Dead minnows in well water

I brought home a dozen minnows and added a cup of well water to the bucket.
An hour later, they’re all up at the top sucking air and three are dead.

We’re the kept in a cold area?

Does it run through a water softener?

Was it 40 degrees warmer than the water than they were in?

How about a bubbler, minnows need to breathe

I just got them home from the bait shop. I added water because they were all at the top and some were upside down.
My water is cold, but not sure of the temp.
It doesn’t go through a softener, but it does go thru a sediment filter.

Well water is ok. Usually it’s the temperature changes stun the minnows. They need a slow transition

What kind of minnows? I can keep fatheads alive on city water for a couple weeks in a 5 gallon bucket.

Back in the day when I had a aquarium they told us when we bought fish not to dump them in the tank when we got home. Rather stick the whole bag in the tank for a couple of hours. This allows the water in the bag to become the same temp as the tank. Sometimes the water needed to warm up, sometimes to cool off.

One thing about minnows…if they are doing their job properly they will end up dead soon anyway.

Kevin balleao wrote:

I just got them home from the bait shop. I added water because they were all at the top and some were upside down.
My water is cold, but not sure of the temp.
It doesn’t go through a softener, but it does go thru a sediment filter.

Sounds like they where sick before adding well water

Need some sort of control.

Is this your first time buying minnows?

Is it your hundredth time?

First time adding well water?

If they were already at the top when you got home they probably needed more than one cup of fresh water?

On another note I fish with free dead minnows a lot. When bait shops have floaters in their tanks I offer to take them off their hands. They never say no. I jig fish so dead or alive is ok with me and I guarantee the fish don’t care either