Bait tank filter system

[mainejohn]

Just picked up a small chest freezer and want to use it to store bait in it in my garage that isnt heated. I guess i need submersible pump/filter system so it doesnt freeze.  Any ideas how to make one?

[nbourque]

Pool pump

[GasBlaster]

[woodchip]

if anyone has the room  I have two used hot tubs free I'll load them.

[jacksmelt71]

 in my un heated garage i got a pond pump that pushes water into a 5 gal bucket with stones on the bottom w/ a 3 gal bucket w/ fiberglass insulation in it. the water runs over the insulation  , passes over the stone and runs through the holes back into the tank . been doing this for 22 years. use a small pond deicer on - 0 temps. works great! smelt  love it! very simple with little work/ money to set up. the pump is the biggest expense. got a mid priced one at lowes.

[Coach]

Here is what I did. I have around 175 gallons in the tank

[MAINETROUTWHISPERER]

Just picked up a small chest freezer and want to use it to store bait in it in my garage that isnt heated. I guess i need submersible pump/filter system so it doesnt freeze.  Any ideas how to make one?

I have a video on my Youtube channel on how I built my filter. Just type in mainetroutwhisperer on youtube and search for the video. Or type in "Chest Freezer Bait tank"

[Tross108]

How many bubblers do you have in a tank?  I have roughly 35-40 Gallons with a 3 inch blubbler block and a second small round bubbler... I also have a 40 gallon fish tank filter.. Is this over kill and making the fish swim to much? Would 1 bubbler be fine?

[joefishmore]

If you don't feed them do you need a filter ?
Change tthe water

[lunkahville]

I have a video on my Youtube channel on how I built my filter. Just type in mainetroutwhisperer on youtube and search for the video. Or type in "Chest Freezer Bait tank"

This is a pretty neat setup..

[jacksmelt71]

How many bubblers do you have in a tank?  I have roughly 35-40 Gallons with a 3 inch blubbler block and a second small round bubbler... I also have a 40 gallon fish tank filter.. Is this over kill and making the fish swim to much? Would 1 bubbler be fine?

i have 2  12in.bubble wands on 2 quality air pumps. the more air the better!

[Tross108]

Thanks jacksmelt! 

[jacksmelt71]

If you don't feed them do you need a filter ?
Change tthe water

yes. ammonia builds up in the water from their excrement and will kill them if not filtered out of water or water changed often. can't just put a filter system on and add fish, as it has to run for at least 2 weeks before adding fish so the microbes that process the ammonia have enough time to colonize your tank  to deal with the ammonia present.  can help it along by adding 5 gal of pond water/ mud to the system. lots of microbes in there to seed your filter system.

[joefishmore]

If they haven't eaten for awhile they shouldn't  excrete anything or not much'
Ammonia is a gas and should be removed by the air from bubblers  ?

[GasBlaster]

That's what I do I fill my tank 1/2 way with lake water . Then as I bring shinners home I add 5 gallons of pond water each time . I never have to do a water change all year with my filter system . When we go fishing I bring the bait for the group in a 5 gallons bucket . I make sure to change the water out at the lake during the day and bring home 5 fresh gallons of lake water with the unused shinners each trip .

[jacksmelt71]

If they haven't eaten for awhile they shouldn't  excrete anything or not much'
Ammonia is a gas and should be removed by the air from bubblers  ?

they excrete all the time. worse if you feed them. a filter will take out some but the tank needs time for the microbes that process the ammonia to grow in there. adding lake water helps them get established quicker. if you just dump bait in a newly filtered tank they will probably die. that slime thats on the side of a established tank is the ammonia eating microbes and is a good thing!

[joefishmore]

I have an old bathtub in my cellar. I run water from my well in it and dump the minnows in. I can keep over a hundred in there
without an aerator, for a couple of months, changing the water a couple of times.

[PortageLaker]

Aqua safe works good for treating water before adding bait...promotes a healthy slime coat on the fish

[Dags Bait Maine]

If they haven't eaten for awhile they shouldn't  excrete anything or not much'
Ammonia is a gas and should be removed by the air from bubblers  ?

Your right, starved fish produce less ammonia.
Ammonia is a gas, and will gas off after it maximizes its saturation in solution of water. That is about 8ppm. Depending on temps and salts, shiners start dying at about 2ppm.
You don't need a bubbler for gas diffusion to occur, but it will expedite the process.

-Dylan