minnow tank

[rango]

i purchsed a 100 gal stock tank today to use for my minnow holding tank. when i get it set up with a aeration system there wont be no more dumping minnows as i should be able to hold em from one week to the next, even in hot weather.this is something weve desperately needed to cut down on the minoow expense on those nights we buy a lot and dont use many and wind up dumping .

[kunes]

How ya gonna cool the water?

[rango]

with cold weather coming on, dont think cooling is gonna be a problem. by next summer ill figger a way to insulate it, to keep it from getting too hot. I may get some blue board and wrap it tight around it. It will be set up out back, at my fish cleaning table, in the deep shade.

[Chris11]

Anyone have an idea as to what the ideal water temp for the minnows should be?

[pete]

as cold as possible

[Moose1am]

Anyone have an idea as to what the ideal water temp for the minnows should be?

[Moose1am]

Just remember that if you hold the minnows at 50 deg F water temps and then start to fish with them in 80 deg F water they may die as soon as they get into that hot water. A temp change of 30 deg F is a lot for them to take. Might keep most of them at that cold temp and then put them in a bucket at a slightly warmer temp than the holding tank and if that bucket is insulated it should keep them alive until you are ready to fish with them. By that time the water inside the bucket should have warmed up a bit more and be closer to the water temp of the lake. And if you are fishing deep during the summer time ( greater than 20ft down) then the water down there will be much cooler than on the surface. The surface could be 24 deg C and twenty foot down it may only be 19 deg C. For you English guys that's 75 deg F and 66 deg F respectively. So it may be a good ten degees F lower at 20ft below the surface. That should keep those minnows alive and well if there is plenty of Dissolved Oxygen at 20ft. Now in most waters that should not be a problem. Most large lakes that are flatland resevious like Kentucky Lake have enough current flowing though them to keep them from stratifiying and having a oxygen depleted Hyoplimnium.

Anyone have an idea as to what the ideal water temp for the minnows should be?

[big "E"]

Rango , do you have a live well set up on the beast?I'm trying to think up a set up for holding bigger baits on my cat trips.I've been thinking about a half barrel , with a good aerator just so I can take it off when not in use.Would like to accomodate a couple dozen bluegill.Maybe even split it for minnows too.I just dread having to buy yet another battery to run the thing.I haven't heard you speak of one , but I know the beast is hiding one somewhere, even if not in use.Eric.

[rango]

the beast does have an aerator but i dont use it for such. i use if for storage instead, but i but i can use it if i need to keep bait alive. all the fish we catch in the beast thats kept is thrown in coolers. where i bought the stock tank, they had a fifty gallon one i think would work great as a live bait well. im gonna look at puttin this tank where the aerator is and rigging it to keep fish alive. If i had a platoon id use one the size of the one i bought yesterday. it would work fantastic to keep larger fish in if it was aerated.

[big "E"]

Thanks for the input.I thought about a bigger unit but was afraid of the weight factor.25 gallons in a rubbermaid tub made one side of my boat ride low.Obviously needs to be centered , but the weight was an issue.Eric.