Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Bluntnose minnow

Is there anywhere that sells them?

Mother nature is about the only one where bluntnose minnows are commonly available. I'm not even sure bluntnose are present in NC?

The only native minnows here are creek sicker chubs and mosquito fish

Not even sure a horse sucker is a minnow but great bait.

But like my paddlefish, the bluntnose could cross state lines?

Ok, are you kidding? This is the list of north carolina freshwater fishes. Musquitofish aren't even Minnows, family cyprinidae.

SCIENTIFIC_NAME ............... COMMON_NAME
Acipenser brevirostrum ........ Shortnose Sturgeon
Acipenser fulvescens ........... Lake Sturgeon
Acipenser oxyrinchus .......... Atlantic Sturgeon
Ambloplites cavifrons ........... Roanoke Bass
Aplodinotus grunniens ......... Freshwater Drum
Carpiodes carpio ................. River Carpsucker
Carpiodes cyprinus ............. Quillback
Carpiodes sp. cf. cyprinus .... a carpsucker
Carpiodes sp. cf. velifer ....... Atlantic Highfin Carpsucker
Clinostomus sp. 1 ................ Smoky Dace
Cottus caeruleomentum ......... Blue Ridge Sculpin
Cottus carolinae .................... Banded Sculpin
Cyprinella labrosa ................ Thicklip Chub
Cyprinella sp. 1 ..................... Thinlip Chub
Cyprinella spiloptera ............. Spotfin Shiner
Cyprinella zanema ................. Santee Chub
Elassoma boehlkei ............... Carolina Pygmy Sunfish
Elassoma evergladei .............. Everglades Pygmy Sunfish
Enneacanthus chaetodon ........ Blackbanded Sunfish
Enneacanthus obesus ............ Banded Sunfish
Erimonax monachus ............... Spotfin Chub
Erimystax insignis eristigma ... Southern Blotched Chub
Etheostoma acuticeps .......... Sharphead Darter
Etheostoma collis .................. Carolina Darter
Etheostoma gutselli ............. Tuckasegee Darter
Etheostoma inscriptum ......... Turquoise Darter
Etheostoma jessiae .............. Blueside Darter
Etheostoma kanawhae ........... Kanawha Darter
Etheostoma mariae ............... Pinewoods Darter
Etheostoma perlongum .......... Waccamaw Darter
Etheostoma podostemone ........ Riverweed Darter
Etheostoma rufilineatum ......... Redline Darter
Etheostoma simoterum .......... Tennessee Snubnose Darter
Etheostoma thalassinum ........ Seagreen Darter
Etheostoma vitreum .............. Glassy Darter
Etheostoma vulneratum ......... Wounded Darter
Exoglossum laurae ............... Tonguetied Minnow
Exoglossum maxillingua ........ Cutlip Minnow
Fundulus cf. diaphanus ........ Lake Phelps Killifish
Fundulus chrysotus .............. Golden Topminnow
Fundulus confluentus ............ Marsh Killifish
Fundulus luciae ................... Spotfin Killifish
Fundulus waccamensis .......... Waccamaw Killifish
Heterandria formosa ............ Least Killifish
Hiodon tergisus ..................... Mooneye
Hybopsis rubrifrons .............. Rosyface Chub
Hypentelium roanokense ........ Roanoke Hog Sucker
Ichthyomyzon bdellium ......... Ohio Lamprey
Ictiobus bubalus .................. Smallmouth Buffalo
Ictiobus niger ....................... Black Buffalo
Lampetra aepyptera ............ Least Brook Lamprey
Lampetra appendix ............. American Brook Lamprey
Lepomis punctatus ............. Spotted Sunfish
Luxilus chrysocephalus ........ Striped Shiner
Lythrurus matutinus ............. Pinewoods Shiner
Menidia extensa .................. Waccamaw Silverside
Micropterus coosae .............. Redeye Bass
Moxostoma ariommum ............ Bigeye Jumprock
Moxostoma breviceps ........... Smallmouth Redhorse
Moxostoma carinatum ........... River Redhorse
Moxostoma robustum ............ Robust Redhorse
Moxostoma sp. 2 .................. Sicklefin Redhorse
Moxostoma sp. 3 ................. Carolina Redhorse
Nocomis platyrhynchus ......... Bigmouth Chub
Notropis bifrenatus ............. Bridle Shiner
Notropis chalybaeus ........... Ironcolor Shiner
Notropis lutipinnis .............. Yellowfin Shiner
Notropis maculatus ............ Taillight Shiner
Notropis mekistocholas ........ Cape Fear Shiner
Notropis micropteryx .......... Highland Shiner
Notropis photogenis ........... Silver Shiner
Notropis rubricroceus ......... Saffron Shiner
Notropis scabriceps ........... New River Shiner
Notropis sp. 1 ................... Kanawha Rosyface Shiner
Notropis volucellus ........... Mimic Shiner
Noturus eleutherus ............ Mountain Madtom
Noturus flavus ................... Stonecat
Noturus furiosus .............. Carolina Madtom
Noturus gilberti ................ Orangefin Madtom
Noturus sp. 2 .................... Broadtail Madtom
Percina aurantiaca ............ Tangerine Darter
Percina burtoni .................. Blotchside Logperch
Percina caprodes ............... Logperch
Percina gymnocephala .......... Appalachia Darter
Percina nigrofasciata .......... Blackbanded Darter
Percina oxyrhynchus ........... Sharpnose Darter
Percina rex ......................... Roanoke Logperch
Percina squamata ............... Olive Darter
Percina williamsi ................. Sickle Darter
Phenacobius crassilabrum ... Fatlips Minnow
Phenacobius teretulus ......... Kanawha Minnow
Polyodon spathula ............. Paddlefish
Sander canadensis ............. Sauger
Semotilus lumbee .............. Sandhills Chub
Thoburnia hamiltoni ........... Rustyside Sucker

The only minnows near where I live in the mountains. I would consider mosquitofish minnows as they stay under a inch and a half.

what drainage are you in?

The Cape Fear shinner is endangered and in the Cape Fear river basin only

The Hiawassi

Many of those species are on the NC endangered list.

The spotfin shiner from the list above is a very good forage fish that spawns well in ponds and grows to 4.5" long. It is actually a better forage fish than the bluntnose minnow. CJBS knows where to get them in the eastern US.

The USGS also lists the satinfin shiner very similar to spotfin as occurring in NC.
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/swap/supplemental/freshwaterfish/satinfinshiner2015.pdf
A very interesting way to collect shiners.
http://microfishing.com/2013/04/19/micro-fishing-north-carolina-from-the-coast-to-the-appalachians/

How can I reach CJBS

Do spotfin shinner eat fish eggs like golden shinner

I will use spotfin shinner if they are good forage.

He's a busy guy with his LEO job and two young kids at home. Try sending him a PM (personal message) or look at his profile, he might have his e-mail addy listed there.

Try Jonah's Aquarium. It's on the web, you'd only need a few to build a population in a predator free pond.

Or make a trip to Nashville.

That was a cool article.

All shiners and most minnows will eat fish eggs when eggs are available.

As will Bluegills.

Will it hurt recruitment?

It will impact recruitment but so will a lot of other things. Degree of impact will depend on goals for the new crop are and amount of recruitment you want. If you are not in bait production the impact will be very acceptable- reasonable. Type of habitat will even affect recruitment. Crayfish will eat fish eggs and some predatory insect larvae will eat fry.

Thanks