Minnows

Achucker

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I've been thinking of keeping minnows for a couple years now (buying a scoop at a time and throwing what I dont use is waste) I was thinking of small scale like out of an old cooler. I seen that some guys use old freezers. What do some of you do to keep minnows. Pics would help
 


zoops

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You can keep a scoop of minnows alive a long time (at least 3-4 weeks) just in a gallon or two bucket if you keep them cool, no aerator needed. Change the water maybe once a week. I do it all the time, either keep them in the garage if it's not too cold to freeze them or in a fridge if it's too warm. You get into summer it gets a little tougher but doesn't seem like too many use minnows come the warmth of June and on.
 

Browneye

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An old timer told me an old freezer works good. He said you dont even need to feed them just do water changes once in awhile. I have a old thick walled freezer I meant to use for this purpose but It doesn't have a drain plug in the bottom like the newer ones have. Thought it would have been handy to open the bottom plug and drain some of the lower level ammoniated water off before u would add fresh water. Problem is minnows don't do heat very well. If this is done outside I think it would have to be on the north side of a building or under a tree to keep it in the shade all the time. Not sure but even then u maybe would have to add blocks of ice once in a while to keep water temp down. Last summer I tried to use a large old cooler with an aquarium bubbler in it. I would add a frozen milk carton of water to it once a day but once the temps got in the 80s water got too warm and I still lost them. I think a freezer might work better unless u try a $400 Yeti :)
 

pluckem

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keeping fatheads alive is pretty easy depending on how often you go out fishing. Keeping the water cold (minnow bucket in fridge) or having them on an aerator. Use both if you want the best of both worlds. You could keep two scoops of minnows in a standard size bucket alive for at least 2 weeks in the fridge on an aerator if you remove any dead ones at least every other day. Throw in a change of water every 5-7 days and you be looking at 75% survival after a month....
 

Coldfront

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my dad used to keep them in an old wooden barrel I would say that was about 30 gals. He kept it on the north side of the house and had a rain gutter running to it to get fresh water. He kept them all summer. It was great we had minnows anytime we wanted, just like digging up worms in the garden.
 


Rowdie

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A bait fridge. Put an old cheap fridge in garage, then get a cheap aireator and just use a 5 g bucket. replace water once a week
 

Bfishn

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I keep a 3.5 gallon bucket going all winter in my garage. I just change the water every time i go fishing and scoop out the occasional dead ones. Its amazing how long they will last, but starting about this time of year when temps start to warm up it does start to get a little tougher to keep them without any extra help like an aerator or fridge.
 

Sluggo

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Where do you guys get water for the occasional change when living in the city?
 

guywhofishes

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Where do you guys get water for the occasional change when living in the city?

go to walmart or pet store and buy a water neutralizer that treats both chlorine and chloramine

aerate that treated water for an hour or two for insurance... and you're good to go
 

LBrandt

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sump pump hole in basement. Had a guy tell me he put his leeches in a net bag and put in his active sump and it kept them alive longer than putting in fridge.
 


Wallike

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go to walmart or pet store and buy a water neutralizer that treats both chlorine and chloramine

aerate that treated water for an hour or two for insurance... and you're good to go

Letting chlorinated water sit for 24-48 hours allows the majority of those chemicals to evaporate out. A bubble makes it happen even quicker.
 

Captain Ahab

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If you get an old deep freeze, get a water thermometer and a outlet timer. Plug it in and chill the water to about 40 degrees, then set the timer to run about 2-3 hours a night. If the water continually warms a little add time to the timer and vise versa. Once you get your timing right it will rise about 4-5 degrees and cool it back down 4-5 degrees in a 24 hour period. Also, get yourself aerator and a canister filter. You can run the same water for 3 months at a time and keep minnows for that time. As Guy mentioned, just treat water with an aquarium conditioner.
 

Lycanthrope

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I like the idea of putting them under a rain spout on your house. Im thinking burying a plastic barrel in the ground 3/4 of the way to the top, divert your rain gutter into the barrel, drill a hole 5 inches from the top, and glue a piece of window screen over it for a drain. Cover barrel with some hardware mesh to keep animals out and let fresh water flow in when it rains. Feed them flake food once or twice a week, if you want to keep large quantities add an airstone/bubbler. When it doesnt rain, just dump in a 5 gallon bucket of tap water once a week or whatever, Id guess that even without declorination, 5 gallons in a 30-40 gallon barrel of water wouldnt kill the fish. If you dont bury it, it would likely get too warm during the summer and youd have significant dieoff.
 

guywhofishes

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Letting chlorinated water sit for 24-48 hours allows the majority of those chemicals to evaporate out. A bubble makes it happen even quicker.

I think chloramine is much more stubborn - doesn't degas easily like chlorine. Also - removing just the chlorine leaves the ammonia behind. Boiling removes both - but chemicals designed for aquariums are cheap and effective.

- - - Updated - - -

and don't even get me started on trihalomethanes - ha ha
 

risingsun

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I just fill a 5 gal bucket with city water. Let it sit for a week to evaporate some chemicals, change out and do over. This last batch I have kept for going on 6 weeks, changing water once a week.
 


BBQBluesMan

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I think chloramine is much more stubborn - doesn't degas easily like chlorine. Also - removing just the chlorine leaves the ammonia behind. Boiling removes both - but chemicals designed for aquariums are cheap and effective.

- - - Updated - - -

and don't even get me started on trihalomethanes - ha ha

https://youtu.be/VgVQKCcfwnU

0C869F61-4DC6-47E3-8F7D-23CC450D1B95.jpeg
 

NDSportsman

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This stuff works great, I use 1/4 to 1/2 a cap full per 3 gallons of water. Dump it in the bucket, dump your water in and add minnows, no waiting. I use a bubble aerator and add snow or ice to keep them cold. Pick out the dead minnows every other day or so. Change the water once a week or 2 and you can keep a couple scoops of minnows alive for weeks or months. Once the temps start getting above 60 I'm usually done messing with minnows.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/SUR...6kdmFOZ0ANP3NsZmqMwaAvq7EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
 

Sluggo

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I think chloramine is much more stubborn - doesn't degas easily like chlorine. Also - removing just the chlorine leaves the ammonia behind. Boiling removes both - but chemicals designed for aquariums are cheap and effective.

and don't even get me started on trihalomethanes - ha ha

Nerd alert?
 

Rowdie

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Where do you guys get water for the occasional change when living in the city?
You need 2 buckets, fill one and in a day its good to go. The chlorine evaporates out in a day.

- - - Updated - - -

I keep a 3.5 gallon bucket going all winter in my garage. I just change the water every time i go fishing and scoop out the occasional dead ones. Its amazing how long they will last, but starting about this time of year when temps start to warm up it does start to get a little tougher to keep them without any extra help like an aerator or fridge.

This is the best answer, just keep going fishing and bring home fresh water!!

- - - Updated - - -

I've been trapping minnows and keeping creek chubs alive for over 20 years. I bought a big 150 gallon stock tank and tried filtering it, with all kinds of pumps and shit but the easiest by far is a spare fridge and a bucket. Oh and if you keep chubs, get a lid for the bucket. For minnows, leaving water sit a day or more is good enough, not over think all the chemical BS, they're just minnows.
 

Captain Ahab

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My compressor quit in my freezer so I popped for an in-line chilling system. Got the chiller from Penguin Chillers. I change water 3-4 times a year. Keep the water 40-42 degrees and carry bait in a bait cooler with bubbles to keep cool.
 


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