Keeping Minnows alive

[Luck e 1]

I am thinking about getting some type of aerator system and was wondering what you guys knew. Is it better to have a system to bring in the boat...or do you really only need something for when you get back to the house?

Any suggestions would be great (I am on a limited budget like many others).

[Ralph Wiggum]

I keep them in a cooler at home with a cheap ($10-$15) aquarium pump to keep the water moving. When I go out, I thorw them in a minnow bucket and toss it in. They'll keep quite long in that cooler if you change the water when it starts to get nasty. Just make sure that you treat your water if you have chlorine in it.

[Skeets]

Try the oxygenator, I have heard nothing but good things about it. Kinda spendy, but so are shiners every time you buy them, drive to that lake, and they are all dead.

[Northlander]

Clean and cool water with anything pumping oxygen is will work. Just keep the water clean and cool. I too have the oxygenator puck and when our livewell brokedown a few years ago I used the gator clips on the boat battery and it kept all our fish alive in a big Ranger livewell. It was spring and the water was still in the mid fifties so that helped but it did real well. I highly recomend those or the Frabil Aqua-Life system. I use the Frabil in the winter for my shiners and it also is very good.

Cheapest way I have seen is to go to K-Mart and get a set up for a aquarium. The stones are cheaper and the actual pump shouldnt be more than about $10.

[Gadgetman]

I tried the oxygenator in the livewell on a pro v last year, opening weekend and ended up with a well full of dead minnows. I dont think the small unit is made for that size of a well. It does seem to work real well in a 5 gallon size bucket tho. I have use an item called the "minnow miser" that seems to work for a boat livewell size container

[Northlander]

Ya the oxygenator needs to be the bigger one for a livewell. I had the bigger dual one. It worked in a pinch but like I said the water was still cool. The smaller one and the frabil works good in a cooler or bucket.

[AQUAJOE]

Luck e 1 does your boat stay on the lake or come back to your house? If it comes back to your house you need the system at your house. Because if I am not mistaken you can get a ticket for not emptying the water out of your livewells and baitwells in transport. So Scoup the Minnows into a extra large Ziploc Freezer bag with water about 3/4 full and seal with air in the bag. Then float the bag in the water you are going to put them in for 15 mins. That will bring the water temp in the bag to same as the water temp in storage device(Less shock to minnows which means less loss) Crappie minnows, fatheads redtails and creek chubs are very sensitive to water temp changes.

That is why when you get them from the bait shop and the water is real cold and you put them in your bait well and turn it on and it circulates in much warmer water and a bunch of minnows die.

That gets real spendy when buying redtails.

I have been using the oxygenator for the last 3 years in my bait well and this past winter for keeping minnows alive this winter.

I have the Mini which is the for 5 gallons or less. I think the unit works great but wish it had an option of alligator clamps or wire tye ins instead of the 4 AA batteries.

The next model up is the Magnum. Which is good for 5 to 32 gallons. This model works great to.

The key thing with these units is to keep the wire mesh clean. This is a daily thing.

When the units are creating the bubbles it creates a calcium build up on the wire mesh. If this is not kept clean it doesn't work. If you let the calcium dry on the mesh it is a pain in th butt to clean later.

These are not a cheap option either. $50 for the Mini and $100 for the Magnum.

The easiest and cheapest options depend on what you have room for. That is an air pump, air hose and large air stone in a 5 gallon pail or cooler(cooler will keep the water coller it is not just a clever name) .

This option you need to change the water daily or every other day depending on the amount of minnow you are keeping.

Fish create CO2 during respiration and excrete waste(ammonia) So changing the water eliminates CO2 and amonia.

This option is also takes some maintenance that needs to happen or you will lose the minnows.

The best option is the 10 gallon aquarium and an over the back filter with carbon cartridges. You can usually pick them up for about $50 with the over the back filter.

1. Add water

2. Turn on filter

3. De-clorinate the water

3. Add Minnows

And that is it.

Change out 50% of the water every couple weeks and just feed them fish flakes twice a week(that keeps them looking healthy)

Store aquarium in a cool spot, out of the sunlight.

OH, do not put an aquarium heater on the tank like for most tropical fish. Minnows like the water cold.

I have minnows from the Cool Cats ice fishing event in my aquarium still and they are alive and well big and rady to be used whenever.

I used to own a fishtank maintenace service when I was younger.

Any other questions let me know.

What are other peoples opinions???

[Northlander]

Great info Aquajoe I think you hit it all quite well. Thanks.

[Luck e 1]

Thanks guys...I am going to hit up some stores and see what I can find...I may even hit up walmart to see if I can get a cheap fish aquarium.