Minnow tank/pond

[ncboman]

I'm considering building a minnow tank for baitfish since I have a good bit of epdm around here for a liner. ... perhaps 4x8x2ftdeep. Think that's big enough?

I assume recycling the water with a pump (up to some kind of falls) would provide enough aeration?

thoughts?

ncboman

[Altjaeger]

Are you going to introduce breeders or simply stock and hold.? I would think it would hold them as long as cool enough, If larger breeders are introduced I suspect it would but do not know that.

[Bill Gunn]

I've have a pond with minnows (golden shinners, and fatheads) and koi for over 13 years now.

Go to about last 20 or so pictures...

http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/2236628

Aeration is the easiest part, you can get a cheap bubbler at Wally World.
Getting rid of the algae, and the byproducts of pee and poop are the big problems.
A lot of people have a means of constantly adding water (No chlorine in water). If you don't do that, you will need a uv light to kill algae, and filter of some sort to act like a septic tank. I made mine from a 150 gal. stock tank.

A two foot deep pond is a perfect dinner plate for Blue Herons. One can wipe out a pond like that in a day while your at work, unless you cover it some way (netting is best). A heron emptied my neighbors pond about the size your looking at in a day, and got about 30 to 50 goldfish.

There's a ton of info on the net. It doesn't much matter if it's for goldfish, koi, or minnows.
Here's a quick one...

http://www.practical-water-gardens.com/gazette503int.htm


The ponds are cool, and nice to have, but for economics, it's probably easier to net your own from a lake or river (I have a pond, and it's still easier to net minnows in the Niagara river) or buy minnows.

My minnows reproduce so much that I honestly have to throw a bass in there to eat them and keep them in controll. They have babies by the thousands.

The only way around this is to build a really big dirt minnow pond. That same neighbor of mine that lost the goldfish to the heron, built one about 25' X 75' X 6' and it works great. He raises fatheads, and crawfish to feed his 2 acre bass pond.

[DaveHawk]

Alan, get a plastic 55 gal drum cut in half long ways, set on saw horses, [cut notch on top of saw horses] put a wire mesh door with 2 hinges on top. Then use a small pump to circulate the water.

[dave-t.]

My inlaws keep minnows and perch through the spring and summer. They all use a regular horse water tank roughly 3'x6'x2.5' and keep a bubbler or two running. They cover the tanks with screens, and keep them in the shade.

When your areator or bubbler accidentally shut off, you're in deep dodo.

I don't know how many times my father inlaw has checked his tank the night before, and then after something went bump in the night, woke up to a tank of dead fish. That part can get frustrating.

It sure is handy to just head over and fill the bait bucket right before you head to the water though.

[Bill Gunn]

This shows the different size stock tanks you can get...

http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/DisplayCategory_10551_10001_190408_14614_-1_14602%7C14614?groupClass=animals

[Altjaeger]

The tanks woud be easier to empty, drain and clean occassionally.:)

[DaveHawk]

Put a cork in it !LOL

[ncboman]

I'm tryin to keep from spendin any money on this. :rolleyes:

... although I know I'll need a pump or bubbler of some type.

Considering I already have a good amount of epdm and some lumber, it might could be a relatively cheap/free hobby for a ready source of bait. Shade not already in use is premium real estate here in the yard but I think I have a good place to play, just gotta clean up some stuff.

I could probably build this tank a lot bigger than I need and doan really know what size to go for. I have rolls of rubber 20' wide and 10' wide. The 20' stuff would give me about 15' one way at a depth of 2' and some to lap the top rails. Two foot is deep enough I think. Most carp I see in customer's water ponds are in 2' or less of water. ... but I could go deeper if it's better. :rolleyes:

Smaller size would probably fit my spot better but 5 or 6' long doan seem like much room when I can do 15' just about as easy. I can build just about any size with this rubber.

I doan think the johnnygones will be a problem here but coons and possums might visit once in a while. Algae will be an issue from time to time but I think I can take care of that if/when it builds up. A millionaire friend of mine has a huge filtration system with two backpump reservoirs and the whole 9yds for his big garden pond but I cain keep up with him. lol. :o

I think the algae will be easier to remove if the tank is on the ground and not in it.

ncboman