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found this guy in my pond.. any ideas what it is?

What is in the pond ? Location ?

The pond has flathead minnows, bass, bluegill and these very small minnows that i did not put there. (somebody told me they were probably mosquito minnows?) pond is in fort worth and during large rain events takes alot of run off but not from any other water source that i specifically know of other than just typical drainage.. had a large rain event last week.. today is first day to see these

i am buy no means an expert but they just struck me as fry of a larger fish and not minnows.. whatever the case there are a lot of them and would like to know what i am dealing with

Baby BG?

It is definitely not a minnow but a small Lepomid(sunfish)...

Having the fins being closed against the body rather than open makes ID extremely difficult. There are some features still present which make ID of a fairly accurate nature possible. I don't believe it to be a BG which it could be, but rather a bantam sunfish Lepomis summetricus.

Bantam sunfish are as their name would suggest are tiny by nature. Maximum size attained is about 4"-5". They tend to be found in heavily vegetated bodies of water and are most commonly found along coastal areas as they are very tolerant of higher salinity levels compared to most freshwater species. This doesn't mean they aren't found in pure freshwater and further inland. Any chance your pond has a lot of vegetation? Also, they are the closest relative to the green sunfish. Don't worry though, they are far from being a problem fish as compared to GSF...

If this species is in fact a bantam sunfish which I believe it to be, I wouldn't stress. They are actually quite rare in your part of Texas. They are usually out competed by BG and other more common sunfish in common pond habitats. See if you can get a few photos of a better quality of perhaps 3 or 4 different fish. This will help with a 100% ID.

Most ponds in TX seem to eventually end up with mosquitofish or as you call them mosquito minnows or as they are more commonly referred to on here, gambusia. They tend to hang out right on the surface and in the warmer months the larger ones look like they may pop as they are live bearers and get rather rounded as they come close to giving birth.

Thanks... I will try and get more pics tomorrow.. Maybe in a glass of water..
There is a lot of vegetation in the water..

I am betting more and more it is a bantam sunfish. Getting a photo in a glass of water would be excellent... Good luck!

Oh yeah, if you have an aquarium you're looking to fill with a native fish, bantam sunfish are top notch aquarium candidates. They are probably the least aggressive of the Lepomids and are extremely interesting with cool coloration. They also stay smaller.

Can you post a pic of the vegetation? How about a pic of the minnows? How big is the pond? What is the visibility?

Since it is in Fort Worth, I'm betting that it is a plain old Bluegill. I've seen those vivid colors in extremely clear water in our area. Most of the clear water is caused by excess vegetation that sucks all of the fertility causing a lack of phytoplankton.

Disclaimer: I could be wrong and there is absolutely nothing unusual about that.

pond is 18" 24" visibility.. it does have a good amount of vegetation but I wouldnt say excessive I just thought that it was healthy.lol..pond is .5 acres. there are a few bass but not many as I have just put them in within the last few months. 6 of them.. only a few bluegill as well. 4 of those. I put flatheads in for them because the only minnows i saw were the little ones (gambusia?). Now i am randomly seeing these.. I thought that maybe, of the few bluegill that were in there, one of them spawned? I am adding 4 lbs. of tilapia on saturday as well as some catfish..at least thats the plan for now

What is your goal for the pond? May want to set some goals and then stock fish to meet them...

hoping for lots of bass.. with cats as bonus.. I put 6 bass in.. then found this forum. wish I had not have done that but to late now.. I am going to work on the foodchain.. tilapia, bluegill and cats that I will supplementaly feed.. then add 12" plus bass at end of summer.. is this to ambitious.. should i wait longer on additional bass? Also, hoping the tilapia spawn fast enough to tide over the 6 bass as well as the minnows to allow some breathing room for the 6" to 8" cc and the 1" to 3". I know i will lose some but hoping to minimize losses.. Never knew Pond management was such a science.. Thank god I found you guys..

How large were the bass that you recently put in?

I would stock 40-50 more BG in the 5"-6" range if you can find them. Perhaps someone reading this can recommend a good fish hatchery near Fort Worth where you can source some coppernose BG in that size range.

Depending on how large the bass were that you stocked will dictate when, how many and of what size you should stock...

Call Bob Lusk his hatchery is not to far from Ft Worth.

Were do I get his number?? I have already arranged pickup of tilapia, cc and 4 to 6 inch bluegill at overton hatchery on friday.. But I need a continuing place that is easier to get to..

In fact depending on blue gill size he can get me..i might get some more from him

Pond Boss home page, Resources, then Fisheries Consulting Services, then Texoma Hatchery

Thanks