Another species of shiner is the flagfin shiner, Pteronotropis signippinnis . Because they need a constant temperature in the 60's and 70's, they are not suited for ponds where there are winters. They do, however, make great aquarium fish. Colors on their body include gold, yellow, red, blue, black, orange, and more. They scatter eggs in gravel depressions.
Flagfin shiners eat mostly insects and crustaceans.
The common shiner is Notropis cornutus . To me it looks like a mix of the red shiner and the fathead minnow. It grows to six inches. This stream fish is often used for bait. For information on the red shiner, Cyprinella lutrensis , go to the red shiner page .