I used a fountain pump, into a bucket of cleaned lava rock. Once the bacteria was established it was good to go.
I got those new 30-gallon barrels. Remember mine was stolen in January. Setting up new minnow vat on camp porch
I used a fountain pump, into a bucket of cleaned lava rock. Once the bacteria was established it was good to go.
The love for fishing is one of the best gifts you can pass along
There’s two types of filtration when you’re looking at keeping bait alive for a long period of time. The first is mechanical filtration which remove the larger pieces of debris from the tank (extra food, scales, poop, etc). The second (and more important in my experience) is the biological filtration where beneficial bacteria grow on a media of your choice. These bacteria break down many of the harmful chemicals that build up in air tanks produced by decomposing fish waste like ammonia and nitrite. There are several types of media you can use in your homemade bio filter that have a large surface area for the beneficial bacteria to grow with rinsed lava rock being one. I used to use big sheets of sturdy aquarium filter foam that you can buy from Amazon or online aquarium distributors.
There are a ton of photos and videos online of different setups. 30 gallons isn’t a huge volume of water when talking about pond pumps. How many tanks are you planning on running?
. Lots of information on YouTube about bait tank and fish/ decorative pond filters. A large aquarium filter works also.
The love for fishing is one of the best gifts you can pass along
I am planning just one vertical tank on porch, with circulation/filter running continuously. Plan on keeping approximately 4 pounds of crappie shiners. The other barrel, plan is to submerge in lake at boat slips. Drill holes for water flow, and weighted down, with lock on lid. This will serve as back up and replenish tank on porch. Do you feel 30 gallons is too small? Should I go 40 or 50 gallon
I used a plastic 55 gallon drum cut in half for a long time. Should plenty.
The love for fishing is one of the best gifts you can pass along