Sheepshead Minnow
Cyprinodon variegatus
Brackish North America
An exceptionally resilient pupfish found in coastal waters and marshes of North America. It easily tolerates extreme shifts in salinity and temperature, but males can be pushy fin-nippers. Best kept in a brackish community tank without delicate or long-finned species.
Also called: Sheepshead minnow, Bahama sheepshead minnow, Pursy minnow, Sheephead minnow.
Try it in the planner Opens a tank sized to its minimum with 6 fish added.
What it needs
| Item | Value | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Adult length | 6 cm | Used for the Space check: the tank must be long enough for the fish to turn round. |
| Smallest tank | 80 L, at least 60 cm long estimated | The least water and floor length this species is kept in for good, as a single fish or smallest group. |
| Extra water per added fish | 10 L estimated | What each further fish adds once the minimum is met. |
| Waste load | Class 2 of 5 estimated | How much waste an adult makes against its size. Feeds the Load check. |
| Temperature | 15 to 28 C | Stock sharing a tank need overlapping ranges. |
| pH | 7.2 to 8.5 | Compared with tankmates in the Water check. |
| Hardness | GH 10 to 25, KH 6 to 15 | Degrees of general and carbonate hardness. |
| Flow | Medium | Low-flow fish are stressed in a strong current. |
| Light | Moderate | Matched to the lighting class on the needs sheet. |
| Group size | At least 6, ideally 8 | Kept alone or in small numbers it hides, fades or turns on tankmates. |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive | Territorial: weak. |
| Swims in | All levels | Fish that use different levels share a tank more easily. |
| Lifespan | About 4 years | A fish is a long commitment. |
| Experience | Suits a first tank | A guide to how forgiving the species is of mistakes. |
| Jumps | Yes | Keep the tank covered. |
Tags marked estimated are judged from the size and habits of the species rather than measured, so treat them as a sensible default.
Diet and tank layout
Sheepshead Minnow is an omnivore that swims in all levels of the tank. It leaves most plants alone. Give it some cover. It nips fins.
Tankmates
Works with
No close matches in the data. Check the pair tool.
Depends
- Yucatan Sailfin Molly
- Indian Glassy Fish
- Silver Moony
- Spotted Scat
- Orange Chromide
- African Mudskipper
- Bumblebee Goby
- Knight Goby
- Barred Mudskipper
- Green Chromide
- Silver Scat
- Banded Killifish
- Banded Lampeye
- Blueback Blue-Eye
- Green Panchax
- Guyana Leaffish
- Javanese Ricefish
- Mummichog
- Queen of Siam Goby
- Shortfin Molly
- Shuttles Mudskipper
Compare any two fish on the compatibility page, or print the equipment for a stock on the needs sheet. How this is worked out: the method.