what is the spawn rate of these minows. i know they spawn when they get to 2 inces in size i think, but how often an when do they start?
also what is the max size of a FH if not eaten an what is adverage lifespan?

Spawning rate - I'm least sure of this. I think once a month, I believe females produce up to a couple hundred eggs at a time.

Max size - probably 3".

Lifespan - a year and a half.

Fathead Minnow, Pimephales promelas

Physical Description:
· Somewhat deep and compressed body
· Dorsal fin origin above or a little behind pelvic fin base
· Medium-sized eye
· Small, terminal or slightly subterminal mouth; short, blunt snout
· Straw-olive or brown back, silver side, silver-white belly
· Faint dark side stripe
· Breeding male somewhat yellow in color

Similar species:
· Bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus)

Mean body size:
· Adults are 40-60 mm total length

Habitat:
· Warm streams in pools and in ponds and lakes


Food Habits:
· Insects, detritus, and algae

Reproductive Habits:
· Mature in 1 year
· Spawning occurs May through August in water 15-32°C
· Fecundity is 6,803-10,164 eggs per female

Population Status, Economic, or Ecological Importance:
· Popular as a bait fish

Kemp -- check the following web page. Scads of information on fathead minnows under baitfish production.

http://aquanic.org/beginer/baitfish/baitfish.htm

Looks like I was way under on fecundity.

Not necessarily so. Those are yearly rates. If you divided by the number of spawns it may be close. I have seen much info that says each male guards a few hundred eggs at a time. The key is they are judged as having a fast population doubling time.

Dave I think he has done so as he said " I was way under on " ...(reproduction rate).

Fecundity to you too!

I know I have read 200-300 eggs per spawn as well with weekly spawns. It was some ancient paper, Doobie et all, 1956? So yes, I think theo and ewest are both exactly right.

thanks fo info ;]

Upto 12,000 eggs have been observed per fathead nest. Only one male guards each nest. More than one female deposits eggs in the high egg density nests. Eggs are sometimes two layers deep in one part of the nest and consequently eggs of several different ages may be found in a single egg mass. A study in Iowa found total egg counts of females were 802-2,622 of which about 1/3 were ripe. A study by Markus reported one female deposited eggs on the same males nest 12 times between 16 May and 23 July. This fish pair and their nesting produced a total of 4,144 offspring. Eggs usually hatch in 4.5-6 days. Fatheads rarely live beyond 3 yrs old. FYI World record fathead was 3.97" long. Does Cecil have a pond record size for fatheads?

Hey Bill, what size tackle was that record FH caught on?

I think FH life expectancy is closer to 3 minutes tops unless the bass are already at the pond side waiting to greet you and also them.

I've heard they get to 3" but only live 1 year.

Theo it was an official record on spiderweb for line and a No. 22 lightwire hook. Tying spider web to a hook is tricky because some of those strands are sticky. You get the best knots if you use the non-sticky strands in the web.

I'm thinking about drilling many holes in 18"-24" blocks of oak tree trunk and sinking them for FH to spawn in. What size should the holes be? I hope 1" is OK, the bigger ones are hard to drill!

bobad, if the oak is seasoned, it should be OK. Unseasoned oak has tanins which can be lethal. I killed a big batch of fish when I stuffed a whole bunch of freshly pushed green oaks into a pond for habitat.

BTW, it sounds like drilling 1" holes into 18 to 24 inch oak would be hard work. I can't imagine going any bigger.

I question the effectiveness. It seems to me that the holes would clog up with algae and other junk. Maybe not. A lot of people have used pallets, rocks and other stuff with good results. Fatheads are a fairly shallow water fish. I wouldn't sink stuff too deeply.

I agree with Dave, seems like a lot of work and I dont think it would be effective. I am not sure one inch holes gives 2" fish enough room. Spawning seems to involve a fair amount of spinning and darting about. Not that I like to watch mind you, it is just what I have heard

Ya, they're well seasoned. My idea was to sink the blocks of wood in the shallow part of the pond, standing on end just below the surface. The holes would be horizontal. I'm not worried about algae plugging the holes, as nesting minnows are good little house keepers. What I really need to find out is what size holes might best attract them for nesting.

When I said 1" holes, I meant 1" diameter.

I can always drill them 8" deep in case I raise some scary-big fatheads.

Ya, I know what you mean by all that spinning and darting around. I still remember.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't it been said on the forum that fatheads like to spawn on the underside of something flat?

bobad, it sounds like you are making a cavity for them to spawn in, as opposed to a flat plane.

If nobody thinks they will spawn inside a hole, I can always stick venetian blind slats into the holes. I bet that would make a funny-looking tree.

Thanks again,,,


Bob A.