Common roach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Common roach |
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The roach (Rutilus rutilus), also called the common roach, is a type of fish. It lives in fresh water and sometimes in slightly salty water. This fish belongs to the Cyprinid family. You can find roach in most parts of Europe and western Asia. Sometimes, other fish from the Rutilus, Leucos, and Hesperoleucus groups are also called roach.
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What Does a Roach Look Like?
Roach are usually small fish. They often grow to about 35 centimetres (14 in) long. The biggest ones can reach 50 cm (20 in). Their bodies are shiny, with a bluish-silver color. Their bellies are white. The fins of a roach are red.
You can often spot a roach by the big red spot in its eye, right above its pupil. However, in some places, their eye and fin colors can be very light.
It can be tricky to tell a roach apart from other similar fish. Here are some ways to tell them apart:
- The common rudd is more yellow or golden. Its back fin is further back on its body. The rudd's mouth points more upwards.
- The dace has a green body. Its eyes and fins are clear, not colored. It also has a distinct 'nose' shape.
- The ide has more scales along its side. It has a rounder body shape. Its mouth and head are also bigger than a roach's.
Where Do Roach Live?
You can find the common roach all over Europe. It is not found near the Mediterranean Sea. Its home range goes all the way east into Siberia. Some types of roach in Eastern Europe and Asia even live in the ocean, especially around the Caspian and Black Seas.
Roach were brought to Australia in the 1860s and 1880s. They were introduced for sport fishing in the Murray River and other southern rivers.
How Do Roach Live?
The common roach can live in many different places. You can find them in small ponds, big rivers, and large lakes. They can eat food from any depth in the water. However, they prefer to find food in shallower areas.
Roach can handle water that is a bit dirty. They are often the last fish to disappear in polluted waters. They are also very common in waters that don't have many nutrients. They can even live in slightly salty water. Roach can survive in cold water (around 4 °C (39 °F)) up to warm water (about 31 °C (88 °F)).
In many places, roach are the most common fish. They usually swim together in groups, called shoals. Roach don't travel very far, except for the types that live in the ocean. When it's cold, they swim to deeper water to find food. When it's warmer, they like to feed closer to the surface.
Roach usually live in freshwater areas with some plants. Young fish hide in the plants for safety. Older fish can also eat the plants. Roach eat many different things. This includes plants, small creatures that live on the bottom, worms, and maggots. Young roach mostly eat tiny floating organisms called plankton. As they grow, they start eating a wider variety of foods.
Roach can live for 15 years or even longer!
How Do Roach Have Babies?
Roach usually lay their eggs from March to June. The exact time depends on when the water gets warmer in spring and summer. Roach often return to the same spot to lay eggs each year.
Big male roach gather together in special areas. Female roach then come to these areas. The males follow the females and fertilize their eggs. This process can be quite active, and the fish sometimes jump out of the water. A female roach can lay up to 100,000 eggs! If the water is too acidic (below a pH of 5.5), roach cannot have babies successfully.
See also
- Caspian roach - a related fish found in the Caspian Sea
- Bait-fish - how roach can be used to catch bigger fish
