My New Minnow Tank

[shorebound1]

you may have to vent the lid to let the gas escape from the top of the water. Other than that, it is an awesome minnow tank. Great work and clean install.

[Andy1270]

you may have to vent the lid to let the gas escape from the top of the water. Other than that, it is an awesome minnow tank. Great work and clean install.

Yes, I was thinking about that too. I thought I'd take a 4 to 6" hole saw and then place a drain or vent cover of some type on both the top and bottom of the hole. Do you think that would be sufficient? Anyone have any other good idea to vent the lid in a simple, clean way?

[Andy1270]

Me and my Dad build one just like that years ago! it worked pretty good until the for some odd reason the minows would die after about a week!

I sure hope I don't have that problem with die-off. I guess only time will tell. Did you all ever figure out what caused the problem? What temp was the water, and how did you supply aeration?

[waterboy1]

Go to the plumbing section of Home Depot and get some pvc floor drain covers for the four inch pvc, just cut your holes in the lid and attach with silicone sealer. They also have 6 Inch covers for the pvc catch basins for catching rain water, either would work fine. The 6 inch would be better but cost a little more.

[slabbandit]

Good job!

[throwback]

Looks cool. I have raised and kept aquarium fish for years, but now I have only empty tanks (2 are 75 gallons). I may consider doing this. I wonder if nitrate buildup in a tank like that can occur with a high minnow population. Only way to get nitrate out is change the water. The Prime works great and helps some, but frequent water changes are necessary to keep nitrates down.

[Andy1270]

Go to the plumbing section of Home Depot and get some pvc floor drain covers for the four inch pvc, just cut your holes in the lid and attach with silicone sealer. They also have 6 Inch covers for the pvc catch basins for catching rain water, either would work fine. The 6 inch would be better but cost a little more.

Thanks. I think that's a good idea! I'll go check those out and consider adding 1 or 2 to the top lid. I'll update with photos when I get this done.

[Andy1270]

Looks cool. I have raised and kept aquarium fish for years, but now I have only empty tanks (2 are 75 gallons). I may consider doing this. I wonder if nitrate buildup in a tank like that can occur with a high minnow population. Only way to get nitrate out is change the water. The Prime works great and helps some, but frequent water changes are necessary to keep nitrates down.

I agree that I'll still need to do water changes. I'm thinking a 5 gallon water change weekly. I'm also considering getting a test kit to track ammonia and nitrates. Thanks for your input!

[gabowman]

With the insulation of that freezer you should be able to keep minners even during the hot summer months. Looking good!Thumbs Up

[Andy1270]

That's what I'm hoping to use for both Crappie and Bass fishing in the Spring & Summer. I'm a bit worried about losing the insulation value if I vent the top lid, but many say I need to for the gas to escape. The Johnson Control A419 will keep the temp between 51-55, and it can be set. I'm attaching a picture that shows the plumbing from outside since I didn't include that earlier.