# raising bait fish



## justnortherns (Apr 21, 2011)

I'm considering setting up a home aquarium tank to raise bait fish (for personal use, so it won't be too big of a tank).

Pros and cons? Best bait fish to raise? Is it worth the effort?

My kids would definitely enjoy the experience regardless, but if I ended up with too few bait fish or too many, I could imagine maybe getting a demerit or two from the wife.............so any advice would be appreciated.


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## redbug (Apr 21, 2011)

i had an old swimming pool that someone dumped my bait bucket in it sat for a few years and was full of bait fish.
raising them or getting them to breed would be tough in a fish tank. 
I breed several types of tropical fish and it isn't as easy as you think.
If you do get the fish to lay eggs getting them to a usable size will take a very long time
you will need to do 50%water changes on a regular (at least twice a week) basis.
keep the filters clean feed them test your water and so on..
with the pool it was easy the fish ate insects and algae and the larger volume of water made water changes unnecessary
A fish tank for the kids is a great idea, raising fish is part of what got me into fishing
I am running 4 tanks at the moment and spend around 20 hours a week maintaining them


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## bulldog (Apr 21, 2011)

+1 to redbug. He knows his stuff.


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## justnortherns (Apr 21, 2011)

bulldog said:


> +1 to redbug. He knows his stuff.



+1 as well! I like the swimming pool idea (but I don't have the space for it). A small pond, if I had that luxury and I could catch them, might be worth a try. Maybe I will start out using a small aquarium as a holding tank just for what I purchase and see if I can handle the maintenance.............at least the kids will be impressed.


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## DocWatson (Apr 22, 2011)

You started with an idea to raise baitfish. A better idea, and one several guys I know use, is to keep a tank of baitfish that you activly restock with fresh caught baitfish (for rather obvious reasons). Sunnys, suckers, legal size gamefish, if using them for bait is legal in your state (some of our guys use the state stocked trout for cut-bait), all do well in a home tank of 20 gallons or larger, and larger is better.


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## redbug (Apr 22, 2011)

justnortherns said:


> bulldog said:
> 
> 
> > +1 to redbug. He knows his stuff.
> ...


if you plan on using the fish tank to hold the fish I would suggest a 40 gallon breeder tank it has a larger foot print and isn't as deep the larger surface area helps keep the oxygen level up. Also be sure to get a quality filter to help maintain the health of the fish.
thei first thing to do before buying any fish is to cycle the tank that gets your filter ready to break down the waste the fish porduce it may take several weeks but is worth it in the long run 

https://www.algone.com/aquarium-articles/technical-aquarium-information/fishless-cycling


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## justnortherns (Apr 22, 2011)

Thanks for the excellent replies.......it is clear that I should know something of what I'm doing before I start. So I'll take it real slow and start out with as large of a tank as I can afford.


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## bassboy1 (Apr 22, 2011)

DocWatson said:


> You started with an idea to raise baitfish. A better idea, and one several guys I know use, is to keep a tank of baitfish that you activly restock with fresh caught baitfish (for rather obvious reasons). Sunnys, suckers, legal size gamefish, if using them for bait is legal in your state (some of our guys use the state stocked trout for cut-bait), all do well in a home tank of 20 gallons or larger, and larger is better.



This.^

I use a 25 gallon tank for shad and bream on the boat, and when I get my ducks in a row otherwise (and can fish regularly again), I'll be getting a large tank (probably around 100 gallon) to store bait in. It is much easier to duck down to the river for 4 hours in the evening when I don't have to worry about catching bait every time, and can instead fill it every 3 weeks or so with a dedicated bait run.

This would also be beneficial for wintertime trout, as the nearest supplier of these is 30 minutes in the wrong direction (would allow me to buy 4 outings worth per trip to the supplier)


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## MadCatter (Apr 24, 2011)

Hey guys, just thought I'd throw my two cents worth into this as its an interesting discussion. Since I fish and raise koi and goldies, my experience might prove useful.

One thing I'd have to ask you (and this might be a good compromise for you and your wife as well as bring in a smile to the kids), is do you have a small corner of a garage or a basement you can use? The reason I bring this up is because as Bassboy1 mentions is that he's wanting a 100 gal tank for his bait. I have a homemade pond in my backyard (and the sore back to prove it) that is 2400 gal and has Koi and goldies in it. Because it's over 4 ft deep, I don't have to worry about the weather. On the flip side of this, a corner in your garage that is at least 2 feet wide and 4 feet long will give you a good area but as pointed out by web, bigger is better: ideally if you can go 8'x2' to 3', and about 3'to 4' high, you can build a small 'indoor pond' that will be more than suitable for your fish. Again, you'd need a good pump and filter system but you can find plenty of ideas on youtube for such a project. The easiest way to do it is go to home depot and get landscape timber (8' lengths and less than $2.00 ea) and pond liner. You can also build your own filter for a lot less than what they charge but you'll still need some simple plumbing and a dependable pump. As an example, the simplest yet one of the most effective filters I've encountered and built (and still run) is a simple wooden box with a pipe coming from the pump, buried under gravel. At the top of the filter, I have a drain back into the pond (a waterfall) and plants in the gravel (they'll thrive on the detritus from the pond, generate oxygen, and help filter and clean the water. For what it cost to buy a 100 gal set up with all the necessary filtering equipment, you can build an attractive pond for your baitfish that will take up about the same amount of space, but will be deeper and hold more fish. You can add an airpump and airstone if you want, or even put river rock or pea gravel on the bottom. since you're wanting to keep baitfish, it wouldn't hurt to invest in some pond plants (or get some from your loval area) and plant them on the bottom of the pond. Just remember to keep the cat out of the garage! :mrgreen:


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## DocWatson (Apr 25, 2011)

MadCatter said:


> Hey guys, just thought I'd throw my two cents worth into this as its an interesting discussion. Since I fish and raise koi and goldies, my experience might prove useful.
> 
> One thing I'd have to ask you (and this might be a good compromise for you and your wife as well as bring in a smile to the kids), is do you have a small corner of a garage or a basement you can use? The reason I bring this up is because as Bassboy1 mentions is that he's wanting a 100 gal tank for his bait. I have a homemade pond in my backyard (and the sore back to prove it) that is 2400 gal and has Koi and goldies in it. Because it's over 4 ft deep, I don't have to worry about the weather. On the flip side of this, a corner in your garage that is at least 2 feet wide and 4 feet long will give you a good area but as pointed out by web, bigger is better: ideally if you can go 8'x2' to 3', and about 3'to 4' high, you can build a small 'indoor pond' that will be more than suitable for your fish. Again, you'd need a good pump and filter system but you can find plenty of ideas on youtube for such a project. The easiest way to do it is go to home depot and get landscape timber (8' lengths and less than $2.00 ea) and pond liner. You can also build your own filter for a lot less than what they charge but you'll still need some simple plumbing and a dependable pump. As an example, the simplest yet one of the most effective filters I've encountered and built (and still run) is a simple wooden box with a pipe coming from the pump, buried under gravel. At the top of the filter, I have a drain back into the pond (a waterfall) and plants in the gravel (they'll thrive on the detritus from the pond, generate oxygen, and help filter and clean the water. For what it cost to buy a 100 gal set up with all the necessary filtering equipment, you can build an attractive pond for your baitfish that will take up about the same amount of space, but will be deeper and hold more fish. You can add an airpump and airstone if you want, or even put river rock or pea gravel on the bottom. since you're wanting to keep baitfish, it wouldn't hurt to invest in some pond plants (or get some from your loval area) and plant them on the bottom of the pond. Just remember to keep the cat out of the garage! :mrgreen:


You have a verrrry understanding wife my friend. :wink:


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## MadCatter (Apr 25, 2011)

Doc - you think so? She was the one who wanted the pond and its now on its third upgrade again. "I want it bigger...." always seems to come around the beginning of the following spring. I had to spend 6 months just researching the project when I wanted to be fishing.

Wait until I do my washing machine/bait tank conversion I saw on youtube then ask me how understanding she is! LOL :roll:


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## justnortherns (Apr 25, 2011)

MadCatter said:


> Hey guys, just thought I'd throw my two cents worth into this as its an interesting discussion. Since I fish and raise koi and goldies, my experience might prove useful.
> 
> One thing I'd have to ask you (and this might be a good compromise for you and your wife as well as bring in a smile to the kids), is do you have a small corner of a garage or a basement you can use? The reason I bring this up is because as Bassboy1 mentions is that he's wanting a 100 gal tank for his bait. I have a homemade pond in my backyard (and the sore back to prove it) that is 2400 gal and has Koi and goldies in it. Because it's over 4 ft deep, I don't have to worry about the weather. On the flip side of this, a corner in your garage that is at least 2 feet wide and 4 feet long will give you a good area but as pointed out by web, bigger is better: ideally if you can go 8'x2' to 3', and about 3'to 4' high, you can build a small 'indoor pond' that will be more than suitable for your fish. Again, you'd need a good pump and filter system but you can find plenty of ideas on youtube for such a project. The easiest way to do it is go to home depot and get landscape timber (8' lengths and less than $2.00 ea) and pond liner. You can also build your own filter for a lot less than what they charge but you'll still need some simple plumbing and a dependable pump. As an example, the simplest yet one of the most effective filters I've encountered and built (and still run) is a simple wooden box with a pipe coming from the pump, buried under gravel. At the top of the filter, I have a drain back into the pond (a waterfall) and plants in the gravel (they'll thrive on the detritus from the pond, generate oxygen, and help filter and clean the water. For what it cost to buy a 100 gal set up with all the necessary filtering equipment, you can build an attractive pond for your baitfish that will take up about the same amount of space, but will be deeper and hold more fish. You can add an airpump and airstone if you want, or even put river rock or pea gravel on the bottom. since you're wanting to keep baitfish, it wouldn't hurt to invest in some pond plants (or get some from your loval area) and plant them on the bottom of the pond. Just remember to keep the cat out of the garage! :mrgreen:



That's a pretty amazing setup! Unfortunately though, way beyond my novice skill set. I'd worry about the pond liner leaking and other problems of having it indoors. I'd try it outdoors first (and start with a much much smaller tank). It's a difficult balance: getting a large enough tank to not require so much maintenance (like a small pond) but having a small enough tank that it's not a worry for my young kids to get into inadvertently.

I think accepting the heavy maintenance and having a tank with a relatively wide footprint is the way to start out for this beginner.


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## lswoody (Apr 25, 2011)

Thought about doing this also but sounds like alot of work, time and the expense, might not be worth it. Thanks for the heads up on what it takes to keep things going.


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## DocWatson (Apr 26, 2011)

MadCatter said:


> Doc - you think so? She was the one who wanted the pond and its now on its third upgrade again. "I want it bigger...." always seems to come around the beginning of the following spring. I had to spend 6 months just researching the project when I wanted to be fishing.
> 
> Wait until I do my washing machine/bait tank conversion I saw on youtube then ask me how understanding she is! LOL :roll:


Welll.... we all know women always want it bigger. :wink: But, that aside..... maybe it's an evil plot to keep you home and off the water by creating a water environment at home. :LOL2:

But, if you turn her washing machine into a fish tank, she'll either drown you in it or your dry cleaning bills will go through the roof. #-o [-X


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