keeping bait

[Stobinator]

Hey everyone! This is my firt post so i dont know if this has been addressed but.....i bought a fish aquarium from walmart that has a filter and all that jazz..was just wondering if thats enough to keep my fatheads alive or do i need an aerator with it also....any info would be much appreciated thanks

[jwmiller33]

welcome to HSO! i keep minnows alive for about 10 days or so just keeping them in a plain old minnow bucket and i turn the aerator on for about 10 minutes a day. change the water every couple days too. the aerators are not too expensive and they really are the key to keeping minnows alive. looks like you will have a really good system with the tank and filter, and if you add the aerator, you will have a GREAT system. just my $.02

[Stobinator]

thanks jwmiller! thats all i needed to know really....if i were to want to keep them for long periods of time....say to breed and what not so i can use them year round....what do they eat exactly..if you know

[thedeadsea]

If you hook up a regular aquarium aerator and run it continuously you can keep them alive almost indefinitely.

[Phred52]

thedeadsea, At least until they die. Welcome to HSO Stobinator! Phred52

[Zoob]

lol, phred.

I picked up a $12 aerator at Mike's, and kept fatheads and crappies alive in a minnow bucked until I fished them gone (about two weeks) by just refreshing the water every couple of days and running the aerator a few minutes each night. I'd bring them into the basement to "warm up" overnight (they're much more floppy/active when the water is a bit warmer - if i kept it outside, they were more sluggish, less action).

They're pretty darn hardy - and they'll eat dried bread crumbles or regular fish food.

[Tom7227]

If you set up the aerator you can keep them for a long time by just feeding them the regular fish food. It takes them a few times to realize that it's what they have to eat so only put a small amount in once a day and then judge who 'smart' they've become and add a bit more. Excess food will just cause problems. I doubt that you'll get to the spawning stage but you never know. I have mine in the tv room and it's sort of fun to watch them.

[Stobinator]

Thanks for the info everyone. Mine seem to be doing fine. Ive lost one in three days so I dont think im doing that bad haha

[deadeye]

Welcome to HSO!

I have had a half dozen rainbows in my tank with the tropical fish since fall and they seem pretty happy.

They eat the flakes I feed the rest of the fish and don't complain much.