[Guest]

I have an old 27 gallon tank at home that I was gonna use to keep minnows in. Any suggestions on keeping these critters alive?

Thanks,
Joe

 

[Guest]

Hey Anonymous,
I'm an avid aquarium nut.I keep minnows as well(why throw em out at $3 a dozen?).The general rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon.You can bend that one though because you'll be keeping a revolving stock.You can safely keep 50 or so crappie minnows.Don't use a heater.And do use a waterfall filter and a good undergravel filter.With these two filters,you'll have to clean the tank in about 5-10 years(properly maintained).The minnows like the current and it keeps them strong and lively.Feed them Tetramin fish food once a day(small pinch).And I would keep a Cory Cat in there to keep things clean and a Plecostomus too.They're cheap to get and they'll do a great job.
You'll save a bundle on bait!
Hope I helped.
The Hook

 

[Mike48]

The general rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon.

if that is the rule then i should be sent to jail. in my minnow tank (10 gallon)i will keep up to 150 sometime. all i used in the winter was an airator. i didnt keep minnows in the summer before because they always die in the heat. this year i think i will get a waterfall filter.

 

[ah]

What about suckers and leeches, or big minnows. I have many tanks, but at the moment all thats empty is a 20 gal. how many should i keep and how do I keep leeches for a somewhat long period of time?

 

[Mike48]

i dont know about suckers, but for leeches and bigger minnows i do the same thing. just keep a top on the tank or the leeches will get out.

 

[Bartlettfish]

I have a 90 gallon tank and you are always told about the 1 inch per gallon rule. I also keep all my minnows when fishing - the trick is keep them as cold as possible - it is hard to do in the summer - but in the spring and fall you can keep minnows for a couple of days without an airator or changing the water as long as the water is cold

 

[Chris Taglieri]

Working at a fishing store, which also whole sales bait, it is not very easy to keep minnows alive. Sucker would not be recommended to keep alive along with the wussy shiners. If you have an air stone going and a filter it would help. Your best bet is to do frequent water changes also. The colder you keep the water, the better as ammonia levels will sky rocket.
Chris

 

[proangler33]

i would keep the leeches in a styrofoam minnow bucket in the fridge. i have had them last for months this way. also i agree with the cooler water. i will keep two dozen crappie minnows in a half gallon styrofoam minnow bucket in the fridge and they will last months. no joke. they are still in there as we speek. as with roaches or suckers i would suggest a large coleman cooler filled with the coolest water. get some stress solution from the pet store and add some the the water. this helps the fish during stress and puts a protective slim coating on their skin. then i would have at least one areater running and two if you have it. then i would do frequent water changes every few days. if you have a couple die off then do a water change. only change about half the water. just open the drain plug and let the water out and the fill it back up. and add some more stress solution. it sounds like a lot of work i think it is kinda fun. oh yeah and if you are keeping shad use something round. and i would feed the minnows maybe once a week with the cheapest goldfish flakes you can find. trust me it works for me.

 

[Guest]

Mike48,
Quote:
You'll be keeping a revolving stock.
I said you can bend the 1" rule because they wont be in there for very long.
Also,for anyone interested:a sure fire way to keep minnows alive(even in 100 degree heat) is to add ice to the bucket.Ice has oxygen in it which is slowly and evenly given off in the melting process.Plus it keeps them cool and comfortable.Also to reduce stress you should paint the inside of the bucket or livewell black.
And one more thing.
Who started this "QUOTE" crap?!What the hell is that anyway?It 's getting kinda old.
So,please,don't "QUOTE" me.It seems kind of childish.I'm just trying to provide info here.Really don't need my words "quoted" back to me.
Thank you
The Hook

 

[JR365]

Yep, keeping minnows cool is key. I freeze water in plastic bottles to keep minnows alive for storage as well as transporting them to the lake. Depending on the size of the tank and how hot the temp is, will determine the size of the bottle.

I normally will keep no more than 4doz. at any one time. With a 5gal. bucket, an aerator, and a frozen 1 liter twice a day, i could keep minnows alive in the garage in the summer for weeks. If its super hot, i will throw in a 2 liter for during the day.

I also found that a 12 or 16oz bottle is better than cubed ice for the bait bucket. If the water is too cold in your bucket, your bait will have little minnow heart attacks when they hit that warmer water; i find this especially true for your larger baits like roaches. I find i can control the temp better with a solid ice mass, than smaller cubes of ice.

 

[amused]

Who started this "QUOTE" crap?!What the hell is that anyway?

Quoting is just a way to reference the item that I am referring to. It's a BB thing. When you have several posts meandering around a subject it gets hard to keep track.

wink, wink