Fish ID please - hair algae eater

[justletmein]

I don't know what it is, we just call them mud minnows and they're caught in ponds on the Gulf Coast here in Texas. I just watched him eat hair algae like a string of spaghetti and their bellies stay fat as long as there's plenty to graze on.

[Chasmodes]

It looks like a sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus. This is the species that lives in my area. They're a type of pupfish. This may be your fish or a similar species. The males have the blue bar coloration along their dorsal area.

[justletmein]

Originally Posted by Chasmodes

It looks like a sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus. This is the species that lives in my area. They're a type of pupfish. This may be your fish or a similar species. The males have the blue bar coloration along their dorsal area.

I think you nailed it! I've seen another one which I assume is a male and looks just like the pics that came up when I googled it. Thanks!

Interesting little cleanup fish.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild...epsheadminnow/

Sheepshead minnows are euryhaline (they can be found in freshwater as well as saltwater). They prefer quiet, shallow waters and have been found in saltwater bays and estuaries, as well as coastal inland areas such as creeks, canals and ditches. Sheepshead minnows are an important link in the coastal food chain. Their diet consists of plant material, algae, detritus (decomposing dead/animal matter), mosquitoes and smaller fish.

Sheepshead minnows are used by humans in a variety of ways. Some fisherman use them as bait, collectors keep them in saltwater aquariums as pets, and the Environmental Protection Agency studies sheepshead minnows to determine pollution levels in certain bodies of water.