Keeping Minnows

[Doodlum]

I tried this approach to keeping minnows alive in this hot weather.
Put two small insulated minnow buckets in a cooled. Filled the voids with ice.
Took the cooler to the bait store a got 7 dozen in each bucket. Got back house and connected the 12V aerator to a well charged battery. Put the aerator inside the cooler. [I]This circulates the cool air from inside the cooler, not pulling hotter ambient air from outside into the bucket .[/I] Minnows kept all night and the next day without a single loss. I just set the aerator on top of the minnow bucket to it from getting wet.
Good idea while fihing is to transfere a few minnows at a time to a small container so you won't be opening the cooler as much.

[Arkie John]

I tried this approach to keeping minnows alive in this hot weather.
Put two small insulated minnow buckets in a cooled. Filled the voids with ice.
Took the cooler to the bait store a got 7 dozen in each bucket. Got back house and connected the 12V aerator to a well charged battery. Put the aerator inside the cooler. [I]This circulates the cool air from inside the cooler, not pulling hotter ambient air from outside into the bucket .[/I] Minnows kept all night and the next day without a single loss. I just set the aerator on top of the minnow bucket to it from getting wet.
Good idea while fihing is to transfere a few minnows at a time to a small container so you won't be opening the cooler as much.

When fishing, you can purchase a small inverter from Wal-Mart for about $45.00 and plug it into a powerport on the boat or directly to the battery. It won't need to run constantly--maybe 10 minutes each hour--and it will keep them alive BIGTIME.

If you get a die-off, it could be because of the ammonia build up from seven dozen minnows in a single bucket. If that were the case then a periodic change of water would be necessary.

Thanks for sharing!!!

aj

[Grumpy]

I figured out a way to keep mine alive while at the campground this week. I took a 5 gallon bucket that laundry detergent came in and washed it out and drilled small holes around it about 3 inches from the top. The campground has well water, so I put a spray nozzle on the hose and turned it to "mist" and let it run. The water would drain out the holes near the top as it filled without the bucket running over. Everything worked out great except I didn't get enough of the detergent residue out of the bucket and a half pound of minnows died in about an hour. I also had a few in a minnow bucket with the same well water and they lived, so I know it wasn't the water that killed them. It had to be something in the bucket. Oh well, It was almost a good idea.

[Hillbilly910]

ive been keeping minnows this summer in an 8 gallon cooler. I use U2 bait booster formula, and occasional areation. The big thing is keeping them iced down. I have about a dozen 32oz drink bottles with frozen salt water(salt water freezes much colder then just water), and i drop 1 or 2 of those in roughly 2-3 times a day. Keeps the water cold.
The current batch is 6 dozen, i have had since friday evening, and to date, i think ive pulled out 3 dead ones so far. This is a mix of rosy reds and normal fatheads. I do try to suck out the minnow poo from the bottom every couple days with a pump syphon. I'll change the water at the one week mark.
Ive kept up to 12 dozen in this manner, and have kept them well over a week, with very minmal loss.
Im kinda looking for a bigger cooler yet, and i might just make me a bait tank, buy an areator for it, make it more permanet, though i seldom need more than a few dozen minnows, other than tournaments.

HB

[barry davis]

Sounds like something that would be perfect for me. Think ill try that. Thanks for the info Doodlum.

[Doodlum]

Does anybody use rainwater for exchange water for the minowss. I have heard that it way kill them , depending where its collected.

[blairarnold]

When fishing, you can purchase a small inverter from Wal-Mart for about $45.00 and plug it into a powerport on the boat or directly to the battery. It won't need to run constantly--maybe 10 minutes each hour--and it will keep them alive BIGTIME.

If you get a die-off, it could be because of the ammonia build up from seven dozen minnows in a single bucket. If that were the case then a periodic change of water would be necessary.

Thanks for sharing!!!

aj

I continually reveal my ignorance, but what is an "inverter"? Thanks.

[Hanr3]

An inverter converts the DC current from your battery to AC current the powers most 120volt appliances, like airators, fish finders, computers. You can pick up a cheap inverter for like $25 for your truck. It plugs into the cigarette lighter or accessory outlet, plug in your cell phone charger or your laptop, or blender for the best Margaretta's.


Almost sounds like you need an old 10 gallon fish tank to keep minows alive at home. Has a air source, filter system, and should hold enough water to keep it cool for a few days. Forever if left int eh basement.

My minnow bucket has a lid with holes. On hot days I dunk it in the lake to swap water, pour some out, refill with fresh water, repeat as needed.

[Festus_Haggen]

I've been keeping anywhere from 7 to 10 dozen minnows since March or early April. They're hard to get here, the nearest bait shop that keeps them is 45 minutes away.

I have 2 Rubbermaid 22 gallon tubs and two aereators that run on two D batteries for 40 hours each. Got lucky and found a new Energizer charger with 4 rechargable D batteries at a flea market. This is quite a bit of trouble, but worth it. I only run the aereators about 1/4 of the time, and it seems sufficient.

I'll run about 18 gallons of tap water into a tub, and let it set a couple of days for the chlorine to reside. Whenever the water needs changing, I siphon it out with a hose, and transfer the minnows to the new container. I use broken clay pots, tumbled gravel, and creek rocks for the minnows' cover. They seem less stressed out with this natural cover, and they eat oatmeal, algae, and moss from the sandstone creek rock. I keep about 6 or 7 gallon milk jugs sealed with ice for coolant. Usually, I'll throw two gallons in there at a time, 2 or 3 times a day. Probably not over a couple die a week. They're shaded, and they've survived 93 and 94 degree temps for several days. There's probably a better way, but I'm satisfied. 18 to 20 gallons of water will keep 10 dozen or more minnows happy, with aereation and proper temps. They're fun to watch, they behave much like fish on the lake. Before a storm or rain, they'll get more active. During a cold front, they'll hide under the rocks, that is until they're fed oatmeal, but they won't eat like the will before a cold front.

From early March until about 3 weeks ago, I kept some silver shiners and creek chubs from 4" to 6" long using this procedure. I caught those in a minnow trap in a creek. Heck, the shiners and chubs even tried to go through the spawning ritual there for a while in the tubs. :D

Usually, tuffie minnows are only sold as the female species, you can tell the difference, the males are the ones with the "fat heads". I have thought about upgrading my system to something simpler and upsizing my containers and going to a pound of minnows.

How much water do a pound of minnows need? Anyone kept this many for an extended period?

[Festus_Haggen]

Does anybody use rainwater for exchange water for the minowss. I have heard that it way kill them , depending where its collected.

Doodlum, it might have something to do with the pH or temperature of the water, I'm not sure. But I have used rain water, but when I change to new water, I try to make sure it's near the same temperature as the original water.