Keep shrimp alive overnight? Has anyone been successful making an aquarium type holding tank for live bait shrimp? I know it can be done, but at what cost? Would love to be able to...

bfallens Loc: Cape Coral, Florida

Has anyone been successful making an aquarium type holding tank for live bait shrimp? I know it can be done, but at what cost? Would love to be able to purchase bait the day before so I can get an earlier start to the day.

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

bfallens: I do not know what type of holding tank is necessary to keep shrimp alive over night. But do not be afraid to use fresh dead shrimp, they will work too. Just Sayin...RJS

gbcreed45 Loc: Florida, Gulf Coast

I have kept them over night in my bait bucket. It is over sized with a built in bubbler. The shrimp were alive the next day but no where near as active. My bait supplier told me to freeze the shrimp alive if I’m going to need to keep them longer.
That sounds sort of cruel but I don’t think it’s any less humane than sticking a hook through a live squirming shrimp.

florida Loc: Southwest Florida/ Virginia

I set up a29gallon tank with SALT Water and beach sand with plenty of aireation. They can be kept alive about a week. Even if you feed them fish food they start to eat each other. I used it did not like to waste shrimp one day and have to buy them again the next. Good Luck.

bfallens Loc: Cape Coral, Florida

florida wrote:

I set up a29gallon tank with SALT Water and beach sand with plenty of aireation. They can be kept alive about a week. Even if you feed them fish food they start to eat each other. I used it did not like to waste shrimp one day and have to buy them again the next. Good Luck.

Did you do anything special with the filtration?

Jeremy Loc: America

Probably need to keep ammonia and nitrates low. All fish and sea creatures as well as fresh secrete Nitrogen and Ammonia. The aquariums build up a natural biological filter that digests the nitrogen.

PoleLuck Loc: Merritt Island, Florida

bfallens wrote:

Has anyone been successful making an aquarium type holding tank for live bait shrimp? I know it can be done, but at what cost? Would love to be able to purchase bait the day before so I can get an earlier start to the day.

I can keep 2 or 3 dozen shrimp alive for 2 or 3 days by using a bubbler, fish tank filter & frozen bottles of water. I use a 16 quart Thermos cooler filled more than 1/2 way up, an feed them Betta Min Flake medley. The ice cold water keeps them dormant. But once on the hook & in the bay water do they come alive & kicking! The same works for finger mullets.

Jim Kay Loc: Franklin, Virginia

wet
burlap in the refrigertor.

Unprr Loc: Elkhorn, Nebraska

Bfallens, it depends on your location. But when I use live shrimp , it’s normally in the the bay near Destin, Florida. Once I’m done for the day, I hang my bait bucket from the dock and with the fresh salt water, they will survive for a few days.

FinFisherman Loc: Born in Ohio - 40 yrs Florida- Clearwater,Fl

bfallens wrote:

Has anyone been successful making an aquarium type holding tank for live bait shrimp? I know it can be done, but at what cost? Would love to be able to purchase bait the day before so I can get an earlier start to the day.

I've often kept shrimp over night in my 5gal bait bucket with battery air with stone. Fiddler crabs live almost a week.

Joecat Loc: Florida / Rhode Island

FinFisherman wrote:

I've often kept shrimp over night in my 5gal bait bucket with battery air with stone. Fiddler crabs live almost a week.

The key to keeping shrimp is to give them a place to hold on to so they don’t have to keep swimming put some wire mesh in your holding tank . I live on a canal and have made holding pens out of polypropylene mesh , the shrimp live for months during the cooler weather not sure about the hot weather.