Golden minnow - Pimephales promelas

The golden minnow is sometimes also called American fathead minnow and originates from North America. It is a color form of the actually green wild form and is scientifically called Pimephaes promelas. In the cold water aquarium or in the pond you can maintain this biotope fish prima. The minnow owes its name "fathead" mainly to the males, which develop a corresponding head especially during the spawning season.

They belong to the carp family and have an elongated body with a golden ground color and a terminal mouth. In contrast to the rainbow minnow, they grow somewhat larger and can reach 10-14 cm in length .

If you keep them in your aquarium, make sure that you structure it well and leave them both caves, which they use for breeding among other things, but also enough swimming space. The substrate does not play a special role, but with penny pebbles you can animate them to breed. If they feel comfortable, they can be bred. They prefer to lay their eggs in layered stones, then the male guards the clutch until it has hatched

Because they are very lively, you should better cover the aquarium. You can put your plants at the edge and in the background. Also make sure you have a generous sized filter, they also like current, this helps to increase oxygen levels among other things.

Although they are very peaceful, it is best to keep them in a shoal and socialize them with fish that are not too small, as these will be eaten as well as the spawn of other fish. Moderlieschen or Gründlinge are suitable for this purpose. Because it preys on flying insects, you can also spoil it with Drosophila.

The pond for your golden minnows should be at least 90 cm deep and provided against freezing. For this purpose you can use ice free holders but also thermostats, alternatively you can overwinter your darlings in a cold water aquarium.

Golden minnows feed in the wild on approaching insects and insect larvae. However, they can also be fed in the pond or aquarium with commercially available dry food such as flake food or granulated food without any problems. Also live and Frozen food such as artemia, mosquito larvae or enchytrae spice up their diet well.

Our food recommendation: The NatureHolic Main Feed is a professional staple food for all aquarium fish. We supply Hauptfeed in the form of a soft granulate which, thanks to its grain size of half a millimeter, can be easily ingested by small to medium-sized fish. The soft consistency resembles the texture of insect larvae in nature and protects the fish mouth from micro-injuries.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping fish the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.