How Big Do Minnows Get? Facts You Didn’t Know

How big do minnows get? Do they grow bigger as time goes by? Are there any contributing factors to how big these fish can get? If there are, what are some of these factors? And how do they contribute to the growth of minnows?

Do any of these questions sound familiar? If they do…you are NOT alone. And this is because minnows are only known to be a super tiny fish family often used as bait for catching bigger fish.

When you read some articles that talk about minnows, you’ll find that there is very little information about this particular subject. There aren’t many resources explaining exactly how big minnows can get. So with this in mind, let’s take a quick look at some basics about minnows, what it is about their size and how “big” you can expect them to grow.

General Concern

The word “minnows” is frequently misunderstood. Some people think that all small fish are minnows, but in actual sense, it is a scientific reference. Minnows are way above 2100 species all over the world, and it is expected that most of them, if not all to grow to about 3- 4 inches long, although there are exceptions, given a large number of species available.

With a large number of species belonging to the same group, it is inevitable for interbreeding among them to take place. It thus means that you cannot accurately determine the length or size of a particular minnow without considering such vital elements.

Therefore, determining a particular size or length for minnows cannot be pegged on specific factors given that the breeds vary significantly and also the natural elements also affect the concrete answer to the question.

Characteristics Of Minnows

But one of the compelling aspects that you also need to understand is the fact that there are different types of minnows. Some of these minnows share a considerable number of features given that they belong to the same family but also have other different characteristics. It thus implies that the size when they are fully grown also vary, albeit insignificant to tell.

The most common one is the fathead minnow, which is arguably used in a wide range of applications including, laboratory tests, fish feeders, water toxicity tests and fish baits among others. It is also the type of breed that many anglers across the world prefer using in their day to day fishing activities.

Nonetheless, it is vital to make sure that you carefully identify this species when perhaps purchasing them for breeding purpose. It is because most of them look like small cyprinid and thus can be relatively difficult to identify accurately.

If you’re keen enough, you should realize that minnows have an incomplete lateral line. Another outstanding feature is the terminal mouth. Although, some minnows will have underslung mouth even when fully grown.

Minnows do not have teeth in the mouth but have what is referred to as pharyngeal teeth, which enables them to grind the food at the throat.

Minnows also have a dark spot on the front area around the dorsal fin as well as a stubby first ray on the dorsal fin. Again, these two features are shared by some of the members of the same Pimephales genus.

How Big Do They Get?

If you’re a budding lake or fish pond manager or angler, then this is an essential concept that you need to understand. One thing that you have to note is that the minnows, especially fathead, feed on almost everything that is available for them.

They’re heavy eaters; it does not matter what type of food whether it’s wild algae, insects or plankton. When confined, they can also eat anything including shrimp, flakes, tubifex, and bloodworms among others. In general, some of them are omnivores whereas others are carnivores, so it also depends on the particular species.

Determining how big the minnows can get varies from one species to another given that we have over 2100 species. For instance, how frequently they eat determines how fast they grow.

Some of them such as the fathead, which is commonly used, however, grow to about three inches long or slightly above three inches. There are some such as the creek chubs that grow up to 10-12 inches. Gold shiners grow up to between 6-7 inches whereas shiners grow up to about 5-6 inches long.

The actual optimum size of these organisms entirely depends on the particular type of species and other environmental factors surrounding their breeding. But you also need to know that you can’t expect them to grow to 5 pounds of fish however much and long you breed them.

Minnows are just minnows, and that is the reason they are used mainly as baits. The lifespan of minnows mostly ranges between 12 to 24 months. During this time, they reproduce a minimum of between three to six times before the end of their life cycle but depending on how frequently and sufficiently they feed as well as how conducive the environment is.

Some minnows turn into a predator where they end up eating their young ones, which may prevent them from growing big as expected. This is however exceptional on fathead minnows which only grow to their optimum level without predating on themselves for whatever reasons.

As much as minnows tend to be relatively small in size, it is also ideal to understand the nature of how they reproduce. Often, they spawning during spring or early summer. However, this also varies depending on the specific species. But the variation in temperatures also plays a pivotal role in determining how large they get and how fast the growth takes place.

Conclusion

Some species have an elaborate method of spawning. For instance, in some species, it is the male who constructs sort of a make-up nest, where the female deposits the eggs and the male ultimately fertilizes them, guard the eggs for a particular period until they hatch.

The most important thing when looking at how big minnows can get is by simply understanding that they are different from small fish. Their growth activities are different and thus the reason that leads to a difference in the sizes after they are fully matured.

Sources:

http://academics.smcvt.edu/dfacey/aquaticbiology/Fishes%20Pages/Minnows.html

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100314213155AABKYwW

http://www.dunnsfishfarm.com/fathead_minnows_251_prd1.htm

http://www.oscarfish.com/article-home/98-keeping-breeding-fa