Bait Questions

[200fisher]

I recently set up a 10 gallon aquarium to save my unused bait and to always have a supply on hand. I'm running an air stone and a small hang-on power filter. Currently there are 3 dozen medium/medium heavy shiners residing there. They seem to be quite happy and healthy. My questions are:

 (A) How long can I expect them to survive?
 (2) Do I eventually need to feed them?
 (C) If so, what do I feed them? Tropical fish food?
 (D) How often do they need to be fed?
 (E) What else do I need to know?

Thanks...

[bojango]

dont feed them, they will last all winter, change half the water every week or two and you are good to go

[ICEHOLE]

I have a 10 gallon on my outside patio, with a hang on filter and a heather to keep it from freezing up. and I end up using the bait before they die. temps at zero or below I crank the heather all the way up. and days like today (warm) I turn it all the way down. I will admit I did loose 4 or 5 the day it went from 0 degrees to 40 in a short time. but I save a lot of money on bait this way. and you don't have to go to a bait shop before you fish 

[BaitBucket]

Feeding will depend on where they are kept. The cooler the area (as long as it wont freeze) the better. The feed less during the colder months. The cooler temps will aslo help with shock when you get the out onto the ice and toss them in near freezing water.

Change 1/3-1/2 of the water weekly and Swap out the carbon filter in your tank monthly. May require bi-monthly depending on how messy each batch is.

The night before I go out i put the bait im going to use the next day in a separate container and toss a half a bagle in there. Want them well fed and ready to be eaten for the next day lol.

Should last a good long while in those conditions.

I have had 425 in my 500gal tank since mid november and lost only 3.

[flyfish413]

Tips:

-Cover the outside of the tank (assuming it's glass) with paper or something like that. It will keep them from getting spooked and smashing into the walls when you approach and knocking themselves silly.
- remove anything that dies ASAP. Dead fish will cloud the water very quickly and stink
- You probably don't need to feed them, particularly if you cycle them out for bait frequently, but they will eat fish food or bread crumbs. toss them in from the side so they don't see you above and spook. Don't overfeed if you decide to do so, it will gunk up the water.
- Pick up a bottle of bait water treatment stuff. It's like $2.50 for a bottle that will last years in a tank that size. Cabelas has it, it neutralizes ammonia and tap water chemicals.
- don't change the water to regularly, but you may have to do it more than once a week with that many fish in there. General rule of thumb for an aquarium is 1" - 1.5" of fish per gallon of water. You are way over that so you may need to change it more often, but never more than 1/3 or 1/2 at a time.

[Jschumacher]

Good God Will 500gallons Did you put an addition on the house for that. Does the filter have its own breaker in the panel???.

[flyfish413]

Consider that Baitbucket has 425 in a 500 gal tank, that sounds like a lot, but adjusting that to the same number-to-tank size ratio as OP (36 in a 10 gal vs. 425 in a 500 gal) would be about 1700+ shiners in the tank, and the die-off and maintenance would certainly be significantly higher. You have about 4 times more bait in your 10 Gal tank than he does in his 500 (which is bananas, by the way! Is that a hot tub in the off season?) You're pretty close to maxed out at 3 dozen in a 10 gal tank, but as long as you're holding bait and not pets, it shouldn't be a big deal as long as you keep with the cleanup and water changes.

[BaitBucket]

I dont have it full lol