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I’ve also noticed that the ones that are dying have a rust color around their gills and fins. Anyone have any idea what causes that? Fungus?
So to piggyback on this question...if I’m keeping a couple dozen smelts alive overnight in a bucket is it best to keep the lid off or on?
The lid doesn't matter. Got nothing to do with it. If that were the case we who keep aquariums wouldn't spend so much money on filters, we'd just leave the lids off.
New year, new bait tank setup, same issues. I converted a chest freezer to a bait tank so that I could increase my water capacity as well as control the temperature. I now have about 60 gallons of water in the freezer that is controlled by an inkbird outlet thermostat set at 36 degrees. I have a large aquarium waterfall type filter setup as well as a dual outlet air pump pumping air through two 12” bubbler stones. I filled the tank and got it down to temperature and put in the first 8 smelts I had caught the day I put my shack out. They all died within a couple days. I keep putting in more and they are dying at a rate of about 3-4/day. I have well water but I still use some aquarium water treatment at the water changes. Does anybody have any ideas what my issues might be? Could my well water just be that bad that it’s killing them? Is there something else I should be adding to the water?