275 gallon tote minnow tank?

Anybody ever used those large 275 gallon totes with the steel cages for a minnow tank. I am picking up one this weekend to try. Found one online where they just cut out the top and filled it up. I bought a bulkhead to put near the top that I am going to connect a water hose to. I will then pipe water to the tank and then can just turn on the water and let it overflow out the bulkhead to the yard from my basement. I plan on just installing an air pump, but no filter. I am on spring water so do not have to worry about chlorine. I know it is a big tank, but I keep crappie minnows and the 6 inch shiners for striper fishing as well. Get a hundred or so of them and they make a mess. lol. If anyone has done this and has any tips or pointers, let me know.
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Seen those used in hydroponics with talapia in them . Should be great for minnows.

I have seen those tanks available around here but wonder what WAS in them and how hard would it be to get them clean enough to use for live bait.

Make sure rinse good!! See my thread on bait keeping 101.

I wouldn't cut the top completely off, maybe half of it. Still plenty of room to dip into it. This would give space for air pump and filter to sit on top. Drill holes through the top for air/filter lines.
I have 2, roof coating was shipped in them. One is a tar base for first coat and the other is an acrylic base for finish coat. Both labels said soap/water clean up, but hard to clean out with a nozzle on a water hose.
I use mine for rain water storage for the garden and potted plants. They have 2" NPT fittings. I reduced the drain to 3/4" and added a plastic hose bib.

Like Clint said, what was in them? Around here some were used for Agriculture fertilizers and chemicals.

The ones I have seen local to me have had ibc rootbeer in them

I did get it set up yesterday. Cooking oil was what was in it. I washed it several times, but the inside was still a little sticky, like oil gets when it dries on a surface. I filled it up and put the minnows in it. They are all doing fine this morning. Figure I will do a few water changes this week just to be sure. I cut off the top, but left 4 inches around it for support. I put in a bulkhead fitting with a water hose adapter in it. I will put a garden hose on it. I have a valve right above it that I am going to plumb down to the tank. Hopefully all I have to do is turn on the water to do water changes. It will flow right out the bulkhead fitting as the new water runs in. I am on spring water that comes in about the same temp as the basement. Also dropped in a airline to get circulation.
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You might have a killer there with the brass bulkhead.

Got it plumbed for the water and hooked up the overflow. Works great. Turn on the water valve and it overflows into the flowerbed outside.
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Nice looking set up.

Very nice!

How much did the tank cost you?

I like that idea for watering hte garden, divert roof run off into the tank and pump it into the garden. Could put minnows in it as well. Just add a screen in the drain/pump to keep the minnows out...

I can tell you that after you exceed a specific volume of fish to water you have to keep the water about 55 degrees to keep them alive and frisky.I don't know the specific ratio,but I learned this working for bait shops that keep high volumes of minnows to water volume.They have refrigeration units to hold the water temp.If the water got much above about 55 they would call screaming their minnows are dying. Now understand these are were very high fish to water ratio tanks in places that sold a lot of minnows.

I also have found that myself just keeping some in coolers and my experiences with the livewells in boats. If you have a high volume of water to fish ratio.... or a high volume of water turnover rate...you can keep them at high temperatures.

Once you pass a point were the fish volume is relatively high to the water volume then the water has to stay cool or they will die fast.

So you have to find that balance point for the waters temp. You have enough volume there it will really help. Eventually you probably will want a recirc system pulling out waste and filtering and spraying back on top,and then could do a water flush with the well water on a timer to replace water and control temperature. Well water usually runs from a low of around 55 to a high in summer of about 60 to 65 depending on the aquifer your pulling water from.

You can hold a lot of minnows in that much water. The system I have been using for over two years is virtually identical to the one shown in the thread "Bait keeping 101". Also have four others like it in operation in Mississippi. Minnows aren't hard to keep. Just use common sense.

I paid $75 for the tank. They sell from $50 up to $125 around here. It is doing great so far. I just turn on the water every 2 or 3 days and let it run fairly slow to keep up with the gravity drain. I usually run it for a few hours. Water does not stay clear. It is a little cloudy, but only loosing a few minnows every few days. Not bad with the number I have in there. I put 4 lbs of minnows in there to start. That was a lot of minnows.

Tank is working great. It has gotten colder here. Probably in the low 40s to high 30s in the garage most days and they are doing great. I hardly loose a minnow now. Still have hundreds in the tank. I only feed about once a week sometimes twice and only do about 20 % water change once a week.

Thanks for the follow-up. Glad to hear its working well for you.

I use one but I have mine hooked up to a swimming pool pump it filters the water plus circulates it .I do a 50% water change about once a week and clean the filter .I keep bluegills in mine for catfishing but my small bait I put in a 5 gal bucket with a bunch of holes in it because the gill will eat them up . I don't lose to many if I keep the water clean. Ive been thinking about running a line thru a refridgerater freezer to cool down the water but don't know if it would cool it any

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Originally Posted by slimdaddy

Ive been thinking about running a line thru a refridgerater freezer to cool down the water but don't know if it would cool it any

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They make what is called a "Chiller" for use in saltwater aquariums I've actually got one that I need to sell but I will have to get it out of storage first and check it out. The are basically an air conditioner compressor with the coils attached to a hose so you can put it down in a tank. You can probably google them up or find a used one on craigslist, like I say I will be selling mine but it may be a few months before I get to it.

you will need a filter

Well done sir. I hope it continues to serve you well and to actually save you money.

Adding a protein skimmer such as is used in Marine aquariums will also help keep water fresh.
Replacement agricultural sprayer barrels come in all sizes and come unused, too, and so not needing a thorough scrub before using. Recirculating pumps such as for backyard water fountains might be useful. Float controls for automatic refilling come in all sizes for farm animal water tanks. Minnow tank suppliers almost certainly have already adapted pumps, coolers and filtration systems as individual components. I suppose that one could also make a tank to a custom size using an outside pond liner. For winter use in mild enough areas there are stock tank heaters that would allow year around live bait stock eliminating the possibility of freezing solid.
The sky is the limit on this stuff. FWIW 275 gallons is almost big enough for one to breed his own minnows...

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Originally Posted by no1son

Adding a protein skimmer such as is used in Marine aquariums will also help keep water fresh.
Replacement agricultural sprayer barrels come in all sizes and come unused, too, and so not needing a thorough scrub before using. Recirculating pumps such as for backyard water fountains might be useful. Float controls for automatic refilling come in all sizes for farm animal water tanks. Minnow tank suppliers almost certainly have already adapted pumps, coolers and filtration systems as individual components. I suppose that one could also make a tank to a custom size using an outside pond liner. For winter use in mild enough areas there are stock tank heaters that would allow year around live bait stock eliminating the possibility of freezing solid.
The sky is the limit on this stuff. FWIW 275 gallons is almost big enough for one to breed his own minnows...

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Thank you very much!

dumb question but is the idea that the minnows will reproduce, or just don't have to go to the store every time you go fishing?

nice set up btw!

Minnow availability can be very spotty for quality minnows. They are kept for cost savings and convenience. Mats are laid out in ponds for Shiners to lay their eggs on. Then the mats are transferred to another pond for hatching. We don't raise shiners, too easy to go to the hatchery for a 1000 when you need more. I have found not "Mixing" batches of shiners works best so I clean out stragglers before adding a new batch to my holding tank.

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Originally Posted by Foxy Jig

dumb question but is the idea that the minnows will reproduce, or just don't have to go to the store every time you go fishing?

nice set up btw!

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cannot reproduce in that environment