HELP!!! MY BAIT IS DYING

[polarfisher]

We here in NY used to be able to do this , but with the new laws on bait fish Due to the VHS we cant . I had 2 fifty gallon plastic  drums that i cant use any more.

same   

[zamboni]

Iceenut- whats the room temp in your garage?

[Mainehazmt]

i have the same set up 300 gallons  250 gph pond pump 3 bubblers `1 fountain pump gravel on bottom few crabz a couple clams no kiddin good cleanup crew cut hole in topused fill hole for access 2 long handle nets for retrival must be clean before use aged water for months before use ie with circulation  good to go  only froze up 2" of ice in the coldest part of the winter in my unheated garage  tell me if i forgot anything advice is priceless  did i mention that i stayed at an holiday inn express   lol  mo

ok   what was the outside temp  when you froze it?  Im lucky  this tank was used only for food grade water souluble products!  

[JCaughtem]

Ok, so this is my first year trying to catch my own bait and keep it through out the winter. My buddies and i have about a 250 gallon stock tank with 2 aerators and a pond filter......but now after only 3 days in the tank they are starting to die......any suggestions on how to keep them from dying off??? Any input would be helpful! Thanks. Pray for ice.

Keep them cold ive had 15oo bait in one tank with just one airater the ice was like to inches on top ill leave the ice chunks to keep them cold i had them all winter with very few deaths i sold some to a local bait shop about 300 he had a pro set but had them inside they were to warm drooped like flies cold is key.PS  i to am from pittsfield.Good luck.

[bassranger]

I own a bait shop and sell minnows during the winter but didn't want to pay thousands for one of those commercial tanks so what I did is bought a used chest freezer holds probaly 150-200 gallons of water $100.00, Got a 2 hose arator system $40.00, a decent canister filter $100 with all the filters and pads, and a external thermometer The one you use for brewing beer $30.00. The thermastate will allow you to set the water at any temp you want I keep mine at 38 degrees. I do a complete water change every two weeks or when needed you most remove chlorine from the water if you use tap water you can get the stuff at the pet store. add a little bait saver which keeps the ammonia down and good to go. The whole set up cost me $275.00 and can hold around 20 pounds of bait (2000 minnows)

[jayswimmer09]

sounds like it works great but maybe you shouldnt do a full water change, the good bacteria build up will eat a lot of the fish feces and you wont have to completely rely on your filter, just my 2 cents

[-ADKIceman]

One thing you gotta be careful of is to not dump them from ice cold water to the room temp water. That will shock the heck out of them. Make sure your water levels are correct.

[1MOFISH]

ok   what was the outside temp  when you froze it?  Im lucky  this tank was used only for food grade water souluble products!  

it got down to 0-10 degrees at night used a light bulb to keep air temp up, this year  sealed up garage got a new pump need to trap a few more now water temp down as for the previous product it was ethyl alcohol i can here the rants now his bait is swimmin funny   lol    mo          MERRY CHRISTMAS

[sinky23]

iceenut....your set up for bait looks great...I see the green filter, what else do you have connected for air and circulation? What size filter/ pumps should I be using for a 100 tank ? & is the rock on the bottom necessary??  thanks

Should your tank look something like this?...

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

Works like a charm,wake up get your coffee,step out to the garage load up some choice baits and you're on your way to your favorite spot.Gets rid of the hassle of getting up extra early or waiting for your guy to open. The only thing missing in the pic is the wire top that I use to keep the buggers from jumping out ,icicles especially.