How do you keep your minnows alive?

[Bushwacker]

How does everyone keep their minnows alive during the summer? There are plenty of air pumps, but 95% are battery operated. My problem is when I fish on Sunday and want to keep my minnows alive until Thursday. Is a refridgerater the best method or ice in a cooler or what air pumps do you use that run on 110V instead of batteries? Thanks for any help I can get.

[kslipsinker]

I have a small aquarium bubbler that works fairly well. I have to keep a pail of water cool in the basement and change it at least once a week. I have considered one of the new devices to oxygenate water. If I used more live bait, I would probably pick one up.

[Lunker]

I too use the aquarioum method. I have a ten gallon tank at home with a cheap little oxygenator. It works well with just water, or you can add that blue minnow keeper fluid and that will help some. Although this doesn't work as well with suckers or shiners, they die sooner. If you use this method, make sure you keep the tank in a cool, dark spot, like a basement.

[Rick]

You really should try the Oxygenator.

Lunker, I suspect you were using an Aerator, not an Oxygenator? Check out the Bait Keeper and Livewell Oxygenators Topic

The Oxygenator uses very little power. I kept a 5 gallon bucket of shiners alive (approx 2 dozen) for over 3 weeks at temp of 72.

Running from Sunday to Thursday and still going strong. The minnows were so lively they were hard to catch.

Click here for Oxygenator information.

[Guest]

The oxy is the way to go I got mine at the walleye expo.
If you have a laundry tub with a drain in the basement a none hassle way is to take a 5 gallon pail drill some holes a few inches down from the top fill with water and minnows and then turn the water on so it trickels in or more flow if it is hotter.
The only thing is I have a private well make sure if you have city water there is no clorine in it that takes care of them in a hurry. I think alot of times that is what happens, guys change the water out of the city system and that has chemicals.

[G_man]

Does anyone 'feed' their minnows to help keep them alive. I've noticed that if I keep minnows for a few weeks, that when one dies, the rest of the minnows cannibalize the dead one. I've tryed throwing in a few kiblets of dog food and some cracker crumbs but they don't seem to eat that. I was thinking that they might eat regular (pet) fish food, the flakes. Anyone else try this? Or what do you do different?