RacerxV6 Posted July 25, 2021 Report Share Posted July 25, 2021 Hey Anglers, I am thinking of purchasing and installing an o2 system on the boat to keep my bait more lively during the hot summer months. Fishing the lakes up here in the upstate can be a struggle due to the bait shop being a minimum of 45 minutes from the launch site. Wanted to get ya'lls take on the o2 system it self and is it worth the cost. I have found systems starting at around $150 or so. Is there anyone out there that uses the system? What system do you use? Do you find it worth having? Any and all info is greatly appreciated.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernWake Posted July 25, 2021 Report Share Posted July 25, 2021 I'm imagining herring for stripers? I always struggled to keep them alive both in the tank and once on a down line. It was always a struggle but I did have some luck with a frozen water bottle, bubbler system, and using the tackle shop's water. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jh141 Posted July 26, 2021 Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 Off topic response, I have no experince with o2 systems but, Believe it or not Guides here put some sort of salt in their bait wells to help keep Herring and toughen them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilemaker Posted July 26, 2021 Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 The most overlooked aspect of keeping herring alive is the elimination of their nitrogen waste. The salt you are talking about is probably one of the neutralizing agents on the market. In the summer the surface water is so warm that you can't just turn the water over because of the temp. The bait shops often use deep well water that is naturally cold. I have herd of people using nitrogen filters similar to aquariums but have no experience with the process. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeviam Posted July 26, 2021 Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 1 hour ago, smilemaker said: The most overlooked aspect of keeping herring alive is the elimination of their nitrogen waste. The salt you are talking about is probably one of the neutralizing agents on the market. In the summer the surface water is so warm that you can't just turn the water over because of the temp. The bait shops often use deep well water that is naturally cold. I have herd of people using nitrogen filters similar to aquariums but have no experience with the process. Good info Smilemaker. Started searching and found this link: http://petskeepersguide.com/detoxify-remove-ammonia-nitrite/ RacerxV6, you got me looking into the o2 systems. This is an old info-mercial, but shows what an o2 system can do for live bait. Pretty cool! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilemaker Posted July 26, 2021 Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 The available oxygen in air is all that is needed. The air stone and the size of the bubbles is what counts. I have read articles that say too much oxygen can build up on the gills and such to the point of causing death. Even humans can die from too much oxygen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jh141 Posted July 26, 2021 Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 http://www.keepalive.net/lowpressurediffuser.htm This is interesting, On the line of what Smilemaker is pointing out. Check out These air diffusers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeviam Posted July 26, 2021 Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 8 hours ago, jh141 said: Check out These air diffusers. They look great, but out of stock at every retailer website I searched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilemaker Posted July 26, 2021 Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 Another consideration is DO NOT OVERCROWD the live well. Many of the guides will have large removable tanks but bare minimum number of bait for the day. But when fishing from a pontoon floor space is no big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin-addict Posted July 26, 2021 Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 Have not seen then used for awhile. Used to see redfish and snooks tournaments where some boats used small bottles of oxygen with hose to live well to keep the fish alive. Did same at the dock in the release tanks. I myself use frozen water bottle to keep temp down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerxV6 Posted July 26, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 14 hours ago, smilemaker said: The most overlooked aspect of keeping herring alive is the elimination of their nitrogen waste. The salt you are talking about is probably one of the neutralizing agents on the market. In the summer the surface water is so warm that you can't just turn the water over because of the temp. The bait shops often use deep well water that is naturally cold. I have herd of people using nitrogen filters similar to aquariums but have no experience with the process. Time to go back to the drawing board. You got me thinking now about the waste aspect and also the scales that drop off during them being in the tank. I've got my cooler bait tank out and active again so, I think I am going to be increasing the diffuser size to get more and smaller bubbles as I know is that is also a major step in getting more oxygen into the water. My cooler baittank definitely keeps the bait shop water colder longer, so I will stop using the livewell as it is not insolated enough to keep the water cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jh141 Posted July 26, 2021 Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 Had a few minutes to spare..... Before adding bait to your tank add non-iodized salt to the water to help harden scales and rejuvenate the baits slime coat. For shad I recommend one half of a cup of non-iodized salt for every ten gallons of water. For shiners I recommend a quarter cup of non-iodized salt for every twenty gallons of water. If you cause an osmoregulation problem for your live bait or tournament gamefish, it's easy to correct the problem you have caused… just add salt to your livewell water, nothing to it. Great information, thanks. Don't crowd bait, for every 10 deg drop in water temp oxygen holding capability goes up 10 fold. It seems The Temp is a really big deal, I mostly only use live bait in saltwater and have not really had a problem keeping bait alive but always want any advantage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerxV6 Posted July 26, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 13 hours ago, smilemaker said: The available oxygen in air is all that is needed. The air stone and the size of the bubbles is what counts. I have read articles that say too much oxygen can build up on the gills and such to the point of causing death. Even humans can die from too much oxygen. I am also going to build a false bottom that will allow the scales and waste to flow below where my filtration system can pull in and trap all waste including scales. I may need to drop the pump size down so i can let it run and not cause to much turbulence and allow them to swim more freely. Here is a pic of what I built, attached is my current version. That tupperware is a filtration system that is attached to the recirculating pump, when running it will pull all waste into the filter and trap it. I have a bubbler and a pump set up to run. I am thinking with the new diffuser and bubbler I should be able to make this work. I can always alternate and have a frozen water bottle on hand to cool the water down. IMG_1756.MOV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jh141 Posted July 26, 2021 Report Share Posted July 26, 2021 Very Nice!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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