Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Minnow ID

I observed two 3" minnows in my old pond in what appeared to be a mateing dance. They would dart around each other & lock lips.
They were alternating light & dark brown with a grey patch from the back of their heads to the dorsal fin.
They look very similar to the Turqoise Shiner pictured here: http://www.cnr.vt.edu/efish/families/turquoise.html
However I didn't notice any turqoise color.

The pond was barren of fish untill I put 1200 fatheads in one month ago. We've had a very cool spring & the pond is just now getting warm enough for the fatheads to spawn.

I don't know what this minnow is but believe it can't do harm since it is mateing at such a small size.
Am I right or do I need to worry?

RS:

You may want to call the people who sold you the fatheads and ask what other types of shiners , minnows etc they have and could some have gotten in your order . That you are not mad but you need to know. They may be willing to come out and look. The Virtual Aquarium on line may help but it sounds like you have looked on line. Good luck. ewest

Just noticed that is where your reference is from.

Ric, you stated that they are 3 inches, and surprised they are mating at such a small size. 3 in. is a pretty good sized shiner. Your link said 55-90mm. Thats 2 to 3 1/2 in. mature size. I think they may be males fighting for a mate. Any shiners reproducing are a good thing, IMHO.
Fatheads will be gone quickly as they swim very slowly. Maybe these can sustain better.

Ric, I caught some emerald shiners much like the ones in your picture and put them in my pond on purpose. I sure would like for them to multiply and provide open water forage for my HSB. We know the story on fatheads...they will disappear over time, too slow.

I have the same thing happening in my pond. I have watched them a lot. Looks like they are biting each other but no harm is done. They are always darting under the rocks. I noticed it last year and I had thousands of minnows. Looks like I'll have more this year. They are a little darker than the picture and about 2 to 2.5 "
I'll try to take a picture of them. I took a picture but haven't figured out how to post it here yet. ry this link http://www.cnr.vt.edu/efish/families/images/jpegs/fathead.jpg

RennyK,
I can't tell by the pic, my monitor is needs replacing & shows photos very dark.

I've started feeding the minnows & have another question.

Will feeding disrupt the spawn? They've started congragating in the spot I feed. Am I pulling them away from spawning?

Rennyk,
On 2nd look from my laptop this looks like your minnow:
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/efish/families/bigmouth.html