Thread: Home made Minnow Tanks

Update. I washed out my freezer and put the few dozen minnows I had left in it to give it a test run. Let it run a day and lost about 3/4 of them. I wasn't surprised, I had a new homemade filter and a freshly painted freezer. Let it run 24 hours, Drained, then added fresh well water. Placed in 3 pounds of minnows yesterday with the half dozen or so I had left. Minnow delivery girl says there are 200-250 count per pound depending on size. Says I prolly got 210 in a pound. Anyhow lost about 4 in 24 hours.

The funny part. I bought some tank treatment from a local pet shop. Adds bacteria to jump start your tank. Says right on the front "Treats 65 gallons for 32 weeks". SOLD! I estimate about 80 gallons.... so I added the bottle. This afternoon, sitting there grinning, admiring my tank with its 4 dead minners. Glad its not 50 dead minners... I was thinking wonder when I need to treat my tank again. The side of the box reads a little differently. Yes It treats 65 gallons over a period of 32 weeks..... a few ounces at a time. Oh well. The shiners don't seem to mind it too much, but that stuff did stink my water up. Guess I'll read a little closer next time.

Originally Posted by BamaBill

Update. I washed out my freezer and put the few dozen minnows I had left in it to give it a test run. Let it run a day and lost about 3/4 of them. I wasn't surprised, I had a new homemade filter and a freshly painted freezer. Let it run 24 hours, Drained, then added fresh well water. Placed in 3 pounds of minnows yesterday with the half dozen or so I had left. Minnow delivery girl says there are 200-250 count per pound depending on size. Says I prolly got 210 in a pound. Anyhow lost about 4 in 24 hours.

Where are you located Bama Bill. I'm in Alabaster. On your tank. Is it still working well. I am wanting to build one and i like your idea of chest freezer. I have no need to run it I can keep it in my basement it's cooled. I do like the running aspect though. Can you explain how you run it without burning it up trying to freeze all that water.

A couple water quality tips from a 40yr aquarium veteran. DO NOT OVERFEED. Overfeeding will kill captive fish faster than anything else. Food that is not eaten rots and poisons the water in a closed ecosystem.

Helpful bacteria that break down nitrates( fish waste) live on the bottom. You can increase the number of bacteria by increasing the surface area of the bottom by tossing 1/4" of pea gravel in the bottom. The bacteria only live on the surface so there is no need to make a thick layer. Pea gravel is heavier than fine gravel or sand so its easier to vacuum accumulated waste without sucking up the gravel.

Water changes are needed to remove ammonia but adding chlorinated water can be just as deadly as no water changes. you can let the water sit in an open container to air out(takes about 24-48 hrs), use well water or use a simple water change system and never have to change or add water again. To do this drill a small hole near the top of your tank as an overflow drain. Add a fill hose(not a garden hose, they contain heavy metals) to the tank and turn it on to drip water in at about 1 drip per second. At that rate chlorinated water doesn't matter and it will change a couple gallons a day removing ammonia as it overflows out the drain. An ammonia test kit can tell you if you need to change the flow rate.

I used this system for many years in all my aquariums. The only fish I lost were due to old age or predation. The only work I had to do once set up was monthly gravel vacuuming.

Originally Posted by L8hntr

Where are you located Bama Bill. I'm in Alabaster. On your tank. Is it still working well. I am wanting to build one and i like your idea of chest freezer. I have no need to run it I can keep it in my basement it's cooled. I do like the running aspect though. Can you explain how you run it without burning it up trying to freeze all that water.

Use a temp controller like this http://www.beveragefactory.com/draft...RR5cARlrzw_wcB just turn your frezzer to the coldest setting and plug it into the controller. Set the desired temp on the controller and it will turn power on and off to the freezer the same way the freezer thermostat does.

Those of you who order minnow by mail. Where are you purchasing your bait? Thanks

Also for more info on bait tanks search ice fishing forums. They have some awesome set ups and ideas. Most guys catch and keep bait most of the year just for ice fishing.

Sounds like a fun project. Been thinking of doing one sometime this winter. Might have to pick yalls brains.

all you need i plastic drum, water pump and a plastic bottle to hold filter materials. the water falling from the bottle filter(hung from the side) will aerate the water. simple as that. i can keep 40 small gills without issues. you will need to start off with a few fish in the tank, to get the filter dirty and working, before trying to hold more fish. if the filter is fresh and clean, it wont keep up on the ammonia. always leave a chunk of nasty filter matt. in when cleaning it. mine is in the basement out of heat and sun. the entire tank cost was just the cheap water pump. that was like 15bucks.