Keeping my baitfish alive...

[rbaquial]

Hey OFC'ers,

 

So, I finally managed to convince the "Wife" there is a reason for me to have a "Bait Fish" Aquarium.... TO SAVE MONEY!

 

Just had a quick question to you folks out there that have their own Aquarium to keep your own Baitfish alive (so to save money, not for resale) for the next fishing trip. I was just wondering what the heck to feed these guys? I just recently picked up some Suckers... and I have no idea what to feed them? I was thinking the regular "Flakes" that are fed to your typical "PET STORE" type fish....I know they (the Suckers *for now*) won't eat it immediately once the "Flakes" are dropped it... but once it sinks to the bottom, they can feed off that? Will that work? What the heck do I feed these things?!

 

ALSO....

 

What about regular minnows (that you get from a typical Bait/Tackle Shop)? What do you guys use to feed those?!

 

Thanks Folks, Just looking for some input on some of the guys/gals out there that have their own Baitfish Aquarium Tank.

 

**Obviously, I know to follow the regs and keep within my 120 limit (or whatever # it is)... Besides, this isn't for RESALE; its for my own personal use**

 

Thanks in Advance!

RoB

Edited May 4, 2009 by Addikted2Fishin'

[xeon]

Gota say, been there, done that.

 

First off, dont bother... what a pain in the a$$, espetialy in the hot Toronto summer. You need to make sure the water temperatures are cool (depending on species) and most of the time the baitfish are full of diseases, so sometimes you can loose your batch after a week or two. Also, unless you have a good filter, the water is going to get filled with amonia after a few days because your basicaly overloading the capacity of your tank with all the fish. Warm water doesnt help that at all, it speeds up the metabolism of the fish, making the water quality worse. Frequent water changes are then needed almost every to everyother day, and of course the water has to be dechlorinated and also the same temperature as the tank water as to not shock the fish.

 

But if your really getting hit that hard from the recession, the regular minnows just eat plain old goldfish flakes. Oh and theyre little kamikazes, make sure to put a lid on the tank.

 

For the suckers, well, dont bother. Seriously, dont. Save yourself the hassel, and only buy what you need when your heading out for the day. You can keep them for a few days but again with warm watter, a bunch of 6''+ suckers are going to create one hell of a mess. Youve been warned.

 

If you do do it though, have a fun summer.

[Fudd]

Well i used to have a baitfish license. And even then with all the gear they are a pain. We put old concrete 8'culverts into the ground after a while of trying to keep them in SS tanks in the shed,and this managed to keep the fish the healthiest. The concrete kept them nice and cool and provided a huge swimzone. like Xeon said you are going to have problems keeping the temp right and if you overpopulate the tank the ammonia will build up very fast.