Chest Freezer to a Minnow Tank
 

has anyone done this? what does it take to convert. with minnows touching $10/doz in eastern MT i think its time i start trapping them!!! so any help with this would be great!!


or even just anything you have done to make a minnow tank and how you kep the water cool!

thanks

Kid

the water can be kept cool by using a coil of copper tubing in a freezer and plumbed into the bait tank pump and the water circulated from the tank to the ciol and back to the tankthrough the coil in the freezer

You will have other issues....you will need to keep the water filtered and if they are in there too long there are problems with fungus.

I use a filter with activated charcoal and have no problem with ammonia from the minnows themselves or with any fungus.
I keep 2 to 3 lbs of minnows in a 100 gallon tank. Roughly 8 to 9 dozen per lb depending on size.

Check out [url]www.minnowmasters.com[/url] we weld the cooling units for there systems. They have a very good product. They also build and sell filters. They really know their stuff. Maybe they have a filter that they can retrofit your freezer so its keeps them longer.

Chad is Right
 

Chad is correct you will have alot of issues if the water is not filtered. I picked up a used Lobster Tank with water pumps, cooling and water filtration system. I did it more for convience so i don't have to run to town everytime I want to fish. As far as cost, with the electricity it uses, I question overtime is it cost effective to the cost of minnows? The system needs to be on all the time once it set up. It does a awesome job keeping the water cool and clean and the minnows and leechs do very well, nice to come home with the boat hooked up and throw the bait in and off I go. I have a thought for you though. Start using artificials more. For example Trigger X with Mooneyed jig eyes. I am told these work very well for early season fishing. Or experiment with Berkley Gulp. One of my goals, for this year, is to master using artificials more the second is to spend alot of time seeking walleyes in shallow water. Trust me the reccomendation for Trigger X and Moon Eye jigs comes from the best fisherman of all times. Al Lindner. I feel his endorsement is as good a one to start with out of any. Good luck Gary Korsgaden

a good friend of mine uses an old chest freezer as a minow tank and he has it plugged in to a timer it turns on and off at set times, he keeps his minnows all summer, this is in NE MT also, it is aireated and I don;t know if it is filtered or not..

I made my own filter out of a 5 gallon bucket. Put an outlet near the bottom and cut a hole in the lid for the inlet. Place a pond pump in the water to pump it to the filter, water runs through the filter back into the take. I use floor scrubbing pads for the filter with a course one on top then a finer one in the middle and an activater charcoal pad on the bottom. I also run a dual outlet aquarium air pump for airation. A coil of copper tubing can be added to the line and placed in a freezer to keep the water cool.
If you used a chest freezer for the tank you would not need to copper coil.
I don't know what the cost in electric would be to run the chest freezer. If you put a coil in the freezer in your refrigerator, you would get double duty from it as in keeping your beer, pop, crawlers etc cold at the same time

A chest freezer will be my next bait tank, when my big freezer dies. I will design it to have a fresh water intake of well water (spray) w/ bubblers and an overflow.

I've seen one built out of a 250 gallon fuel oil tank. Cut the top 1/3 off for the lid, run big stone bubblers and fresh well water constantly. It keeps minnows for weeks. No filtering system, but I suppose that would be good idea.

I would just get a big floating cage and leave it in the creek. Catch themand leave them in the cage. I have kept chubs and minnows before. its a monstrous PITA. Have you tried crawlers?