minnows in a tank

[Guest]

Anyone ever heard of putting gravel in the bottom of a bait tank to help with bacteria and or amonia reduction? I'm trying to keep 600+ minnows in the garage in 50 Gallons of aerated water and want to minimize the frequency of changing the water.

[Guest]

Get yourself a bio-wheel,most pet shops sell them. Is this tank going to be in a unheated garage? If so,keeping the water cool will slow any bacteria growth. Also keep the tank out of sunlight and dont feed the minnows. Are you planning on selling bait or you lacking a bait shop in your area?

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[Guest]

What exactly is a bio-wheel? The garge is cold and the tank is out of the direct sunlight. I am not selling bait, there are 5+ guys fishing out of this tank. I'm being told to put gravel in the bottom. I've been keeping bait in the garage for a few years now with pretty good success but I'm always looking to improve the process.

[Guest]

Since your going to be going through bait and not keeping permanent tropical residents a bio-wheel is an inexpensive pump that goes in the rim of the tank. Its pulls bacteria from the water,pushes it over a special filter wheel and then returns fresh,extremely high oxygenated water back into the tank. Just hit your local put shop and ask for a bio-wheel with power head for 55 gallon. I wouldnt bother with rocks, but if you do make sure you put filter plates down first. Pet shops have them too.

------------------
MILLE LACS AREA GUIDE SERVICE
651-271-5459 http://fishingminnesota.com/millelacsguide/

[Guest]

So D-Man,how do these bio-wheels take to freezeups? Are they stationary in the tank or do they move on the surface. With the garage being unheated I do form ice on the tank surface when it gets real cold even though I have a cover with a small bulb for heat. Would this wheel still be an option?

[Guest]

It is fixed on the edge of the tank. A pump sucks up water then spins it over the wheels. So as long as the pump and wheels are turning, it shouldnt freeze up. Any pet shop should have one on every tank in the store so you can see how it works.

------------------
MILLE LACS AREA GUIDE SERVICE
651-271-5459 http://fishingminnesota.com/millelacsguide/

[Guest]

Thanks D-Man,I'll check it out.

[Guest]

Like D-man mentioned, if you choose to use gravel, be sure to install undergravel filter plates. These will lift the gravel bed up off the tank bottom, and you would install a submersible powerhead (a small water pump) or two on upright rigid 1" plastic tubes. The powerhead will suck water down through the gravel and shoot it out horizontally near the surface of the water in the tank. This will promote healthy aerobic bacteria growth, which will in turn keep your ammonia and nitrite levels near zero. Water changes will still be needed (either with undergravel OR with a Bio-Wheel) periodically, as nitrate will slowly accumulate. The powerheads usually have a small venturi with a little air hose that protrudes above the surface of the water - - this draws air in and gives a lot of aeration to the water being shot out of the powerhead. Either type of filter system will work fine, but neither will TOTALLY eliminate the need for periodic water changes. This will vary based on how many minnows you have in the tank. An inexpensive aquarium nitrate testing kit may be beneficial until you get a feel for how often you will need to change water.

[Guest]

Anyone know how long minnows will stay alive without food? Seems that when I feed them I need to change the water allot more frequently.

[Guest]

I go all winter with 500 native bait in a 30 gallon tank without feeding them at all. All winter here in western massachusetts is from Thanksgiving to say around the middle of March when the ice is pretty well gone most years.Thats changing the water 2 or 3 times.

[Guest]

Bob, So during the 4 month time period you change the water about once a month? Do you use some kind of filter system so you don't have to change to water as frequently? With my previous habit of dumping fish food in the water the water gets yucky in a week. I currently don't have any kind of water filter. Just cheap aquarium areator. What size / length are your minnows? 2- 3" long?

[hydro]

There are two things that need to be considered when keeping any quantity of fish in a closed ecosystem such as a bait tank.

The first thing is to get rid of the ammonia that is present in most tap water, but more importantly what the fish themselves excrete. This can be done with a gravel bed filter as mentioned above. The gravel harbors a bacteria culture that breaks down the ammonia, and to make it work you need a vehicle to pull the water through the gravel. An undergravel aquarium filter accomplishes this by lifting water in a tube by means of a stream of air bubbles pulling the water up through the tube. The tube is in turn ducted to the plenum under the gravel and pulls the water down through the bacteria. You will need a couple of inches of pea sized gravel for the minnow tank being discussed here.

The second thing is keeping the water and the tank bottom clean. To clean the water, buy a good sized "over the side" aquarium filter. This will pull water out of the tank and pass it through some type of filter medium and activated charcoal. If you set up the plumbing right it will also pull water through your undergravel filter. You should also clean the bottom of the tank and the gravel bed when waste accumulates. A siphon tube gravel cleaner for aquarium works great for this.

One last thing, if you live where tap water is chlorinated be sure to neutralize the chlorine before adding the water to your tank.

[Guest]

David,once a month on the water change is about right,maybe 3 weeks depending on how cloudy it gets.The minnows are 2-3 1/2" long.I haven't used a filter in the past but am looking to do so now as the number of fish is growing each year as more guys are using this bait supply.These guys in this forum are full of good info as you can see. I'm in the processs of setting up a new tank,60 gallons or so,and want to improve the airation and go with a filtering system to reduce the frequency of water changes and minimize the death toll.I typically lose upwards of 10 bait between water changes but some may be victims of spending the day on the lake in a bait bucket then going back in the tank at the end of the day.Keep the ideas comming guys.

[WarrenA]

Keep them cold 34 deg. is perfect. Filter the water through a charcoal filter. net out any dead ones as they spoil the water. I use a submersible fountian pump and a homemade filter out of PVC plastic pipe, floor buffing pad that has never been used on a floor, aquarium charcoal and angel hair.

[Guest]

Boy you could get high tech on this one.

Get a white 55 gallon drum. Make sure its clean and foriegn chemical clean of course.

Near the top of the drum make a hole about 5/8" in diameter....Take a garden hose and stuff it in the hole so that the end of the hose comes out flush on the inside of the drum. Silicone around the hose so it seals good, and run the other end of the hose to a drain or outside.

Take another hose and slide it over or into a piece of pvc pipe (5/8" or whatever hose diameter you have) that is about 48" long or so and connect the hose to a fresh water source. Now put the open end of the pipe in the bottom of the barrel.

Now when you run the water, either every few weeks to "turn the water over" or keep a constant flow going, it will bring the water from the bottom to the top and out the exit.

A simple idea, however only practical if you have a well water source. Just thought I would throw that one in there.

PCG