Quinte Fishing

Guys, I'm new to Belleville so I'm not sure how minnows are going to react to city water. I use two 5 gallon pails with aerators and filters. For new water I add conditioner to get rid of chlorine and another additive to get rid of ammonia that the minnows produce. I move the minnows between the the two buckets every week. I have the buckets in my basement so they the water is not very cold. Maybe I need to put frozen water bottles in the buckets to cool the water. About four minnows are dying every day. At this rate I'll have no minnows left by the time we get ice to fish on. Do you guys have any suggestions? BATMAN

Batman, go down to the river and get water from there. I stock up using large bottles then keep minnows in a cooler with an aerator.
I get mine down at the mouth of the Moira across from the beer store.
regards

I've kept minnows for many years without a problem. I set up a tote and look after it like an aquarium.

When I first set up my minnow tank, I use some pond/river water. It's inoculated with all the organisms beneficial to the fish. Always leave some inoculated water in the tank and it'll regenerate.

I use the same water conditioners that you do. I have 5 gals of conditioned water that I let sit for at least a week. Longer is better. About once a week, I'll change out about a gallon with the treated water.

If my water starts to get a little cloudy, I'll change out a gallon right away. I change the media in my filter maybe once a month.

I keep my minnows in a 20x15x8 inch rubbermaid tote on the garage floor. My garage hovers around 40-45F. Colder is probably better.

I cut a hole in the lid for a cheap filter and aerator hose. Had to add a piece of mesh as I made the hole too big. Amazing how small a hole the minnows can escape through.

Feed the minnows once a week with goldfish food. I bought it in bulk, dirt cheap and lasts for years.

I turn off my water filter for a couple of hours until the food is gone so my filter doesn't pick it up. It'll last longer.

That's about it.

I trap the minnows from my neighbours pond. Set my tank up around early November, keep about 6 doz.. Return the unused ones to the tank until next trip. I might lose a half dozen all winter.

My wife will tell you that I spend more time with my minnows than her. A slight exaggeration, but they are my fishing buddies and I do check on them daily.

If you decide to get a filter, a cheap one works and make sure the replacement media(filter) is cheap and available. Air is important, I spent more on the air pump than the filter.

Anyway, hope that was of some help.

Roblin,

It sounds like good advice. I think I will soon be looking for water from the Moira or Lake Ontario. Maybe I should stop drinking Belleville water.

BATMAN

Ammonia is the biggest problem I think. It is from their urine and burns their gills. Also I used to use my well water but had a lot die off. Turns out the Ph was higher than where I trap my minnows. I now use water from the pond I trap in. Change it out 1/3 each time every three days or so for the first couple weeks then whenever you can. Keep them cold and never feed them!!! I keep minnows from Nov -April and then let whatever is left go back in the pond.

I always fill a bucket then let it sit for a few days before switching out the water.

_________________
Dan Elliot - A bad day on Quinte is better than a good day at work !!!
http://www.quintefishing.com

I also keep minnows from December to March. Use a big plastic container with an 'old school' filter. Keep it in my cold room. Works great. Only change the water once or twice a year. Change the filter each time. And I DO feed them....once a week, same as Roblin. Goldfish food & also turn off the pump for an hour. They eat it up and actually do grow...I think.

Well my 3 dozen muds all died but one over the last few weeks. I went down to the Moria across from the beer store. Of course, the best spot to get water was frozen over. Went up the road a bit to open water. Good thing I brought a bucket and a long rope. The drop was a good 10 feet to the water. I got my water but spent an extra 15 minutes talking to people walking bye. They thought I was taking water samples for the MOE. Now I have have 2 five gallon buckets with nice brown Moira River water. Moved buckets into my garage. My basement was too warm. Each bucket now has an aerator, filter and small aquarium heater on a timer. I also insulated the buckets. I spent $100 on all the upgrades. My wife hopes my experimenting is now over. Thanks for all your suggestions. BATMAN

Wow, you really went to town. Of course, the adventure is half the fun. I did a stint raising chickens. Eggs cost me about $30.00 a dozen.

Good luck.