2015-11-08

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Two common fallacies are:*

1. Large live wells are required to sustain a large quantity of fish.*

2. Large live well pumps are needed to move large quantities of water through the live well to keep live bait and fish alive

1. The gentleness and direction of water flow.

2. The size and amount of the air bubbles.

3. The temperature of the water*

GENTLENESS AND DIRECTION OF WATER FLOW

FISH THAT SWIM IN SCHOOLS: Delicate bait such as shad, green-backs and croakers will not survive a day of fishing unless the water flow in the well is soft and gentle. Turbulent water will damage the bait and force them to work against the current. Ideal water flow within the well should be approximately 1 to 2 MPH, and in a circular motion. This will allow fish to school and provide a smooth flow of water over and through their gills. If the water flow is excessive, bait tire quickly and will not be lively. Keep water flow as low as possible, with fish swimming in a stationary position within the tank. Do this with a few pieces of bait to see how they behave.

SHRIMP AND FISH THAT DO NOT SCHOOL: Species that do not school, do not need a circular or oval container. Keep water flow to a minimum for fish such as bass, redfish.

For shrimp, provide material in the well so they can cling and not be swirling about the well and become damaged. Leave a dip net in the well, or tie a stone in a piece of cloth such as burlap, or a piece of fiberglass screening.

Take a look at the air bubbles produced by an aquarium aerator. Watch how quickly the bubbles rise to the surface. They provide little aeration, but are aesthetically pleasing to watch. Bubbles must remain contacting the water, if they are to do the job properly. A good rule of thumb is: The smaller the bubble, the longer it will remain suspended in water to dissolve.

WATER TEMPERATURES

The warmer the water, the less oxygen it will hold. Fish will deplete the oxygen quicker as the water warms, and poor aerators will maintain less fish. Colder water will hold more oxygen. Water frozen in a plastic bottle will lower temperatures and keep the chlorine out of the tank.*

Use an aquarium thermometer to compare temperatures. Keep temperatures within eight degrees Farenheit between water in the well, and water outside the boat.*

CAUTION: Placing fish in different temperatures quickly, will shock and kill them. It is best to place fish in the same water and temperatures where they were caught.

Due to the higher density of salt water, air bubbles are usually smaller in salt water than in fresh water.*

The small bubbles, can theoretically aerate 6.6 times as much water with the same amount of air.*

Oval or round tanks provide the best circulation. However, rectangular or square wells are satisfactory if there is a directional discharge into the well. The directional discharge will induce the more desirable circular motion.

Species that do not school, do not need a circular or oval container. Keep water flow to a minimum for fish such as bass, redfish, crappie, bream and walleye. They do not need a water flow for survival.

For shrimp, provide material in the well so they can cling and not be swirling about the well and become damaged. Leave a dip net in the well or tie a stone in a piece of cloth such as burlap.

Oxygen will maintain higher quantities of fish, but extra care must be taken when using pure oxygen. To understand the fundamentals or air versus oxygen, each should be individually discussed.

An air bubble as it passes through water has the ability to put oxygen into the water and also absorb CO2 as it passes slowly to the surface. The bubble then pops at the surface and the CO2 is dissipated into the atmosphere. The smaller the bubble, the longer it remains in the water to exchange oxygen and CO2.

OXYGEN

An oxygen bubble will insert a higher percentage of oxygen into water than a normal air bubble. This allows for higher quantities of fish in a given size of container, or it will make bait fish lively. However, an oxygen bubble does not have the ability to absorb CO2. As the fish eliminates CO2 in its body, there will be a build-up of CO2 in the livewell water. When the percentage of CO2 equals that of the fish, the fish will be unable to expel the CO2 and absorb the enriched oxygenated water. If a closed livewell does not have the ability to aerate and remove the CO2, the fish will suffocate. In a rolling boat, water at the surface of your livewell that is in contact with air, will produce aeration and may be sufficient to remove CO2 without introducing other forms of aeration. This is called de-gassing.

CAUTION: WHEN USING PURE OXYGEN WITHOUT REMOVAL OF CO2 MAY SUFFOCATE YOUR FISH!

USING OXYGEN SYSTEMS

Theory suggests that large percentages of oxygen in water will turn your bait into star performers and attract more fish. Predators are attracted to faster moving bait. Many members of the Southern Kingfish Association have been using pure oxygen systems for years.

To increase the oxygen percentages higher than what would be normally found in the water entering your livewell, the intake pumps to the well should be turned off. Otherwise, oxygen enriched water produced by your oxygen system will be dumped overboard and defeat the purpose of producing livelier bait.*

USING AERATORS WITH OXYGEN SYSTEMS

Aeration systems should be turned off when enriching water with higher than ambient levels of oxygen. When aerators are on, they will try to keep oxygen levels at normal conditions. You won't produce livelier bait, but they will remain healthy, Remember that oxygen cannot absorb and dissipate CO2, so high levels of CO2 in the water will eventually kill your bait. Watch your bait occasionally to see if they start to stress. If stress occurs, immediately start your aeration system or change the water in the livewell.

Fishing oxygen infusion systems are designed for use in a marine environment

Marine grade fishing regulators are exposed to the marine elements and are made of brass with nickel plating. Anodized aluminum regulators with internal brass, designed with non-rusting components and designed to prevent intrusion of spray and humidity can be used and are a good alternative choice for many anglers. They can be either a needle valve or rotating barrel with preset openings. The rotating barrel is the preferred choice. Only a small amount of oxygen is needed to maintain fish so the first settings are very small.

Never lubricate or spray your regulator. This will contaminate the regulator and may render it inoperative.

The diffuser is probably the most important item of your equipment. Inexpensive air stones waste precious oxygen. Bubbles are large and do not maintain contact with the water long enough, and are of little use to good oxygenation. Diffusers are made of ceramic with tightly formed pores. They require 25 to 35 lbs of pressure to force the oxygen through ceramic pores, resulting in micro-fine bubbles. The bubbles are so small that they stay suspended in the water and the water absorbs the oxygen. Ceramic diffusers will give many years of service. If the pores clog at the surface due to impurities in the water, a light sanding on the ceramic surface will generally solve the problem.

Do not secure your cylinder in a closed compartment

Pure oxygen is not an explosive. It is an oxidizer and allows things to burn more quickly. Never smoke or have an open flame in the proximity of pure oxygen.

SPRAY BAR AERATORS

Spray bar aerators add oxygen to the water by jetting small streams of water into the surface. Some air is absorbed into the spray as it passes from the spray bar to the water surface, and when the spray strikes the water surface, air bubbles are injected into the water. For the most part, these bubbles are rather large.*

Jets of water from spray bars are generally harsh to delicate bait. Their protective coating and scales are easily removed, and their survival is drastically reduced.*

Spray bars are an inefficient aeration system, and should be used only on the hardiest bait.*

Air stone aerators do provide gentle aeration, but they sustain less bait per unit of air than aerators that produce smaller bubbles.*

Most bubble aerators use C or D cell batteries. Operational costs can be expensive.*

If a bubble aerator is the only option available, utilize a low pressure ceramic diffuser. KeepAliveĀ® manufactures a low pressure ceramic diffuser with micro bubbles that dramatically improves the efficiency of a bubble aerator. They are expensive, but if a bubble aerator is your only option in maintaining fish, then purchase a high quality bubble aerator and couple it with the KeepAliveĀ® low pressure ceramic diffuser

VENTURI AERATORS

This is the much copied, old aeration technology. They can be purchased as a floating aerator or a bottom aerator with suction cups.*

The fast-moving water at the output of the pump creates a vacuum, which suck air into the pump output. This system typically provides better aeration than spray bar aerators, but the efficiency is still low.

Some models damage bait due to the high speed of water from the pump output.*

THRU-HULL PUMPS

Thru-hull pumps provide a constant flow of new water into the livewell and eliminate the problems of heat and ammonia build-up. As long as clean water is available, more bait can be placed in a given amount of water than with any of the previously discussed systems. However, when entering water that is less than ideal for delicate bait, care must be taken to secure the intake water. By utilizing a combination of the thru-hull pump with other aeration methods, bait can remain healthy and lively for longer periods of time.*

Don't let your fishing trip end before its time, just because you bait died!

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