Blue chubs have a varied diet, including both aquatic and terrestrial insects, crustaceans, and filamentous algae.

In Upper Klamath Lake, they generally prefer rocky margins and open water to marshy shores, while along Boles Creek, they are most abundant in shallow weedy reservoirs.

Spawning extends from May through August, typically over shallow gravelled areas, of depths of 0.5 meters or less.

Each female is attended by two or more males, who agitate the water and thrust against her while she lays eggs in masses that adhere to shoreline rocks.

Although not officially listed as a threatened species, and common within their range, Moyle says that there is cause for concern; the range is geographically limited, and the population dropped in the 1980s and 1990s, due to a combination of drought, pollution (agricultural runoff), and pressure from introduced fathead minnows.