Keeping / Breeding Minnows

[boondock]

Anyone ever kept and or breed minnows? If so, was it a difficult process, and what tips or techniques should you use? How large of an aquarium or holding tank is needed?

[BassBest]

I don't breed but to keep several dozen alive fill a 5 gallon bucket and keep it cold which is easy to do this time of year. treat the water if not already treated. Good for at least a week if kept cold.

[BASSENATOR]

If you are planning on keeping minnows for a long time an old non working deep freeze and a aireator from wallmart.
Jim

[redneckshadrap]

I just moved into a place that has a bull-nose pond in place. It has been here for about 4 yrs. It's not very big. It's Spring fed. He has placed pallets and wood in the shallows and along the banks. This support the spawning process....

Once note....critters will be your biggest factor. Minks, snakes, turtles..ect need to be kept at bay...


I can catch a minnow trap half full...NO BS in about 45 min. I ususally keep out a couple of dozen and pour the rest back into the pond.

[Hlleonard]

I don't breed but to keep several dozen alive fill a 5 gallon bucket and keep it cold which is easy to do this time of year. treat the water if not already treated. Good for at least a week if kept cold.

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I keep minnows pretty much the whole fishing season by using a similar method, instead of a 5 gal bucket I bought a tote from walmart that holds 15 gals of water with some room left over at the top and an aerator for a tropical fish tank ...I keep it under a big shade tree through the spring and fall months but in the summer months I keep them in a refrigerator in my garage ...I did learn that you cant let the rain get into the tank when its under the tree, a couple hundred minnows died over night during a rain storm.
I always put what minnows I am going to take with me in the refrigerator over night...Kept in a Styrofoam bucket they very seldom die during the day even as hot as it was last summer and at the end of the day I bring what I have left back with me.... You do have to treat the water with the "fish starter" to get the chlorine out of the water when you fill the tank.

[riverrat12]

I buried a 80 gallon tank in my back yard, plastic garbage can will do, then built a wood frame around it and a peice of plywood with hinges for a lid. Put a lock on it so kids couldn't fall in it, and a couple bubblers Bam instant cold water minnow tank.I could keep minnows alive all year round. I would by my minnows by the pound...cheaper that way and the key to keeping them alive was not to feed them. Also try to put the tank in a somewhat shady place...Hope this helps ...Chuck