I’m about to build me a 275 gallon tank to keep bait in my shop. I’d like some pictures for ideas on building the filter system. TIA
Tracker 2072
115 Mercury
buy a intex 637R pump with canister filter…
Team Shad Up & Fish
If you’ve had fun catching fish on the transom bait, you are welcome…
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…
Its also better to use cpvc for bulkhead fittings instead of the tapered threads on pvc fittings… for aeration either buy a danco venturi fitting or make one out of a pvc “t” connector , end cap and ball point pen…There’s a video on youtube for making a venturi for aeration. I’ve had a tank going for about 5 years now…
Team Shad Up & Fish
If you’ve had fun catching fish on the transom bait, you are welcome…
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…
I have been using 2 275 gal square tank for years, but this spring I tried a 5’x 10’ x 2.5’ blow up swimming pool I bought on line for 29.95, free shipping and the thing is great. I use a 650 gal water fall pump from Harbor Freight fore 29.95 on sale to pimp up the water to a 5 gal bucket with holes drilled in it filled with charcoal and pillow filling from Walmart that I change and wash weekly. Lot of times you can buy the pillow cheaper than the bag of fill. I crush charcoal and pot it in a panty hose. I have well water and need to run for awhile to add oxyg.I also add a coffie can full of pool salt from Lowe’s For 4.00 / 40 #. I have a Harbor Freight 350 gal pump (19.99) with a Danco on it for aireator I have run it all summer with out a problem. I have it under a 10 x10 tent I got at a yard sale for 7.00 in the shad of a tree behinh my barn. Now that I have caught all the koons and possomns I dont have to worry about robbers.
As I was replying, I realized that you have already seen my new tank! lol But here it is anyway… maybe someone will tell me if I done something wrong. 800gph submersible pump inside a homemade suction strainer, overflow style bio filter with 3 layers of filtration, and a 950gph air pump with (2) 2" air stones inside tank/(1) 2" air stone inside filter box.
Well Hung
Nautic Star 2000 Offshore
200 Suzuki
My setup. I cut the tote off at the 1st rib which left me with approximately a 225 gal tank if filled to the top. I usually put 175 gals. in it. I bought 1/2" aluminum angle from Lowe’s and attached it with stainless metal screws along the inside of the tank around the top along with a couple of 1/2" aluminum channels as cross braces. The tank is just sitting on a piece of 3/4" treated plywood with HEAVY DUTY wheels so that I can roll it around if needed. A backyard pool pump pumps water up to the homemade spray bar. It is all 1 1/2" pvc that is just pushed together (not glued). The spray bar has 3/8" holes drilled in it. It sprays into the top plastic bin which simply has some filter pad used for A/C along with a bio media (I use Bio Balls ordered on line). This catches all the scales, etc. The bottom of this bin has 1/4" holes drilled in it over almost all the bottom. This allows the water to “rain” down into the bottom bin. In this picture, the bottom bin is filled with pillow stuffing bought from Walmart, but I have since changed to a charcoal product. I now have about 2" of this finely chopped charcoal sitting on top of plastic window screen to keep it from dropping into the tank. This bin is drilled the same as the top bin and this allows the water to rain down into the tank. This action does 2 things I believe: 1) It aerates the water. 2) It helps cool the water in the summer. I can put a fan blowing across the “waterfall” in the summer if I need more cooling.
About the charcoal. It is EXPENSIVE to buy charcoal made to use in a filter system. I haven’t tried it, but crushing up charcoal briquettes has been used. Rinse all charcoal thoroughly until the water stays clear before putting it in to your filter. Charcoal is a very good filter media. It will remove everything including chlorine, chloramine, salt, water treatments, etc. So if you opt for charcoal, don’t treat your water. You’re just
My first set up was basically like Bowhunters but without the filter. Had a pool pump pumping to a 1-1/2" PVC spray bar on top. It kept shad, but I realized I needed a lid and some type of filter system. You can google “home made bio filter” or “koi pond bio filter” and get 100’s of ideas. I’ve also read that it’s hard to establish a biological colony when the water temp gets below 50F. So the mechanical filter may be all you need for this time of year.
Well Hung
Nautic Star 2000 Offshore
200 Suzuki
The temperature for optimum growth of nitrifying bacteria is between 77-86° F (25-30° C).
Growth rate is decreased by 50% at 64° F (18° C).
Growth rate is decreased by 75% at 46-50° F.
No activity will occur at 39° F (4° C)
Nitrifying bacteria will die at 32° F (0° C).
Nitrifying bacteria will die at 120° F (49° C)
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
140 Suzuki
Biological Data
There are several species of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter bacteria and many strains among those species. Most of this information can be applied to species of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter in general, however, each strain may have specific tolerances to environmental factors and nutriment preferences not shared by other, very closely related, strains. The information presented here applies specifically toNitrosomonas and Nitrobacter strains.
Temperature
The temperature for optimum growth of nitrifying bacteria is between 77-86° F (25-30° C).
Growth rate is decreased by 50% at 64° F (18° C).
Growth rate is decreased by 75% at 46-50° F.
No activity will occur at 39° F (4° C)
Nitrifying bacteria will die at 32° F (0° C).
Nitrifying bacteria will die at 120° F (49° C)
Nitrobacter is less tolerant of low temperatures than Nitrosomonas. In cold water systems, care must be taken to monitor the accumulation of nitrites.
pH
The optimum pH range for Nitrosomonas is between 7.8-8.0.
The optimum pH range for Nitrobacter is between 7.3-7.5
Nitrobacter will grow more slowly at the high pH levels typical of marine aquaria and preferred by African Rift Lake Cichlids. Initial high nitrite concentrations may exist. At pH levels below 7.0, Nitrosomonas will grow more slowly and increases in ammonia may become evident. Nitrosomonas growth is inhibited at a pH of 6.5. All nitrification is inhibited if the pH drops to 6.0 or less. Care must be taken to monitor ammonia if the pH begins to drop close to 6.5. At this pH almost all of the ammonia present in the water will be in the mildly toxic, ionized NH3+ state.
Dissolved Oxygen
Maximum nitrification rates will exist if dissolved oxygen (DO) levels exceed 80% saturation. Nitrification will not occur if DO concentrations drop to 2.0 mg/l (ppm) or less. Nitrobacter is more strongly affected by low DO than NITROSOMONAS.
Salinity
Freshwater nitrifying bacteria will grow in salinities ranging between 0 to 6 ppt (parts per tho
looks good guys… I would say if you catch your own bait that an elaborate filter system like these will work great… if you are buying bait that is purged, then you can get by with less… Having a light on the bait at all times will keeep the bait from spooking and swimming hard into the walls of the tank but it also creates an algae problem for me… Have you ever seen those gizzards in the tank swimimng that have a crooked back? Thats usually from swimming hard into a wall when spooked by light…and don’t try to add an algacide to the water, it will kill the Gizzards…
Team Shad Up & Fish
If you’ve had fun catching fish on the transom bait, you are welcome…
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…
Buying or catching bait your best bet is to establish a biofilter. I’ve been running the 550gallon tank from tractor supply. I’ve had it for 15 years. With a biofilter all you need is to clean the scale catcher. Never touch the biofilter. Mine runs year round. Its basically self ran. Best bet is to find a good saltwater aquarium store or a nursery that sales lots of koi pond equipment. I’ll try to get some pics this afternoon of my set up. Mine is inside so algae isn’t a problem.
I am using 250 gal totes. I use two bucketc for filter system. Top one has filter material and holes in the bottom. Swimming pool pump deliver water to the top bucket. Water drops through filter into lower bucket which has bio material. This bucket has an overflow pipe near the top so bio material is always in water. Overflow drops back into tank. I also have an air pump that services two totes.
Joby
I might as well chime in here as well …
I have two tanks …
Tank One is in my garage - it is a 275 gallon tote tank with a 1,000gph pond pump into a Bio/Mechanical Filter … I also have a 375gph Canister filer hooked up to help “polish” the water …
I use this tank to purge fresh caught bait as well as recondition bait that has been riding around all day … I also add salt to this tank to speed up the healing process …
I have an overflow system built in just in case the filter media gets to clogged up
I have two layers of filter media (purchased by the roll on Amazon for $24) with a layer of bioballs for the biological filters - for the record, Biofilter on the purge tank is pretty useless since I am constantly cycling the tank - the bioballs are more to keep the filter media from being completely submerged …
Since we use well water and our well is 200+ feet deep the water has to be aerated so the spray bar is from the canister filter and the dumps are from the filter box …
I submerged the pumps and ran a pipe all the way across the bottom of the tank in order to collect all of the waste materials
The second tank is in my basement because I can control the water temperature year round better in my basement than in the garage … It is a 500 gallon round plastic tank with a 30 gallon bucket that houses the Bio/Mechanical filters …
The 1,000gph pump is kind of loud so I downsized this pump to an 800gph pump and I used flexible hoses to assist
Great looking tanks! Lots of trial and error and overcoming obstacles but its nice to have shad ready to go when you are… Just wish I could get them going in my pond…I guess the bass eat them as fast as I put them in…
Team Shad Up & Fish
If you’ve had fun catching fish on the transom bait, you are welcome…
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…
There’s a lot of great info on this thread. The (3) most important things I’ve read and heard are circulation, aeration, and filtration. It’s up to the builder to figure out how to get these things!
I finally dumped a few dozen shad in my new tank yesterday. Time will tell if my engineering skills were up to par! 
Well Hung
Nautic Star 2000 Offshore
200 Suzuki
Thanks alot guys. There’s alot of information here to go on. I’m actually picking up the 275 gallon tote tonight when I get off work. I’ll post pics when I get it up and going in a few weeks.
Tracker 2072
115 Mercury
Can you really effectively control ammonia with bacteria alone on these tanks. I would think the heavy bioload and the ever changing bio-load would make that about impossible.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
quote:
Originally posted by steelytomCan you really effectively control ammonia with bacteria alone on these tanks. I would think the heavy bioload and the ever changing bio-load would make that about impossible.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
Very much so. The key is to establish a good bio colony BEFORE you put a heavy load in the tank. I was able to control the ammonia in a 300gal tank last yr with a tiny bio filter. 1 80% water change from October-April. What you can not control with these types of set ups is the nitrites. Nitrites can only be removed by plant life or water changes.
Nitrites are what causes the brown algae blooms and can lower the immune systems of the bait.
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
140 Suzuki
Tom, you can but you need to keep the tanks running and/or set up the colonies before hand …
Once they are setup you always have to keep some sort of fish in the tanks to keep producing ammonia (hence the two Herring in the big tank) …
Think of a bait tank like a giant freshwater fish tank … The principles are still the same just on a much larger scale …
The key isn’t to keep the fish forever the key is to get them as close to natural in the shortest amount of time possible …
I even feed my bait just to keep them fat … Herring are easy to feed - Shad not so much …
but simple things like basic filtration/water flow/aeration; constant light (as Woody said - keeps them from freaking out - especially in a square tank); and salt will go a long long way …
Caution about the salt - it has been my experience that oversalting a tank could lead to what appears (to me anyway) to be some type of fungal infection on the bait … This can affect Shad and Herring alike …
It is also possible that this fungal infection can also trigger a kind of muscle spasm (Tetany) in the fish while under stress … Symptoms typically are the fish going rigid and shaking after being netted … Sometimes the bait recovers and sometimes they don’t …
I used to think this was possible caused by temperature differences between tanks (and that may be part of it for some) but it does not affect all of the bait so there has to be more to it …
McNew (Striper Soup) did a short video on the issue, but he never followed up with it so who knows …
Links are as follows:
I have a 180g saltwater aquarium with a 55g sump and with a good skimmer, filter socks, sand and 200lbs of live rock you can not put that many fish in or they die. But I guess my fish are much more sensitive than herring. It also takes 6-8 weeks for the tank to cycle and get the bacteria balanced when you set it up. From the way I understand it there is a bacteria that eats the ammonia and turns it into nitrites, then another bacteria turns nitrites into Nitrates. I control nitrate by bi weekly water changes and growing macro algae in the sump and removing it as it grows. Even with all of that, one dead fish or snail can cause the ammonia to spike. So I guess that’s why I questioned it.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude