Minnows are small freshwater fish belonging to the carp family. As a rule, these fish are found in rivers with fast currents - in European and Asian countries and in North America. Also, some of the numerous species of minnow have adapted to life in lakes and tributaries of swamps.
Read about what kind of fish a minnow is, what it looks like, what it eats and what are the characteristics of its behavior, as well as how fishing for a minnow works.
Description
Minnow
Family:
Cyprinidae
Genus:
Minnows
Type:
freshwater
Lifestyle:
bottom
Type of feeding:
peaceful
There are 19 species of minnows in total, the most common of which is the common minnow, or Phoxinusphoxinus. It is also otherwise called “demoiselle minnow” or “blue minnow”.
The body is elongated, fusiform, covered with very small scales. The belly is bare. The caudal peduncle is low and long. The head is small. The snout is short and blunt. The mouth is small, semi-inferior. Fins are rounded. The color is variegated, on the sides there are from 10 to 17 large vertical spots of irregular shape, which can merge below the lateral line. During the spawning period, the back and sides of the body of the males become very dark, the pelvic and anal fins turn red, the corners of the mouth and abdomen become crimson, a “pearl rash” appears on the top of the head, and a whitish-green sheen appears on the gill covers. In females, the mating plumage is weakly expressed: the corners of the mouth turn red and red spots appear on the abdomen. Sexually mature males and females differ from each other in the shape of their pectoral fins. In males they are fan-shaped, wide and long (reach the base of the ventral fins). The shorter and narrower pectoral fins of females do not reach the base of the ventral fins.
Small fish. Reaches a length of 12.5 cm (usually 6-9 cm) and a weight of 10 g. Lives up to 6-7 years, in the north of the range - up to 8. In the tributaries of the Ufa River and the Chusovaya River, the body length of the largest seven-year-old minnow caught over several years was 11.8 cm.
Reproduction and lifespan of minnow fish
The fish become sexually mature in the second year of life. Spawning time occurs in spring and summer. To do this, they choose shallow water with a fast current. According to Darwin's description, the spawning of these fish occurs according to the following scenario. Flocks are divided according to their gender characteristics.
Schools of males can be distinguished during spawning by their especially bright colors. They begin to chase packs of females. Several representatives of the stronger sex surround one female and begin to court her. If the female is ready for fertilization, she takes these courtships for granted. If not, she simply leaves her suitors.
Two males swim close to the female and gently press on her sides. From this, eggs emerge from it, which are immediately fertilized. The next pair of males patiently waits for their turn. This happens until the female runs out of eggs.
The embryos need about 4 days to develop. After this, larvae are obtained, which over the course of 45 days of development reach up to 2-3 cm. In frequent cases, the minnow dies in the stage of these larvae because many fishermen, especially in those countries where these fish are not protected, use them for baiting salmon species. In addition, mosquito larvae pose a great danger to the larvae. The lifespan of these fish does not exceed 5 years.
Spreading
The minnow is found throughout almost all of Europe and most of Siberia. Here it is found even in lakes (Teletsky) and extends to the Yenisei basin. Recently it was also found (by Mayev) in Turkestan. In Russia it is one of the most common fish everywhere, but in the south it is found in smaller quantities than in the north. The minnow loves cold water and therefore mainly stays in small, fast-flowing rivers, even in streams with a rocky or sandy bottom, and is most numerous in the mountain rivers of the Crimea, the Trans-Ural region and, probably, the Caucasus. It apparently avoids warm, slowly flowing water and is therefore very rare in large rivers and lakes (for example, in the Onega region) and is mostly found near rocky shores. In general, the distribution of the minnow in our country is still not known with accuracy; the reason for this is its insignificant size and comparative rarity in large rivers, but judging by the fact that in central, northeastern and northwestern Russia it is found in abundance in all rivers and streams, it must be assumed that it is found everywhere and only escaped the attention of observers. At least in the Yaroslavl and Perm provinces, it is found in all small rivers, even streams.
Types of minnow fish
In nature, there are about 10 species of minnows. The common minnow prefers fast-flowing rivers of European, Asian countries, as well as North America.
This species has a striking resemblance in appearance to trout; it is not for nothing that these fish live in the same places. Sometimes, due to this similarity, the common minnow is also called trout.
For other species, it is preferable to be in ditches, the waters of swamp channels of various sizes. The main condition is clean water with a high oxygen content.
The well-known fish lake minnow, for example, was discovered on the territory of Russia. In Yakutia, he lives in icy water at temperatures up to 12 degrees. Many species of fish do not like this temperature.
Lifestyle
It lives in fast-flowing rivers and streams, flowing cold-water lakes, and ponds with sandy and rocky bottoms.
A schooling fish, it does not migrate long distances; usually larger fish rise high into the upper reaches of watercourses; immature fish cannot overcome strong currents for a long time and remain in the downstream sections of rivers. Requires high oxygen content in water. In the Chusovaya River, when discharged, it avoids polluted waters and goes into tributaries with clean water. It has well-developed vision and sense of smell, and quick reactions. If a school of minnows is numerous, then the fish are less timid and simply swim away to the side, and small schools of several individuals, when in danger, scatter at lightning speed, and the fish hide in shelters under the shore or under a stone. Schools of minnows can reach large numbers of several tens of thousands of individuals, but most often in one school there are from several dozen to several hundred fish. Minnows migrate along a river or stream during the day: during daylight hours they feed in sunlit places, in the evening they move downstream to deeper and more snagged places. It feeds on small invertebrates, aerial insects, filamentous algae, plant pollen, fish eggs and larvae. Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 2-3 years. It reproduces in spring and the first half of summer on currents at water temperatures of 5-7 degrees and above. Minnow fish
The main habitat of minnows is streams and rivers. Here it reaches almost to the very source, where no other fish is found; therefore, in mountainous countries it rises very high - up to a height of several hundred meters above sea level (for example, in central Europe, also in the Ural Mountains). It spends most of the year on rocky rifts and, probably, many of the readers have seen schools of small, bluish, red-throated and generally very beautiful and colorful fish, no more than 7.5-10 cm in size, walking here; These are probably minnows. Usually each flock, sometimes several thousand in number, is located in several rows one above the other - the largest at the bottom, the smallest at the top; the most numerous schools of minnows can be found near the mill wheels, near the banks, where the current is not so strong; here they feed exclusively on mill beads falling into the water, but their usual food consists of microscopic crustaceans, small worms, mosquitoes and midges. However, minnows also eat juvenile fish, sleeping fish and all kinds of carrion, and occasionally algae (Moscow). Minnows are found alone extremely rarely and always live in larger or smaller schools, especially during spawning, which occurs (in central Russia) no earlier than May 9, sometimes much later - in June. Males differ from females in their smaller stature, blunter nose and brighter colors, but the head and nose are covered with sharp, horn-like warts not only in milkweeds, but also in all eggworts.
Widespread, in some places very numerous species, but due to its small size it is not commercially available. Sometimes caught in small quantities by amateur fishermen, its nutritional quality is much higher than that of the lake minnow.
Description and features of minnow fish
Minnow fish can be found throughout Europe. The only exceptions are the northern expanses of Scandinavia, Scotland and Greece. This beautiful and colorful fish has almost completely no scales.
It is one of the smallest fish and reaches a length of about 13 cm. During reproduction, its bright color becomes even brighter. This is one of its main features.
Judging by the description of the minnow fish, if you compare it with other cyprinids, you can pay attention to its wide body, small scales and pharyngeal teeth.
According to these differences, minnows belong to their individual genus Phoxinus. Due to the incomparably beautiful color, which is noticeable even in the photo of the minnow, other names “belladonna” and “skoromokh” have long been attached to the fish.
The belladonna's back is brown and green, and sometimes blue. The middle of the back is decorated with a clearly visible black stripe. On the sides, the body of the fish is decorated with a rich yellow-green tone with golden and silver tints.
In most cases, the red color is clearly visible on the belly. But there are some subspecies of minnow fish that have a white belly. The fins of the fish are rich yellow in color with a black frame. This makes her amazingly beautiful. And all this beauty is complemented by gorgeous eyes, shimmering with a yellow-silver color.
The color of minnows is not always the same. Its changes occur when the temperature or their habitat changes. It has already been mentioned that their color changes for the better during spawning; their head becomes covered with an incredibly beautiful pearl rash. Moreover, males are always much more colorful than females.
These are schooling fish. Their flock can number from 15 to 100 individuals. For normal development of minnow fish, the fish needs clean water saturated with oxygen. Sometimes, extremely rarely, for unexplained reasons, minnows can become more aggressive. This happens especially in the evening. At such moments, the fish becomes a dangerous neighbor, and can not only gnaw off fins, but also kill and eat others.
Reproduction
Fishing for minnows
The common minnow reaches sexual maturity at the age of one to two years and spawns from April to June. Males at this time are unusually beautiful: dark spots on the sides become brighter, the red color of the belly becomes more intense, bright white spots are scattered along the upper edge of the gill covers, at the base of the paired and anal fins, and a “pearl rash” is scattered along the crown. Larger females are more modestly colored. The minnow spawns on rocky rifts. Schools of males begin to chase females, of which there are always fewer of them at the spawning grounds. Having surrounded the first one they come across, they try to get as close to it as possible. Females that are not ready for spawning “run away,” while those accepting courtship remain among the males. A couple of bolder males approach the female and begin to squeeze her from the sides, squeezing out the eggs, which are immediately fertilized. The remaining males wait their turn and take the place of the first ones when they weaken. During the season, the female lays 700 to 1000 eggs in portions. Fertilized pinkish and quite large (unfertilized diameter is 1.3 millimeters) eggs usually stick to the underside of the stones. The larvae that hatch from the eggs hide between the stones before switching to independent feeding. In late autumn, minnows burrow into the silt, huddle under the roots of trees or plants, where they overwinter. The minnow lives up to 5 years.
Habitat and lifestyle of minnow fish
Fast-flowing freshwater rivers and streams with cool, clear water are the most favorite places where minnows live. Schools of these fish can be observed in places where others do not reach. Reaching almost to the very sources of mountain rivers, these fish rise hundreds of meters above sea level.
With the onset of late autumn, minnow activity decreases. The fish prepares for winter and hides in mud, tree roots and underwater plants. They do not migrate anywhere, but remain in their usual places.
With the appearance of pollution in the water, they can move to other tributaries with cleaner water. That’s why many people say that the quality of water bodies can be judged by the presence of minnow fish. The exact habitat of this fish has not yet been fully studied.
They spend most of their time in places of rocky rifts. In these places you can observe schools of minnows consisting of several thousand individuals. They are interestingly arranged one above the other in rows. Large fish prefer to stay in the lower rows, while the upper rows are full of small fish.
The greater the number of fish in a school, the bolder they are. If there is possible danger, they can simply swim to the side. Schools with a small number of fish in such a situation simply scatter in different directions. Their good vision and hearing help minnows determine the approach of danger. They are very gluttonous. They constantly need to eat something.
Minnow fishing
Due to its small size, this fish is not specifically caught even by amateurs. But while fishing, it often gets hooked by fishermen. Although the taste of the minnow is low, especially the river minnow (the fish meat is bitter), no one thinks of throwing away this tiny fish. And all because it is perfect for bait. Small fish are used as live bait when fishing for perch, pike, chub, trout, pike perch, grayling, and burbot. And it’s easy to catch a minnow, since it greedily and deeply swallows a hook with bait, so you need to hook the fish right away. It bites on maggots, small insects, worms, flies, pieces of bread, dough balls, as well as on the roots and shoots of algae. Larger specimens of minnows live closer to the bottom, and the smallest fish mostly swim on the surface. You can catch a dozen live baits for fishing on large river or lake predators in a fairly short period of time. However, it should be remembered that the minnow “falls asleep” extremely quickly in the bucket, even though the angler will change the water quite often.
Minnow fish. Lifestyle and habitat of minnow fish
There are very small fish in the carp family, but with great significance. They can be used to determine the purity of fresh water bodies because they prefer to live in clean running water.
Minnow fish plays an important role in fishing, because it is one of the favorite delicacies of river trout. And not just trout. It has excellent taste, so connoisseurs try to salt minnow fish , despite its small size.
This has been noticed for a long time and recently, fishermen are specially breeding minnows in order to increase the number of brook trout, which for unknown reasons are becoming less and less in nature and simply feast on minnows.
Behavior
They are very mobile, active, and live exclusively in flocks. Each such group in natural conditions can number over a hundred individuals, rapidly rushing against the current and freezing without movement at depth. In this case, the larger ones sink to the bottom, and the smaller ones adhere to the surface. In a home aquarium, it is recommended to keep at least 6 individuals. The larger the flock, the more comfortable and confident all its members will feel.
When alone, the fish will exhibit unusual behavior: excessive timidity, a rather secretive lifestyle, spending most of its time under snags, in rocks or thickets. Having her brothers nearby, she will not hide even in case of fright or danger.
It does not harm its neighbors, coexists peacefully with them and does not enter into conflicts. Also, her huge advantage is the fact that she has no tendency to damage the appearance of her home. One of the interesting features is the ability to change color under the influence of the external environment. This means that if the fish is in a bright room, it will be a little pale, and if you move the aquarium to a dark place, it will darken significantly in just a few hours.
Common minnow fish, lake fish - Wikipedia
News of the day
. The detained poachers told the secret of their success for a good bite. Fishing inspectors were surprised by the absence of prohibited equipment.
Minnow fish is a very small fish that belongs to:
- to the small family;
- freshwater;
- species of the carp family;
- order of open-bellied bony fish.
The common minnow fish is quite beautiful and stands out for its brilliant rainbow colors during the spawning season. This fish grows up to 20 centimeters in length. In each of its vast habitats, it has local names: belladonna, pied, buffoon, trout, meiva, khivka. This is a schooling, highly mobile fish that can travel long distances.
