CTFishTalk.com: Raising minnows at home - Connecticut General Topics ( CT General Topics ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

MANIMAL · Joined: 08 Jun 2012 Posts: 242 Location: Manchester

When I take my son fishing he spends exactly 15 minutes actually fishing - the rest of the time he throws rocks in the water, chases geese, or explores the shoreline for minnows and plays with them.

Im wondering if I could kill two birds with one stone, collect minnows at fishing spots, and take em home. I think it'd be a good intro to animals for the boys AND give me a bait supply when I need em

Is this possible? simple as buying a 10 gal tank and collect some minnows next time im out and bring em home?

never had fish as a kid - we were a dog/cat family

Zach0208 · Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Posts: 75

I think it's better to go to a local aquarium store to set up a fish tank. It will be more fun Cool

MANIMAL · Joined: 08 Jun 2012 Posts: 242 Location: Manchester

I agree.

but my son has a fun time grabbing minnows with his net and I wonder if its as easy as taking the fish home to hang out in a tank for the rest of the kids to enjoy as well as using the minnows for bait when I fish - it cant be too tough to setup i have just never had a tank before

NWDarkcloud · Joined: 23 Apr 2012 Posts: 474

the bigger the tank the easyer it is to keep water clean waste build up is your biggest problem (more fish= a lot of waste) I have a 55 gal total setup I would be interested in selling if you want to go bigger..
But to answer your question yes you can keep minows alive for a long time.
Keep the water cool so no direct sunlight and minnows from what i understand can go a long time without feeding so thats a plus for waste issue
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MANIMAL · Joined: 08 Jun 2012 Posts: 242 Location: Manchester

thanks for the info NWD - not sure how big a tank we are gonna go with - probably smaller than bigger to start with - but i think ive got to do some more research - i dont wanna just grab fish from a pond, get em home, and they die - not looking to waste fish here of course

do i need a heater or just an air bubbler or just what?

Zach0208 · Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Posts: 75

I think the easiest way is to take some water from where you get the minnows, it's hard for them to die in their natural environment. But you need to make sure you won't have too many fish in a too small tank. A good filter will also save you a lot of problems. Cool

NWDarkcloud · Joined: 23 Apr 2012 Posts: 474

well just so ya know its 150$ on the tank stand and all the gear hood lights pumps powerheads for undergravel filters when you start to price out the stuff for the kids it will give ya a idea the differance in prices if you decide to go biger
allso its a freshwater tank never had salt in it so no issue there i had bass in it for years till they got to big and I had to release them.....if you go native fish you dont need to run a heater they dont mind it cooler ..... Bluegils and common sunfish make a pretty tank fish and you can net really tiny ones in shallows and will live on pellets bass are picky they like live food (never!!!) drop worms in the tank it will cloud up the water
but if you never had a tank small ones are a lot of work they need cleaning constantly and the water sours very fast a well ballanced large tank allmost takes care of itself becomes a stable enviroment I only need to dump 1/3 the tank evey other month to refresh water .......
If you want to talk more on tanks ..native fish compared to store fish ...drop me a pm ill give ya my number
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SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi,

You don't need a glass tank or fancy filters for minnows.

Good size plastic tub (with a lid ...minnows will jump) or old plastic cooler will do. -> Scrub out with rock salt 1st and rinse.
Keep in a very cool dark place -> cooler the better Exclamation

Good size air pump + stone to help aerate water and ciculate it.
Change out 1/2 to 2/3 of water (spring water ... "NOT" city water every few days).
Feed minnows very very lightly every 5-7 days!
Remove immediately any minnows that may die.

That's it Exclamation

SeaDog1

MANIMAL · Joined: 08 Jun 2012 Posts: 242 Location: Manchester

thanks for all the info guys - i gotta decide what to do but this should be fun

Bluegill Terminator · Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 538 Location: Plainville

When I used to use live bait for ice fishing all my leftover bait that was alive even it was hooked, I put into a big 50quart cooler. Just had an aerator and a regular filter going for it. Never had a problem and I kept the water ice cold.

Now if you want to get minnows as pets then I would recommend a glass or acrylic fish tank. That way your kids can see there catch and watch them swim around. Depending on how big the minnows you are netting are you can get away with a 10gallon fish tank, but a good starter tank is a 20gallon. Keep your eyes open for Petsmart and Petco flyers because they usually have a $1 a gallon sale around labor day on all fish tanks they have in stock. That's how I got my 55gallon but I just sold it last week. Also get like 2 little feeder goldfish and put them in the tank with the minnows. They will eat the fish food and the minnows will learn and eat it as well if you plan on keeping the minnows around for a while as pets.
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x182dan · Joined: 19 Mar 2009 Posts: 329 Location: Seymour, CT

I agree with most of the comments. I also like to add so Finer Shiner or Better Bait every time I add water to a bait tank. I also use city water with the additive and have very little loss.
Dan

TravelingSeas · Joined: 06 Jul 2011 Posts: 42

Along with my full time job, I own an aquarium shop. I also setup and maintain aquariums and used to scuba dive the tanks at Mohegan Sun before that store closed. If you need some advice I can steer you in the right direction. Just a few quick things...

city water is fine as long as the chlorine has been removed chemically or it's been allowed to sit out over night and the chlorine dissipates on it's own. Chloramines will never come out on their own.

Minnows need a cool tank. They can tolerate warmer temps in the wild but it's not long out there and indoors in our homes temperatures can easily get well up above ambient with the heat transferred from aquarium lighting, pumps, filters, etc. To be successful long term a chiller is probably in order.

The warmer the water the less oxygen it holds.

If you keep game species in an aquarium at home I believe if I remember correctly it counts against your daily creel limit.

And finally, if you buy minnows keep in mind they are mass bred for quantity, not quality. Disease and defects are rampant. They are not meant to live long.

fishingkid · Joined: 04 May 2011 Posts: 340

I've kept mummichogs alive for weeks in a 5 gallon bucket with a filter and pump with water from where they were trapped. I used them for fluke bait. Just make sure you get a cover of some kind, they are excellent jumpers and will jump out given the chance. I used aluminum foil for a cover and it worked fine.