments are welcome.
Thanks for reading!
God bless!

So it is possible in a large tank. But, I would instead recommend feeder guppies or endless guppies. I have seen them living with turtles. Usually, it is large colonies of guppies with lots of hiding spots. Then the turtle is added later. The guppies would need to be fed well too to keep them breeding. Sometimes the turtle wouldn't even need much supplementary food if you keep the guppies well fed.

 

[Alepop1211]

Hello, folks!

We just purchased some feeder fish (rosy-red minnows) from our local pet store. They seem to have been kept in better conditions than most Petco and Petsmart feeders.
View attachment 425547
They are currently being kept in a small plastic container.
We don't give our red-eared slider feeder fish very often. Carp relatives, like minnows, are not nutritionally complete and are even unhealthy when overindulged on.
We are currently looking for tips on keeping turtles with fish successfully. They aren't really to feed the turtle at all. They are more of "edible" tank mates.
However, even despite finding out many ways to keep fish with turtles, there's little chance that the fish will survive more than a couple of weeks.
Fathead minnows are infamously prolific. In the wild, they survive in the same ponds as predators mostly by breeding.

Could a coexistence such as this possibly be replicated in a 75-gallon tank?
And if so, are there any breeding tips for successfully keeping the delicate fry in a large tank like this?

Rosy-red minnows contain thiaminase. Because of this, it would not be ideal for the minnows to overrun the tank. Red-eared sliders can't think for themselves when it comes to eating. They will eat to their heart's content, not to their health's.
The goal is to breed the minnows in such a way that only about 5-15 individuals survive to maturity. But without predation from the turtle, how could this be accomplished?
One of my theories was cannibalism. Since fathead minnows are naturally cannibalistic, would it be possible to allow the minnows to consume enough fry for only a few to mature?
I heard that minnows can lay almost 700 eggs in one spawning. Does this lead to the hatching of 700 fry? Or do only a certain number of fry hatch?
Even a 75-gallon tank could not contain 700 minnows.
Likewise, are the fry nearly microscopic? Could a water change be conducted without siphoning out most of the fry?

I've never attempted to breed rosy-reds before, and it's a little intimidating. If anyone has had experiences with breeding these hardy cyprinids in aquaria, be sure to comment below!
All comments are welcome.
Thanks for reading!
God bless!

If you tried it though, let me know because I am debating using rosy reds for a pond this summer but it is my understanding that I will have a high death rate due to their treatment as feeder fish.

 

[Wayfarin]

If you tried it though, let me know because I am debating using rosy reds for a pond this summer but it is my understanding that I will have a high death rate due to their treatment as feeder fish.

It's hard to find rosy-red minnows that are free from health issues. We purchased some at Petco to keep as aquarium fish in our 10-gallon tank with some mosquitofish that we had purchased earlier. They looked wonderful in their new setup, but the day after I noticed hemorrhages on the minnows and in two days all the fish had died, including the mosquitofish who caught the disease. I now regret not quarantining the minnows before introducing them to the tank with the healthy mosquitofish. The mosquitofish were hitchhikers in the feeder goldfish tank, so apparently the feeder goldfish were healthier than the feeder minnows.

As for the minnows mentioned on this thread, they have been long eaten by our red-eared slider. They were dying since they didn't have an air pump, so we threw them in with our turtle, and she ate most but left one behind. By the next day, the minnow was completely ignored by our turtle as she begged for her usual turtle pellets. Eventually, the high waste load in the plastic tub she was being kept in at the time got to the minnow and she caught it and ate it.
The pet store that we got the minnows from has replaced them with feeder goldfish.

I don't think that old red-eared sliders like her would be interested in hunting minnows provided they have a lot of space to swim around and sufficient shelter.
So breeding the minnows in her tank would likely be unnecessary.

My new plan is to hopefully relocate our red-eared slider to an outdoor enclosure with a breeding colony of both minnows and mosquitofish, if I can find healthy individuals. In an outdoor enclosure, the mosquitofish, along with predatory insects, crustaceans, and hydra would regulate the minnow fry population.
Mosquitofish, as livebearers, are healthier feeders for red-eared sliders than minnows, but the minnows still provide some dietary variety.

 

[Alepop1211]

It's hard to find rosy-red minnows that are free from health issues. We purchased some at Petco to keep as aquarium fish in our 10-gallon tank with some mosquitofish that we had purchased earlier. They looked wonderful in their new setup, but the day after I noticed hemorrhages on the minnows and in two days all the fish had died, including the mosquitofish who caught the disease. I now regret not quarantining the minnows before introducing them to the tank with the healthy mosquitofish. The mosquitofish were hitchhikers in the feeder goldfish tank, so apparently the feeder goldfish were healthier than the feeder minnows.

As for the minnows mentioned on this thread, they have been long eaten by our red-eared slider. They were dying since they didn't have an air pump, so we threw them in with our turtle, and she ate most but left one behind. By the next day, the minnow was completely ignored by our turtle as she begged for her usual turtle pellets. Eventually, the high waste load in the plastic tub she was being kept in at the time got to the minnow and she caught it and ate it.
The pet store that we got the minnows from has replaced them with feeder goldfish.

I don't think that old red-eared sliders like her would be interested in hunting minnows provided they have a lot of space to swim around and sufficient shelter.
So breeding the minnows in her tank would likely be unnecessary.

My new plan is to hopefully relocate our red-eared slider to an outdoor enclosure with a breeding colony of both minnows and mosquitofish, if I can find healthy individuals. In an outdoor enclosure, the mosquitofish, along with predatory insects, crustaceans, and hydra would regulate the minnow fry population.
Mosquitofish, as livebearers, are healthier feeders for red-eared sliders than minnows, but the minnows still provide some dietary variety.

I think mosquitofish would serve the same role as guppies in terms of colony breeding. The issue is I doubt they would do well with minnows long term. I would bet the minnows would need to be restocked as mosquitofish (depending on exact species) can be aggressive and will kill some minnows. I am setting up multiple ponds and another two fish tanks this summer so I should have ample opportunity to try to quarantine a few dozen rosy red minnows through to at least some of the ponds or tanks.

 

[Wayfarin]

I think mosquitofish would serve the same role as guppies in terms of colony breeding. The issue is I doubt they would do well with minnows long term. I would bet the minnows would need to be restocked as mosquitofish (depending on exact species) can be aggressive and will kill some minnows. I am setting up multiple ponds and another two fish tanks this summer so I should have ample opportunity to try to quarantine a few dozen rosy red minnows through to at least some of the ponds or tanks.

Adult fathead minnows are pretty fast and formidable, and I think they would be a fair match for them.
Most of the rosy-red minnows sold in feeder tanks are mere immature individuals. I purchased the largest fathead in the tank.

From what I've heard, fathead minnows that are kept alone become aggressive and will ram other fish with their heads. When breeding, the males will attack any fish that swim near their nests. Fathead minnows are also difficult to nip because they are nimble and lack long fins, and they spend a lot of their time inhabiting deeper water than the mosquitofish.

In my experience, mosquitofish also quarrel mostly among themselves when kept in decent numbers, and they appreciate space.
When we introduced the mosquitofish and the fathead minnows into the 10-gallon tank, we observed no aggression and they appeared to get along, but thanks to the nasty disease outbreak, I never got to see how they continued to interact. One mosquitofish survived, leading me to believe that they are more disease-resistant than the fatheads.

Have you ever tried putting gambusia and rosy-reds in the same pond?

 

[Wayfarin]

Mosquitofish will kill minnows in <2-gallon tanks, though. I recently lost an immature fathead minnow to an aggressive mosquitofish. It attacked the minnow for only the first few hours. But by the time the mosquitofish started to tolerate it, the minnow was traumatized and died a few days later.

 

[dragonfire1577]

My friend had fathead minnows breed in their 75 gallon turtle tank by accident. Not sure what precisely contributed but their tank had medium/large rounded gravel and plastic plants as far as decor. Water was kept in the mid 70s and a good population of bladder snails existed in the tank. Wasn't a perfect setup but came to mind since they did have the fish species in question breed.