Keeping Mullet Alive

[jtpython]

Anybody had much success in keeping large amount of live bait alive.
I have a 1000 litre container which is airated and full of saltwater and has mullet swimming beautifully in it. Now any technqnics i can use to ensure they'll live successfully. And food?
JT

[wags on the water]

Mullet food????

[jtpython]

True now why didn't i think of that ....Surely it at Kmart
LOL
jt

[pickers]

JT...feed them bread
pickers

[ffejsmada]

How long do you intend to keep them for JT?
If you're keeping them for a week or more, I'd be looking at turning the water over rather than just an aerator.

The ammonia etc from their waste will settle on the bottom eventually poisoning your fish.
You're on a winner if you can filter the water from the bottom through some filter agent, carbon etc, and pump the water back in.
Cycle the water, filtering it as you go.

Jeff.

[murf]

JT the aquaculturalist

set up a 205lt plastic drum next to it full of oyster shell with an aerator bubbling through it and a recirculating pump to clean the water

if you have a way of changing a portion of the water every couple of days too it helps

now how do i keep slimies alive haha

cheers Murf

yep yep Moonshine

[jtpython]

I'm using a reclycling system but not filtering it at the moment............... This is a practice run am acuring a 3000 litre holding tank and was going to look at keeping live bait as a fullt time project for fishing trips. The water is beeing airated as well but am looking at a bigger system when i go into the larger system .
Thanks for the help
JT

[murf]

hahaha we can talk for hours on this

cheers Murf

[jtpython]

Have about 20 prawns in there to
JT

[jtpython]

Might be pulling on to much hey ?
JT

[Rainbowrunner]

I feed mine small floating goldfish pellets and cheap flake food

A simple overflow trickle filter setup is easy to make and cheap using buckets with holes in the bottom and milk crates with a pond pump in a tub at the bottom returning water back to the tank.
Keep mullet, live shrimp alive for ages. But even with them water changes are necessary.

[ifishcq1]

JT

must be a spare pond at the inlaws that will hold as many mullet as you want,
use a long pole net

Cheers
ps thanks for the pics

[Braddles]

1. Be careful with feeding. Feeding is your enemy. Fish will live for 3-5 days on zip. If you do feed - I suggest some flake. Bread is really polluting. Ideally marine flake if you intend to keep these guys a while, but You can buy flake from markets (Rocklea) really cheap!!!

2. Aeration is good!

3. Filtration to remove waste is needed if you wanna keep them for more than 3 -5 days. You can do this several ways. YOu can change >25% of the water every other day with no filter, if you live by the sea. Failing this, you can get a cheap filter from Big W (I know the one at Calamvale has a big pet section). I got one for $24 but mine is only for 100L drum - sucks water up through various filter media, then sprays water out a spray bar at the top, providing surface current / agitation. An alternate would be a canister filter, which if you plan to do this long term would be better for your volume of water. You may get a second hand one that has large capacity for your 1000L from ebay. New, a 1000L canister filter would be rather expensive. If you are REALLY keen, you can set up a refugium like someone suggested with live rock / oyster shells - they take a while to work (good bacteria to breed up), so dont reley on one from the outset in a stocked tank - but they do work well - however a refugium will not get rid of debris, only disolved waste (poo and wee) through nitrifying bacteria. Regardless of filtration, you will need to do small water change fortnightly - just like opening your window for fresh air. To guide your

4. You need current if you want healthy marine fish. Gentle agitation in the water is needed for marine aquaculture or the stock will die. This can either be from a spray bar from your water return from your filter, or bubble (large bubbles for marine, avoid the tiny air stones for fresh water) or if you really wanna go out - a wave maker, which I use in my marine tanks. (I suggest ebay for later, about 1/10 of what you will pay in shops!)

5. Keep them in the shade / cool. YOu need to keep the fish about 24deg. Mullet are tollerant of the cool, so shouldnt be any probs in winter with that volume of water, but dont let the water get above 26. 28deg is Lethal to fish like mullet, and once one dies, it will quickly pollute the water, and death will be exponential. Most garages in QLD get way past 28 deg in summer heat. Find a shadey spot away from sun light, ideally under a patio, pergola or under an older style house.

Hope that is of some help to you.

I have been keeping marine fish and reef set ups for about 20 years now, so if you have any Q's - feel free to pvt message me.

Kind regards,

Brad.

[jtpython]

Cheers everyone .
Brad i am using a 500 litre /hr reclyce system at moment and a two arator system and yes the bread is a buggar as i found out . I have only lost two as of today and when i put the net thru the water it went berko so at the moment they are doing well. Will have to do a better system once i get the bigger unit.
Scotty
How bigs your in laws tank mate i may have to go into breeding Barra
JT

[jtpython]

UpDate : All mullet are doing awesome have done the flakes and the changing of the water 1/3 every week and have upgraded to a submerable system to reclyce the water and they are screaming along the fish and prawns both.
JT