keeping minnows

[general]

Hi,

How do you keep minnows alive? I some at night to fishing next morning. Put in fridge with airator and come out the next morning they are mostly all dead. Any sugestions.

Thanks

[Paulie Tigernuts]

Hi,

How do you keep minnows alive? I some at night to fishing next morning. Put in fridge with airator and come out the next morning they are mostly all dead. Any sugestions.

Thanks

Try leaving them in your garage or shed with an aerator.

Perhaps the fridge is too cold.

Another option in your cold cellar.

[Chrisb]

Larger pail with more water will help.

[Luvevolution]

or a small aquarium can be had from your local retailer for next to nothing. a 10 or 20 gallon tank will be more than enough for the job. the key is to keep them cold, but not too cold. fridge temps will kill them for sure. as stated previously, keeping them in your garage or a cool spot in the basement is your best bet. keep the airation going, or have a pump style filter that keeps the water moving, so there's gas transfer at the surface.

[tjhooker]

or a small aquarium can be had from your local retailer for next to nothing. a 10 or 20 gallon tank will be more than enough for the job. the key is to keep them cold, but not too cold. fridge temps will kill them for sure. as stated previously, keeping them in your garage or a cool spot in the basement is your best bet. keep the airation going, or have a pump style filter that keeps the water moving, so there's gas transfer at the surface.

He's right about the aquarium. I kept some bait I didn't use as pets once and one of the five grew to be HUGE! almost edible looking.

[minnow killer]

i keep mine in a garbage can out back, the rain water from the garage goes into it, and i have a aquarium pump on it at all times to keep the mosquito eating goldfish alive. The minnows keep pretty good during the spring and fall, but they don't do so well once it warms up.

[xBrianx]

The key to keeping minnows alive is water temp.

If the water gets to high, or two low too quick. Consider them dead. Storage in a fridge will change temp too quickly.

I actually have a old freezer (obviously not working) set up with a pump heater and airator it is outside and with the lid closed keeps temps stable. 64-70 throughout the year. Keep in mind it holds over 300 gallons of water and a ton of minnows.

[davincan]

Mine are in my back screened porch in a plain white utility bucket (Canadain Tire $5.99) with a simple aerator. Been there since Sunday and have only lost 2 out of several dozen.

[smerchly]

for smaller numbers and for short time periods I use a 5 gal pail (free with my wine juice) ....I fill the pail with creek or lake water if available or use tap water that has sat for 24 hrs. to eliminate the chlorine . I have an electric pump with an air stone that I put in the bottom of the 5 gal pail & have the minnow in the floating insert from the minnow pail . I keep them in the garage & if I think the water is too warm I drop a med.size freezer pack under the floating pail for the night.

These are pond minnows....a lot easier to keep alive than the reg.emerald shiner minnows . They can't take a sudden temp.change of more than a few degrees.

[ron4blues]

Having kept fish for many years I can tell you a bit of what I know.

Fish require a temperature within a specific range, sudden temperature changes even within that range can be fatal.

They require oxygen, the more the better (keep in mind that cooler water has better oxygen carrying capacity). This is where an aeration stone and pump comes in handy.

They require water that is within a specific Ph range. . . as close to neutral as possible is best for most cool water fresh-water fish. You can test your Ph and adjust it with kits that are available in aquarium supply stores.

They require clean water. . . chlorine and ammonia are lethal, as are most metals, in particular copper. Also lethal are nitrates and nitrites. A charcoal filter works well to reduce organic chemicals and is cheap.

They require water that is neither too hard nor too soft. . . running your water through a softener or using a chemical softening agent helps. It is also easier to adjust the Ph of soft water. Once again you can test your hardness with a kit from an aquarium supply store.

Fish need food. Minnows will thrive better on live food. You can raise fruit fly larva for the price of a banana, a piece of gauze and an empty pickle jar. Or you can net live nymphs from a stream. . . but keep in mind that larger nymphs are capable of making lunch out of your fish. I know one guy who raises aquatic insects as a hobby, and has a load of fun watching caddis, stonefly and mayfly nymphs do their thing.

If you are keeping fish for any length of time, keep in mind that they need space. the rule of thumb is one gallon per inch. For short term keeping you can bend that rule.

You can set up a serviceable ten gallon tank for under $50.00 if you shop around. My own tank is 30 gallons and is home to over a dozen fish. Of course they are tropical and sub-tropical; however, keeping minnows wouldn't be any more difficult.

[marth11]

I rarely keep minnows over night since I collect my own and what ever is left over I turn too salties for the spring when getting minnows involves leaving early or going way out of the way, but for keeping them alive, keep them somewhere cool and areated, and feed them bread or cornmeal, but also if you can climatize them to a colder temp you wont need a areator or too feed them since they get less active and cold water holds oxygen better when around.

[fuillihc]

My once unlimited supply of minnows in my pond has been replaced by invasive sunfish. Is it legal to fish with the baby sunfish?

[captnn]

My once unlimited supply of minnows in my pond has been replaced by invasive sunfish. Is it legal to fish with the baby sunfish?

NO

[denis]

Emerald shiners don't stay fresh very long until winter.