I just wondered if anyone has experience of keeping White Cloud mountain minnows with goldfish, and Rosy Red minnows as well. I'm not planning on getting any just yet, but if they seem suitable then in a few months I would be able to.
I am about to start fishless-cycling a new 40uk/50us gallon tank (after about ten million problems with leaking filters and pest snails, argh!), which I intend to be a lifelong home for my 6inch common, Usher, who I love a ridiculous amount he's currently in a 20uk gallon tank, but he'll soon have this new bachelor pad! And I don't want to get another goldie because when fully grown they'd need more than 20uk gallons each I imagine.
So, I was hoping to get him a Rubbernose Pleco as a friend for him, but my parents look after him whilst I'm at uni and my mum was repulsed by them when I showed her some! Snails and loaches she wouldn't even look at lol!
She did think White Cloud Minnows were cute though and I agree- they've been recommended on here, so I am considering a small gang of them one day.
I knew nothing about them other than they are fish, and my mother isn't scared of them!
After hunting around on here, and google, they seem quite suitable if kept in groups of 6 or 8.
I've also heard of Rosy Red minnows but I haven't found as much more on them, apart from they can grow double the size of White Clouds, is that right?
Could you maybe keep Rosy Red ones and White Cloud ones together and they'd get on?
I also read somewhere that they can jump out of the tank somehow, and the new tank has a big gap where some very thick filter tubing goes in! Has anyone found a way to successfully block gaps- I was thinking of netting or something?! I don't know.
Any more info would be much appreciated. I like to plan ahead

A problem I can see is that Usher may eat the minnows. Also, if these minnows are tropical fish (I'm not sure), then they will have different needs from a GF.

Yes, Usher is probably big enough to eat the white clouds and younger rosy reds. The rosies do get double or more the white cloud size.

Rosies are not tropical, they do well in the same temps as goldies. From what I understand the white clouds would be fine too.

So the other concern then is that rosies are raised as feeder and bait fish and frequently have fin rot and/or parasites even more than other fish do. Maybe because the breeders aren't as concerned with raising healthy fish since they probably aren't going to live long. Anyway, I've had some rosies in the past and love their little personalities but they haven't lasted very well. But they are cheap so if you keep trying I'm sure some would work out. In quarantine I would feed them anti-parasite food for sure and keep them in qt for longer than you normally might for other fish.

I havent get info. on the minows, but will have a search around as I am sure someone posted a while ago about keeping them with goldfish. As for blocking the hole, I have used tin foil, and kitchen paper, so long as it isnt getting wet. (I have weather loaches who can escape!) I have two holes where my filter pipes go out and in.

Thanks for the replies but I already knew they weren't tropical, and I don't think they are raised as feeders or bait here, well I have seen some and they were just in a tank and not millions of them in a big trough thing like they have for goldfish, so I assume they were being sold as pets, but I could easily keep them in Usher's old tank for longer than normal just in case.

Rosy red minnows and fathead minnows are the exact same species, Pimephales promelas.

The natural geographic range extends throughout much of North America, from central Canada south along the Rockies to Texas, and east to Virginia and the Northeastern United States.

Males 2-3 inches, females 1-2 inches
These fish prefer a temperature of 10 - 21 °C (50 - 70 °F)

There the most common minnow sold for bait in the USA and the pet stores here sell them as feeders. Their peaceful fish, live 1 to 3 years and easy to breed.

i have about 6 to 8 white cloud mountain minnows in my half barrel pond.

They spawned and had fry.

Only one fry survived, the one I brought in to the Goldie tank. It was about 1/4 inch long. He looked like two bright blue eyes and a black bit of thread.

He avoided the filter intake and the two goldies long enough to get almost 1.25 inches now. He goes out to the pond next week.