minnow longevity

[bigberniegb]

I have a problem keeping perch and crappie minnows alive. Is the problem lack of oxygen ? Or is it the temperature change? Could it be the longevity of a tiney aqutiac animal is short lived? I've tried a battery powered airator and the minnows still go belly up. So what's the answer?

[jstfish48162]

i have been having the same problem with my minnows.

i have noticed that using a styrofoam cooler SHORTENS the life of my minnows. i am now using a regular plastic minnow bucket, and they have been staying alive longer.

i personally feel that it is lack of oxygen in the water..remember that the tank they come out of is being flooded with oxygen from the aerators.

i have tried putting a couple handfuls of clean snow in the bucket with the minnows, and that seems to help a little. i tried a battery powered aerator this past weekend, and all of my minnows were dead before the day was over...that was in the styrofoam bucket. my cousin brought the regular plastic minnow bucket FULL of minnows, and they stayed alive until we packed up to leave.

just my $.02

[LandonSenk@ameritech.net]

I keep mine in a 2 gallon cooler with the lid on. Instead of changing water I bring them inside and fill a strainer with snow aat night because that is when it is the coldest.I leave it inside till the snow melts then take it back outside. The only time I change the water is after I use them again.

[Banditto]

Well a battery powered aerator might not have enough capacity. Any pet store will have a 110V high capacity aerator that will cost less than $10.

Also, the more water the better. We keep ours in at least 5 gallons of water and change it very seldom.

But cold water, just on the edge of freezing is the key.

and NO FOOD!

[Ralph Smith]

I'll second that Banditto. I've kept them in a 5 gal. pail in garage for a week with changing water, and no O2. As long as its cold. If the top freezes over, they'll die fast. I put them on my work bench, and put a small elec. space heater a few feet away on low, this works great to keep from freezing. If its in 20's on up, I usually use no heat, and 30's on up to 40 just sit on cement floor

[whoaness854]

I have had the same 3 dozen minows in a bucket for 3 weeks, probably 6 have died, I use a battery aerator when fishing and recently got a 110v one for home. They work better than I thought, the battery one kept them going for 2 weeks but got expensive replacing batteries ever 2 days.