I have to set up a display at work for about a week and someone suggested putting bream in an aquarium in it. Since I have easy access to bass, I thought it might be easier to put a few small largemouths instead. What would it take to keep these alive for about a week until I can get them back to the lake? I can get any size tank but will I need lake water or can they live in chlorinated water? Can I just get some minnows from the bait store to feed them? Any advice  is appreciated.

Ive never kept bass, but I do know you would have to dechlorinate the water with an aquarium treatment. (dechlor or equivelent)  Also, if you plan on stocking from bass youve caught, make sure to obey limits and other laws.

 There have been a number of posts on this subject. Do a search. ...

skillet

Check your states transport laws, lots of states it's illegal to transport game fish w/o a permit. Unless the auarium is BIG, and has cover ect, the bass will just suspend. If you insist on putting them on display, get some bottled drinking water that has most of the clorine removed, water temp should be as close as possible to the water they were taken from. Ya might do a search on how to transport and release fish too, unless you've done it right before. IMHO, bass have to place in an aquarium.

Use the bream.

Either way it is a bad idea to keep them for a week and then release them back into the wild...there are numerous ethical issues with this and it may very well be illegal in your area.

I would recommend the bream, but in a permanent display, not just short term!

I have to set up a display at work for about a week and someone suggested putting bream in an aquarium in it. Since I have easy access to bass, I thought it might be easier to put a few small largemouths instead. What would it take to keep these alive for about a week until I can get them back to the lake? I can get any size tank but will I need lake water or can they live in chlorinated water? Can I just get some minnows from the bait store to feed them? Any advice is appreciated.

I have a large tank with a handful of LMB in it from a friend's pond and they're doing great.  Run to your local pet shop and pick up a small bottle of the stuff that treats the chlorinated water.  A teaspoon or so works fine.  And it'll take a couple days of them getting used to the new setting before they want to eat, but when they do they eat happily.  Worms, minnows, goldfish, whatever moves really.

The bass I have are in the 3"-10" range and I have a channel cat, 2 BG, 1 green sunfish, 1 bullhead, and 1 creek chub in there as well.  I set it up for my obvious amusement first of all, but also for educational purposes for my kid and his friends.

Yea get the dechlorinator, follow the instructions, and your good to go. I had one in an aquarium for over a year and he did great. They eat anything (mine loved sandwich meats like turkey) and are suprisingly hardy. I released him into my familys pond in december, we cut a notch out of its tail fin to ID it, and have since caught him twice!

Yea get the dechlorinator, follow the instructions, and your good to go. I had one in an aquarium for over a year and he did great. They eat anything (mine loved sandwich meats like turkey) and are suprisingly hardy. I released him into my familys pond in december, we cut a notch out of its tail fin to ID it, and have since caught him twice!

Very cool.  Mine will not eat pellets or anything that doesn't move.  I wish they would eat the cichlid pellets (I was told they would) because the live bait is getting expensive.  

Yea get the dechlorinator, follow the instructions, and your good to go. I had one in an aquarium for over a year and he did great. They eat anything (mine loved sandwich meats like turkey) and are suprisingly hardy. I released him into my familys pond in december, we cut a notch out of its tail fin to ID it, and have since caught him twice!

Very cool. Mine will not eat pellets or anything that doesn't move. I wish they would eat the cichlid pellets (I was told they would) because the live bait is getting expensive.

When I had bass, bluegill, crappie, and channel cats in an aquarium, they all ate frozen krill from the tropical fish store.

I used to feed mine crickets from my yard.  I do think it is illegal to release them back into the wild.  It was real neat to show him the cricket first and watch him get excited.  The cricket would not last 10 seconds.