During the breeding season in April through July the stripe becomes a deeper black, there are red areas on the upper parts, and the fins become yellow.

Other fish in the habitat include the common creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus), white sucker (Catostomus commersoni), stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum), and stripetail darter (Etheostoma kennicotti).

The rocky riverbed substrates in which it spawns are degraded by erosion and sedimentation, which are increased by human activities such as runoff pipes from septic tanks, and trash being dumped into streams.

[6] In 2007 a large scale die-off of aquatic life, including blackside dace, occurred in the Acorn Fork in Kentucky.

Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that the most likely cause was a spill of hydraulic fracturing fluid from nearby natural gas wells.