I keep mine but usually only for 2-3 weeks and I do not feed them anything. I would think that normal fish food would work fine though.
I have a 300 gallon tank with fresh spring water running through it and i have been keeping my leftover minnows in the tank. I have a mix of tuffys and small shiners in the tank. I have been feeding them some chicken starter which is actually ground up corn (i think). Anyway, im noticing that some are dieing and just wonderig if this is a bad thing to be feeding or if it is just a natural death rate. I'm losing about 2 dozen a week dieing off. The tank is outside. If any of you keep minnow i would like to know what you feed them.
Thanks,
BB
Brush Buster
I keep mine but usually only for 2-3 weeks and I do not feed them anything. I would think that normal fish food would work fine though.
Scott Echols
Hi-Tek Stuff
Crazy Angler Tackle
I believe this to be normal. I used to own a bait shop and 24 minnows a week is about 3.5 minnies a day. Any bait shop will tell you they wish they only lost 3 a day. As far as feeding them, that will only dirty your tank faster. Never feed them.
Don't feed them unless they start lookin' real thin. The more that they eat the more waste that they will produce and the worst the water quality will be.
CATCH A BIG-UN
I never feed mine.
I don't feed my minnows, they will feed on the dead minnows. I always leave a couple of the dead minnows floating in the tank.
PROUD MEMBER OF TEAM GEEZER ---------
Ascend 133X 13' - MotorGuide Xi3 & Mercury 4
I keep a 150 gallon tank and can hold 5 - 6 pounds with air in cool weather. I put in a little salt to toughen the gills, but not a whole lot.
Food will really do nothing but dirty up the water and kill the minnows quicker in my option. They seem to live nicely cannibalizing each other.
rco
and I too never feed mine. Natural mortality rate. and like Stump says they will eat the few that do die. Saves cleaning the tank as often too.
Life has many choices, eternity has two...choose wisely.
Unapplied biblical truth is like unapplied paint...how many gallons do you have sittin' around? U.D.