Anyone buy Minnows buy the pound? Question on "holding" them in a tank

[sac-a-lait]

I was thinking about buying minnows by the pound and have a small water pump, an air-pump and an airstone and a NEW plastic garbage can. Holds like 35 gals. I have fish food too. Can I put a couple hundred minnows in this tub, circulate and pump air into the water and not over feed them and they should live for awhile? A least until heat becomes an issue? To clean the water, once you use all the minnows just pump it low and dump it over in the driveway and start over again with a few pounds of meat...How bout you fellers out there that buy in volume...How do you keep them alive for extended periods (NOT WHILE ON THE BOAT BUT AT THE HOUSE). I was gonna set the tank up in my garage out of the direct weather.

When we use meat, I usually just stop at the bait-shop and get $5 worth. But heck after 10 trips I'm in $50 JUST FOR MINNOWS. I cut my ICE expense to zero or pretty close and now just make it at the house in 2 liter bottles. I looked at ice machines a while back and my buddy has one. He said it runs his household bill up a decent amount. His was given to him and I'm certainly not going to spend 2,000 bucks on an ice machine...

[father of 4]

We have some people that have cattle tanks that have a float valve in them. The water is always fresh but thats because it is being drank out of by the cattle and then filling back up with fresh water.

[DENNIS BOWERS]

Rick, I use a plastic 55 gal. drum. I have it sitting outback in the shade, run 1 stone,1 bubble bar.It will keep a coupla hundred indefinatley this time of year.I treat it with baitsaver,let rain fall in it also. I feed them Goldfish food & cracker crumbs. This time of year I lose very few. I too got tired of the baitshop trips[my closest with minnows this time of year is 10 miles]! Dito on the ice-its cheaper and easier!!

[turkeyfootnc]

I made a bait tank this spring out of a 35 gallon drum. I bought a pound of fathead minnows from a fish hatchery and rigged an aerator. Everything work ok but I had to change the water at least once a week, really should have twice a week, and you have to scoop out all of the dead minnows almost immediately or if there are a lot, they can contaminate the water. It is a savings moneywise, but it can be a lot of aggravation. I would definately do it again next year but I will do some things different.

[TapOut64]

Everything work ok but I had to change the water at least once a week

Thats my main question. How often do you have to change out the water? I've tried keeping 5-7 dozen in a five gallon bucket but after a day or two the water gets all cloudy. Isn't ammonia an issue?

[EarlG]

The 35 gal garbage can will work great at this time of year. Keys to keeping them alive are water temperature and clean water. I change about 1/3 of the water every one to three days. You can only go three days if you treat the water.

http://www.landbigfish.com/tacklesto...e.cfm?PID=2765

Treat with Finer Shiner. I feed them crushed dog or fish food once a week.

If you make or buy an aerator that the water flows thru the air it releases the ammonia. In other words, not just a bubble type aerator.

Search on bait tanks, there's tons more info out there. You just have to develop your own way to keep them alive.

good luck

[camo john]

i used an old deep freeze which worked real good. with a small waterfall pump with the water tube going thu a 4" noodle to make to make it act as a waterfall. water stays clear i never change the water one of the things that kills minnows is been handle two much. john

[Team_Flopeye]

I use a 250 gallon chemical tank,the kind with the wire cage around it.

Small foutain pump for air,and DONT feed them.This is what messes up the water.

Fish can live months without food.
When I had a Pet Shop,we never fed the fish.Over feeding will kill any fish faster than NO food at all.Minnows will eat small stuff in the water,no need to feed.

[turkeyfootnc]

I forgot to add, I did not feed the minnows.

[stinkies daddy]

My Brother has big expensive nasty stinking butt gold fish in a 50 gal tank and very rarly changes the water but he has a water wheel or a bio wheel and it keeps those sissified gold fish alive