Fatheads

I'm wondering if I could breed fathead minnows in a 58qt or so clear plastic tub with gravel and broken pots as caves. I'm figuring on getting a small cheap HOB filter and an airstone set up and putting the tub under my tank with a black sheet over the area with a light bulb hanging over top to give them the 16 hour photo period.

Should I remove the parents after eggs have been laid? I'd imagine it might be complicated to remove them after there are tiny fry swimming all over. I know i'd need an airstone near the eggs to keep them from getting a fungus coating. Think this is worth doing as at least a partial food source for 2 4-4.5" grass pickerel? Would I need to double it up and use 2 tubs? Maybe even 3 so I don't over populate any of the tubs? Maybe I need to use even bigger tubs, anyone know if there is a certain depth/surface area required to get them to spawn successfully? Anything I might need to know for this project would be helpful, I think I've read all I can elsewhere.

*Edit*
I forgot to include feeding. I can probably do crushed flakes and some frozen bloodworms. Anything else I might need to add that I can get easily at a LFS?

Edited by star5328, 04 September 2010 - 10:32 PM.

I'm wondering if I could breed fathead minnows in a 58qt or so clear plastic tub with gravel and broken pots as caves. I'm figuring on getting a small cheap HOB filter and an airstone set up and putting the tub under my tank with a black sheet over the area with a light bulb hanging over top to give them the 16 hour photo period.

Should I remove the parents after eggs have been laid? I'd imagine it might be complicated to remove them after there are tiny fry swimming all over. I know i'd need an airstone near the eggs to keep them from getting a fungus coating. Think this is worth doing as at least a partial food source for 2 4-4.5" grass pickerel? Would I need to double it up and use 2 tubs? Maybe even 3 so I don't over populate any of the tubs? Maybe I need to use even bigger tubs, anyone know if there is a certain depth/surface area required to get them to spawn successfully? Anything I might need to know for this project would be helpful, I think I've read all I can elsewhere.

*Edit*
I forgot to include feeding. I can probably do crushed flakes and some frozen bloodworms. Anything else I might need to add that I can get easily at a LFS?

Have look @ this web site.

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/fish.htm

lots of good stuff..looks like it'll work, only I need to figure out which microorganism is easiest to keep (to feed fry)

Anyone have a surefire easy way to sex regular fatheads? I have a dozen or so in a 15g tub with some darters and 2 turned flower pots. The only thing I've observed is that two males have taken control of the pots. This is the only way I've been able to sex them because they guard their pots and turn darker and display two pale vertical bars. Once I can figure out which are females I'm going to isolate the two obvious males and 4-5 females in a 10g with gravel and the 2 pots and wait for eggs.