Has anyone tried to keep live minnows in an aquarium ? I tried it and they lasted about 2 days and they all died. Any information, tips or secrets would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Tom
It's more for introducing oxygen to the water. Could have been tap water if that's what was used. Lake water is best as it doesn't have the chlorine and junk in it like Longline said. My neighbor has an old cooler that he keeps minnows in for weeks. Just lake water and a cheap Walmart aerator.
What about taking the filter off, would more water move? What about water temp? The colder the better........ I use a small cooler with a small aerator and keep sucker minnows alive. Kept the setup in the garage on the floor where it's cooler..
I keep fish in a aquarium. Believe me. It costs less to just go buy more minnows than properly keep up with water quality and maintenance of having a fish tank.
I know that the bait shops sometimes lose minnows and sell them frozen for chum. I have a hard time believing how many minnows my brother keeps in the tanks in his bait shop but when he loses them he says X pounds of minnows died. I don't know exactly how he keeps them alive most of the time. I'm guessing he aerates them and has certain chemicals that he adds to the tank water too. I'll have to ask him sometime.
Here is your problem. WAY overcrowded. That many in there and you'll be doing water changes daily. The ammonia from their waste will poison them very rapidly.
used to keep minnows alive for up to 3 weeks in an old styrofoam cooler with a cheap aquarium air pump and stone and cheap filter. we used lake water.
the cooler was pushed under the porch on Dad's place in door county so the sun wouldnt bake them. I think Dad still has the cooler sitting on the beer fridge in his garage up in Wausaukee.
you can also use well water. they do not survive on the crap from the tap.
I have kept fifty minnows alive for two months in a fourth galion tank with no losses. Using tap water you can buy a water treatment that makes the water safe for fish. Like I said the minnows stayed alive until I threw a lil bass about the same size as the minnows in there and he ate them all took the bass a month and a half to eat them all
