Please Help Me Identify this Fish!

DarkNemesis · #1 (**permalink**) 04-06-2011, 10:43 PM

Hello,

This is my first post, just having discovered this site. I thought that I'd kick off by trying to identify this fish that has lived in my very small wildlife pond for a couple of years now.

The fish shares the pond with some sticklebacks. I have no idea how any of them got into my pond, and can only assume that some weed had eggs on it.

This fish is about 10cm long.

I would appreciate your thoughts.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

shenk1 · #2 (**permalink**) 04-06-2011, 10:52 PM

Possibly Gudgeon.

Welcome to WAB

Ferret · #3 (**permalink**) 04-06-2011, 10:53 PM

Hi and welcome to WAB
I think you have a Minnow there.

Ferret

GCN lova · #4 (**permalink**) 05-06-2011, 12:48 PM

hi and welcome to WAB

i also agree with minnow.

GCN lova

DarkNemesis · #5 (**permalink**) 05-06-2011, 03:02 PM

Thank you for your help. I am impressed with how quickly you replied.

I had considered a minnow before, but didn't find a picture with those white dots around its head.

Following your suggestions, I googled the latin name and eventually found a similar looking fish at

BioLib - Phoxinus phoxinus (st?evle poto?ní) - Obrázek

Which confirms your identification nicely.

Thank you again.

~T~ · #6 (**permalink**) 06-06-2011, 12:07 AM

It does appear to be a minnow (the white tubercles mean it's male and in breeding mode) though I'm really surprised it has survived in a pond as they need flowing highly oxygenated water. The other possibility is that it is an exotic as many American minnow type fish seem to fare better in ponds and look very similar. Having a minnow living happily in your pond shows it must be pretty clean