I've pretty much exhausted all resources , and i'm still leaking money like a sieve.

I can't keep my minnows alive.

Here is my set up:

100 Gallon tank
12" Airstone
1000 Minnows per tank

Water is straight out of the ground. I bypass the holding tank. The ph is perfect. There is no chlorine. I keep the bait house at 63 degrees. Daily i drain 20-25 gallons and add fresh. The fresh water going in is at 70 degrees. That slight temp difference "Should" not hurt them at all.

I am losing from 12-20 dozen minnows per day. Lost half dozen in the time it took to make this post.

I've inquired about Keep alive or Sure-Life. The manufacturers told me it would be a waste of my money since there is no chlorine in the water and the water is fresh.

Any ideas other than charging $6 a dozen to keep from goin to the poor house?

I see yall are just as stumped as me

maybe there is something in the ground water? have u had it tested? i keep a few minnows in my aquarium and when i add water, it seems to kill a few. could be the temp change. just guessing cause i have never tried to keep that many alive. hope u get it figured out.

If your holding tank has CORNERS as in square or rectangular in shape that is your problem. Them shiners will kill themselves in no time in a box shaped tank. I can give you a gentlemans' phone number that may be able to help you out. If you are interested. He raises and sells shiners also. He is a very nice old man but he may talk your ear off If you are interested PM me and I will give ya his number. From what I remember him telling me them stones don't work worth a dang. He uses a different areator setup.


Rob

Your tank? Is it a 100 gallon glass, plastic, or galvanized tank. If it is the galvanized tank that is most likely the problem the zinc in the galvanize dip will kill em almost as fast as you put em in til the toxins have dispersed from time and wear, if the tank ain't the culprit then the constant water changing might be, the tank has to develope it's own ecosystem and the daily water changes just disrupt that, install a filtration system and add a little bit of algea to the tank ( you can buy the algea pills at any pet shop).

I use a clearish white plastic tank 150 gallons surrounded by styrofoam for insulation with a filtration system and dual aerators with the algea tablets I also keep 4 medium sizes Plecos in the tank to help keep the algea from taking over completely, only problem I ever have is when the coons get into the tank cause I forgot to close the lid. Right now I don't bother with triing to keep minnows since it is a seasonal deal here (white bass spawn) so not much point in it til next spring, but I have kept minnows through the summer without much in the way of die off.

My tanks are the 100 gallon hardened rubber/plastic tanks. and they are oval.

I've searched the internet and can't find much help in the way of a filtration setup. I would like to filter I'm sure it would help.

If i dont change out 20-25 gallons of water daily, within 2 days my water is white from leftovers of dead minnows, and poop and any other bi products and the ph will be over 9 which kills em. They need the fresh water. They are spawning which is not helping the cause at all but i still shouldn't be losing them the way i am.

Look for a dual canister filter set up, I ain't goin to BS you it will cost a bit of money one canister should be charcoal and the other will be some sort of plastic carbon balls, a decent system will run around 200 bucks and up. I will see if i can find you a link to one like mine so you can get an idea.

One remote possibility is that your tanks need to be cleaned to remove any slimy bacterial films which have covered the inner surfaces of your tanks. Feel the sides and if they are slippery, bacteria are living there. Empty the tanks and clean with a dilute bleach solution and let it stand overnight. Then drain and flush a few times and refill. This might help. But it's just a suggestion. I have no proof this will work.

MMaybe these links will help you out some. The first one shows a filtration system that does not look too hard to build something similar with regular water softener filters maybe???? They also have some information that may help you out with your problem.

http://www.minnowmaster.com/pages/filtration.html

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6962019.html

http://www.koiclay.com/thevillagekeeper/pg2.htm


Hope the info helps out some.

Rob

P.S.

If you need a couple LARGE Plecostamas they can be caught in Calaveras Lake rite around the boat ramp or the rocks near the rail road bridge on the west arm of the lake. I catch them in my thrownet all the time about 14-20" long

Fill you tank with water and keep it full for about 4 months until it is coated with algea. If you dont have algea, they will die. I put my minnow in the water troughs at our ranch. They only minnows we loose are the ones coons get. Just keep the water in it and keep one side of it shaded. Its easy.

JT

Here is a link to one not like mine but should help you get goin in the right direction. It's cheap enough also that you can try it out and see if it helps the problem you are having and then upgrade to a better system later.

http://www.petco.com/product/2393/Marineland-Magnum-350-Dual-Purpose-Canister-Filter.aspx

I just looked at that minnowmaster link and that is identical to my system. That would be my choice if I had to redo my system.

Also remeber the Plecos (sucker fish in aquariums) that will help with the build up on the walls and floor of the tank. So you aren't constantly in the tank wiping the walls. But they won't decimate the algea field you have in the tank to the point that it won't sustain the minnows.

Man you know you could be sittin on a gold mine there. Some of those large Plecos go for some serious cash, the rich folk use em in their koi ponds. I'd call around to a few pet shops and aquariums and see if they are interested in buying some and tell em how big they are and see how fast they jump on em. I bet for them big ones you could get 40-50 bucks a pop.

redneck you do all the logistics and I can provide the Pleco's lol. Maybe I could pickup a 2nd job with the thrownet lol. I tried selling some to the petshops when I was a kid, but they didn't want nothing to do with them. I turned one loose in the Sunken Gardens in downtown San Antonio about this time last year. He was about 24" long so if any of you go visit the gardens and see "Ole Predator" out there cruisin around I'm the one that turned him loose in there lol. Figured with all them big ole Koi fish they needed atleast one vaccumm cleaner Seriously though if Canyon needs some just let me know I will catch you some and when I get a mess of them I will let you know and maybe you could meet me in Schertz and pick'em up.......... Good luck with that minner tank.


Rob

Your problem is likely due to Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. You need a hellacious filter system that can support a very strong biological filter community that contains bacteria that convert Ammonia to Nitrite and Nitrite to Nitrate. Ammonia and Nitrite are toxic at fairly low doses. They can usually tolerate a little more Nitrate, and the only way to remove it is through a water change.

Swing by an aquarium shop or PetSmart and pick up the chemicals to test for all three of those (don't get the strips, get the chemicals). Guarantee all 3 are near off the charts. If you have zero on Nitrate, but have any ammonia or nitrite, that's bad as it means you don't have good biological filtration. Same thing if you have zero on both Nitrite and Nitrate and have any ammonia.