don't mix minnows.

[overdalimit ul]

I have had chubs that were like 5 or 6 days old and doing just fine. I then through in some suckers and by morning they were all dead. Why is this? Has happened more than once. If I keep them apart they do just fine. Anybody got any idea why?

[JJ Mac]

Depends on how the water quality was to begin with and how much water you had.

My guess as to what happened is that the oxygen level got overwhelmed and the nitrogren level got too high when you added the extra fish.

Here's some tips that might help in the future. Maybe you're doing some of these already.

Never mix two water sources together, that is don't pour one bucket of minnows into the other, especially if they aren't the same temperature.

Keeping minnows alive in the winter is actually a lot easier. Each night pour an extra bucket of water and set it out next to the minnow bucket. By morning they will both be equal temperature and if you have city water it should be pretty well dechlorinated after 12 hours. Then transfer the minnows to the bucket with fresh water. A good bubbler helps as well. Make sure to use plenty of water. If you religiously change the water like this every 24 hours, you will have very little mortality.

I myself like to keep a large cooler with a bubbler in the garage with my full stash of minnows. I only need to stop and get more at the baitstore occasionally this way. No more waiting for the shop to open, or finding out that they are out of a certain kind you want. I do a 1/3 water change every morning with a fresh bucket of water thats been sitting next to the cooler from the night before (same temp and dechlorinated). Then I just take what I need for the day in a bucket or a smaller container. The minnows left after fishing go right back in the cooler when I get home. Oh yeah, and don't forget to set out a fresh bucket of water for the 1/3 water change in the morning. The system works great. If you get lazy and skip that daily water change, minnows start dying. Always remove any dead minnows asap as they will quickly raise Nitrogen levels in the water.

About my only problem I still find challenging is keeping those dang golden shiners alive. Heck, you can hardly get them out of the store before they die sometimes!

[Fish For Fun]

jjmac hit it right on the head, never mix two different temp waters together. I use the exact system with the extra bucket of water over night, works like a charm. I always have a few die off but it's nice to buy in bulk and keep them. Also do not feed them unless you have had them for weeks and then only give them a little crushed crackers or dry bread crumbs.

[overdalimit]

I thank you for the info.