Diet
Similar to other dace species, Tennessee dace feed on algal growth which is grazed from rocks and other debris on the stream bottom, and possibly beneath banks. While they are grazing algae, they coincidentally ingest tiny sand particles. These sand grains rupture diatoms and other algal cells during digestion. This is an important aid to digestion, as the cell walls of plants are difficult for the fish enzymes to break down. Additional nutrition may be obtained from both root hairs and bacteria associated with algal growth, and immature insects, which are consumed in the winter when algae supply is limited. Dipteran and caddis fly larvae make up most of their insect diet.
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