Red Shiner

Cyprinella lutrensis is a robust and highly adaptable minnow native to the Great Plains and central river systems of the United States, from the Missouri Basin to the Rio Grande. It is among the most tolerant of North American cyprinids, enduring a wide range of temperatures, salinities, and water quality conditions. Non-breeding individuals are a modestly attractive silver-blue, but breeding males are transformed into genuinely spectacular fish — the body flushes pink-blue iridescence, the dorsal and other median fins become brilliant orange-red, and nuptial tubercles develop on the head.

In the aquarium, Red Shiners are easy to keep, accept virtually all foods, and breed readily. They are adaptable to a wide variety of tank setups but display their best colour in bright light with a dark substrate. They are active schoolers that do best in groups of six or more.

Their hardiness, vivid breeding colouration, and willingness to spawn make them an excellent starter species for native fish aquarists. They can be kept with other small peaceful natives or in a single-species display where breeding colour provides a spectacular seasonal show.

Water: 15–28 °C, pH 6.5–8.5, wide hardness tolerance; very adaptable species. Tank: 80 L minimum for a school; dark substrate enhances colour; open swimming lanes. Feeding: Live/frozen Daphnia, Artemia, bloodworms; readily accepts flake and pellet foods. Breeding: Scatter eggs over gravel and plants; remove eggs or separate pair for controlled spawning. Compatibility: Peaceful; pairs well with small to medium peaceful native fish.