Keeping bait alive in the winter.

[TomO]

Can a heater keep a 5 gallon aquarium from freezing in a garage in the winter? I hate dumping my bait on the ice because it will freeze in my garage. But if I put the minnows in a spare 5 gallon tank with a sponge filter and heater. Maybe I could save the bait until the next day or later in the week.

[Guppy Guy]

I don’t know about a garage. Could you keep a small tank inside your house somewhere like an empty closet or spare room?

If its inside your house, I wouldn’t worry about a heater. Defiantly use a sponge filter though.

If it has to be in your garage, get a slightly larger heater than one you would normally use. Only by a few watts/gallons though.

[TomO]

Just need to keep it from freezing. Cold water is preferable. Because the it’s winter.

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

It might be challenging depending on garage temperature, holding temperature you are trying for, and tank type.

If I were attempting it I would use an inkbird or similar temperature controlled outlet with the rubberized temperature probe to control the heater pretty much as low as I needed it to be 40s etc. Otherwise you will have that heater trying to run that water in the 60s which I believe is the normal minimum setting for most and would be a bit too warm for that purpose. 

 I'd personally try it in an old cooler with the heater and probe run down through the top and that hole resealed with foam or something else to retain heat.  The heat retention with the cooler insulation would probably save the heater from running all the time and keeping the bait too warm. My garage is usually in the 20s and sometimes down to -20 in winter not sure how that would work but I'd probably give it a try if I was icefishinglive bait.