How do you keep minnows alive now that weather is getting warmer
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How do you keep minnows alive now that weather is getting warmer
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I use a large round drink cooler. I also use golden shiners for bass so.... the round interior keeps them from damaging their faces. I make sure the water is cold by adding freezer packs. These can be removed once the water has been chilled and I want to start adding minnows. At the top there is room to mount bubbler, and I drilled two holes. One for the hose and one to allow air to escape. Cold water slows down their metabolism and they don’t foul their water as bad.
I keep fresh batteries in my bubbler and I use a big 110V aquarium bubbler if I need to keep them overnight. I'll also add a little ice water to the bucket to slow down there metabolism ...
I agree with Danbo. I have a Engel 13 gt and it has been the best. I have kept 2 dz for over a month in there with changing the water once a week and running the bubbler.
I use a hard igloo lunchbox and add ice, keep it in the shade and my minnows live for two or three days. Put it in a outdoor refrigerator at night. No bubbler, the cold water seems to work for me.
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When the lake/river water starts to get hot if you take the minnows out of cold water from a cooler and put them in a lake or river that has warm/hot water it will be a shock to them and kill them. When I buy minnows I gradually change temp of water in my minnow cooler by taking out and adding water till the water is no longer cold. When I get to where I'm fishing I put a little warm water from lake into cooler to get minnows use to it. Of course I always have arreator going. You don't have to worry about water being to warm for a few more months.
Do anyone give fish food to the minnows while keeping them for a few days ?
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No need to feed them. What they eat comes out as waste. Fouls the water and creates ammonia. A little non iodized salt will work wonders for the minnows. It hardens the scales, promotes slime growth and relieves stress. In a 13 quarts cooler mix one (1) tablespoon full of salt in water and add it to your container. Fish farmers use salt by the ton. Fish haulers use a lot of it also. I used to haul shiners and fatheads from central Arkansas to Morgantown PA. 100 gallon tanks, pure oxygen, 150 pounds of fish per tank, 50 pounds if block ice and 2 rounded cups of salt. That's a lot of shiners in a tank. I rarely lost any fish.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zman
I’ve never kept them longer than overnight. I use a 5 gallon bucket with a foam liner about 3/4 full and use frozen coke or water bottles to keep the water a little cooler than the water they were bought it. Most tap water has chlorine and is bad for them, I’m told. The bottles give the chill but not the chlorine the ice does. Works for live wells too. Just don’t replace the water or the old water goes out.
Yep exactly, cold water is what I do too, slows their metabolism and keeps them alive real long. I keep frozen two liter bottles in freezer and rotate them in and out of cooler with the minners. But actually, I simply don't use minnows anymore, just slabsauce on bunny butts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Micanopy