I've got minnows! And questions about minnows...

[MrsGravy]

So we finally got some minnows yesterday (thanks EauRouge for all your help with the fishless cycling!). We fed them for the first time today but they don't seem remotely interested in eating...should they come to the top and look for food like goldfish do?! We just gave them a small amount of crushed flakes for coldwater fish. Is that ok?

They seem happy enough, darting around although they sometimes look like they're fighting, is that normal or are they stressed?

Our tank is 60L and it does look a bit bare, can we add anything to it further down the line, once I've established that I can keep the 4 minnows without killing them?!

[EauRouge]

Ooh, I love minnows, I want to get some myself soon.

They are probably nervous and settling in so they might not be up for feeding at the moment. Flake food is fine, you might want to supplement with some live or frozen food from time to time- something like micro worms or freshly hatched brine shrimp would be small enough for minnows.

The darting and chasing you are seeing is them establishing a pecking order amongst the shoal. This is constantly changing so it's normal for it to carry on but keep an eye out if one is getting bullied.

You could keep a max of 8 minnows in there, I wouldn't stock any more than that. They will soon grow and probably breed. If it's looking a bit sparse then you could add some plants to fill in the gaps. This will help the fish feel more secure too so they will colour up nicely and spend more time in the open.

[MrsGravy]

Thanks EauRouge. They're still not eating (as far as I can tell) but are looking more colourful today, the darting and chasing has calmed a little too. If they haven't eaten anything by the weekend I'll go and get some of the live/frozen food you've recommended.

[EauRouge]

Live stuff is always good for getting reluctant eaters to feed, I think they love the chase Make sure you give it a good rinse in some tap water before you put it in the tank.