You need a round tank with some sort of filter on it. Shad beat themselves to death in a square tank. Also, they shed scales. If you don't have an aerator with a filter screen or something similar to filter out the scales, they suffocate on them. At least this is what I have been told by guys who use them for catfish. Personally, they are so hard to keep alive on a hook, I don't find them worth the trouble of trying to catch them then keep them alive. Bait shop minnows of similar size work just fine.