Creek chubs are known as larger minnows and are usually used as bait to catch larger fish like the kingfisher or largemouth bass. You can also keep them as pets, as they adapt well to aquarium environments. While they are small fish, they can grow to about one foot long, living for up to eight years.
Catching them on your own is one thing, but keeping them alive and well cared for is another. So if you want to breed and care for creek chubs no matter the reason, read on! I’ll show you how to keep creek chubs alive.
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How to Keep Creek Chubs Alive
Fortunately, creek chubs are pretty easy to maintain and keep alive. You just need to place them in a good environment, and you can even raise them for reproduction. This is an efficient way to have bait for many of your fishing trips, OR you can even own them as pets.
You can either purchase creek chubs in your local fish store or catch them yourself. They are usually found in streams and creeks, catching them one at a time using a good hook and line with appropriate bait like worms.
1. After Catching Them
If you do catch creek chubs on your own, I highly recommend that you place them in a 5-gallon bucket filled with water and battery-powered bubblers. There should be a lid with it, as they jump a lot!
Be sure that you have already readied the tank before you go fishing for creek chubs. I’ll show you the tips on preparing the tank in the next step.
2. Setting Up The Tank
Have a suitable aquarium that can fit as many creek chubs as you plan to get. If you want to keep them for breeding, then you should start off with a 40-gallon aquarium AT LEAST. Or, you can even use large coolers or metal stock tanks, whatever can hold over 30 gallons of water and can handle a lid and filter.
Set up the tank by filling it with clean water and installing a large double-sided power filter. Also, make sure that there is always a cover, as chubs will still continue to jump out when you aren’t around!
It’s best to leave the tank in a cool corner of your basement or another slightly dark area. Fortunately, chubs can withstand the heat if placed in a garage, but if it’s too hot, then place a frozen water jug inside the tank to keep them cool.
3. Placing the Creek Chubs Inside
When transferring the creek chubs into the tank, be sure that you only add a dozen creek chubs at a time. Don’t add too many or all of them in one go, as the tank needs to cycle before it breaks down any waste and ammonia of the fish.
Start off with a dozen of chubs for a week and continue adding more if they are still healthy. This prevents killing fish from ammonia poisoning.
Be sure that while transferring the chubs, the water temperature of the tank is similar to the temperature of their current “home”. They are sensitive to temperature changes and may die from shock!
4. Maintaining the Creek Chubs and the Tank
To keep the creek chubs alive, you have to feed them regularly.
You need to feed them three times a day with different types of live food. They live on a varied diet, consuming worms, aquatic insects, and/or regular fish food. It’s important to feed them well to keep them alive, healthy, and for breeding purposes.
While chubs favor the muddy waters, they need a clean environment to prevent disease and infection. Maintain and clean the tank every few days and be sure to change the filter cartridges when you notice it becoming cloudy. You should also change the water regularly to keep it algae-free.
5. Do You Plan on Breeding Them?
If you plan on breeding creek chubs, then this may be a bit more of a tedious task.
You will need at least two adult males and two to four adult females. When they spawn, be sure to remove the adults from their tank and keep them in separate aquariums and with the typical diet. The eggs will hatch in four to six days.
When caring for the larvae, feed them powdered fish food and live brine fish. When they mature, you can wean them off and turn to small insects and flaked fish food.
If you plan on taking them out to use as bait, then have a small net ready and place them in a cooler for transporting them with you. Again, be sure that the water temperature remains constant.
Read More: How to Keep Bloodworms Alive: The Quick Guide You Need
Do you want to learn more about keeping creek chubs alive? This is an interesting video showing you more tips:
Wrapping It Up
Creek chubs make excellent bait and are easy to catch, whether for baiting or as pets. Keeping them alive is pretty easy, though if you plan to keep them for the long-term, I suggest preparing ahead. As long as you have a good environment and food for them, they can live and breed properly for a long time.
I hope that this article on how to keep creek chubs alive helped you out. If you plan to catch and use creek chubs as bait or for breeding purposes, follow these steps and tips now!
