Fathead Minnows

[dhawley]

Shortly after I started my pond this spring we had a turtle show up. With nothing else yet in the pond, I thought perhaps I could entice it to stay by introducing a few fathead minnows from the local bait store. Well, the turtle moved on and I ended up picking minnows out of the filter for a few week. However, several weeks later I noticed hundreds of tiny minnows swimming amongst the koi and goldfish I have since added.

They are now pretty big and my wife thinks they will become a nuisance if we don't get rid of them. I'm a little worried that they will compete for oxygen with the desirable fish over the winter (it's going to be difficult enough keeping my 2000 gal pond from freezing solid in Zone 4).

However, I did some reading and it sounds like Fathead Minnows are actually pretty good for keeping down the mosquito population and generally adding to the pond ecosystem. Should I be concerned with them, or just leave them be?

 

[koikeepr]

any fish in the pond (koi and goldfish included) are great at chomping on the mosquito population. You'll have frogs that move in that will help as well. If your plan is to get koi or goldfish, you need to get rid of the minnows. Those things breed like crazy and you will be overrun. Get rid of 'em now...your wife is right.

 

[DrDave]

I put 12 in my pond and 2 years later I caught and killed 1800 during my erradication process. They are aggressive and have no place in a Koi or goldfish pond even in Minnesota where the state bird is a mosquito.

 

[koiguy1969]

i have 6 fatheads in my pond put them in from the start...they have shown no signs of aggression what so ever except eating their eggs and small fry, as do all the fish

 

[DrDave]

I guess i should have stated, these were Mosquito Fish not fat head minnows.

 

[koiguy1969]

thats what i figured...but didnt know if they were the same thing or not..