Red shiner

Care at a glance

Overview

Red shiners are hardy, sociable fish that are best kept in a group of six or more, both because they are gregarious and because keeping several spreads out the mild sparring that males do among themselves. They are mostly peaceful, active swimmers of the middle water that suit a coolwater community, though quick, boisterous shoalmates suit them better than slow, long finned ones that might be nipped. They are easy to feed, taking flake, pellets, and frozen or live foods. They tolerate a wide range of conditions and do not need tropical heat. A tank around 135 liters or larger keeps a group comfortable.

In the wild

The red shiner is native to the streams and rivers of the central United States, where it thrives in a wide range of conditions, from clear water to warm, silty, and disturbed rivers that many fish avoid. It is adaptable and hardy, comfortable at about 14–25 C and a neutral to slightly alkaline pH of 6.5–8.0. Recreate its home with a gravel and sand base, some current, and water worn rock and driftwood. It is not fussy about decor, but it appreciates clean, oxygenated water and open room to swim.

Good to know

Cyprinella lutrensis is a North American member of the family Cyprinidae that reaches around 9 cm. It is a deep bodied minnow whose breeding males turn steel blue on the body with rosy red fins and a flush of color on the head, set off by white breeding tubercles. It is an egg depositing spawner that tucks its eggs into crevices in wood and rock rather than scattering them freely. Breeding it deliberately in the aquarium is difficult.

Did you know

The red shiner is so hardy and adaptable that it has become a problem outside its native range in the United States, where fish released from bait buckets and aquariums have established wild populations and crowded out native minnows. That same toughness makes it an easy, if boisterous, subject in a coolwater tank.

Related species

• 

  Bengal danio

  Devario devario

  3.5 in (9 cm)34 gal (130 L)59–81°F (15–27°C)

• 

  Clown rasbora

  Rasbora kalochroma

  3.9 in (10 cm)34 gal (130 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Southern redbelly dace

  Phoxinus erythrogaster

  3.9 in (10 cm)61 gal (230 L)57–70°F (14–21°C)

• 

  Gold barb

  Barbodes semifasciolatus

  2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)

• 

  Rosy barb

  Pethia conchonius

  2.8 in (7 cm)24 gal (90 L)61–75°F (16–24°C)

• 

  Malabar danio

  Devario malabaricus

  5.1 in (13 cm)48 gal (180 L)64–77°F (18–25°C)