Crowding too much bait into a container can cause the bait to die more quickly. Too many fish will deplete oxygen quickly and create too much heat. For example, only put about six dozen small minnows (3/4′ to 1″ long) in an eight-quart container.

A great food choice for minnows in an aquarium is freeze dried blood worms. Another option is to simply feed your minnows tropical fish flakes or even goldfish flake food. Some minnows are pickier than others, choosing not to eat the flake food.

You can feed your minnows Tubifex freeze-dried blood worms or any other small, live foods. Feed them plants or green, leafy vegetables along with the flakes.

Common carp: 20 years

Fathead minnows are easily bred in aquariums. The female can lay up to 700 eggs and they hatch within four to eight days. The male fathead minnow will protect the eggs until the fry are born, and then leave to reproduce.

Minnows should receive the amount of food they can consume in 10 minutes each day, but it is better to break this into twice daily feedings. If you feed minnows twice a day, the food should disappear five minutes after feeding. If the minnows consume all the food within only two or three minutes, offer more food.

If you plan to store them for more than 3 days you should plan to feed them once a day with generic fish food flakes. Use these tips on how to keep minnows alive to reel in more fish when you hit the water fishing with live bait.

Minnows can typically live in a bucket for 24 to 72 hours if the conditions are ideal. Ideal conditions include: Feed the fish a small amount daily. Use an aerator to incorporate more oxygen in the water.

Do Minnows Need an Air Pump? Air pumps help aerate the tank and add more oxygen to it. Without an air pump, your tank can become deficient in oxygen, causing your minnows to suffocate and die. Without an air pump, your minnows can be at the risk of death, which shows minnows need an air pump.