Bait tank prep

New to club and board. Taking my new G and M 20 gallon tank on its maiden voyage Friday. What is everyone’s suggestion on prepping to ensure bait stays alive and lively. I will be filling with several gallons of water from the tanks the bait are in and probably using lake water for the rest as the boat is already in the water.

If you can get some fresh water in the tank it will be better than lake water. Also get some bait saver and foam off. If your bait supplier keeps bait at ambient temp then your water should be the same. You will need to add some salt . The best bet is to always fill your tank at the bait shop if it is possible.

Key West 1720 Sportsman 115 Yammie
Angler 2100 225 Yammie
FISH: An animal that grows the fastest between the time it’s caught and the time you tell your friends about it!

quote:
Originally posted by controlfreak

If you can get some fresh water in the tank it will be better than lake water. Also get some bait saver and foam off. If your bait supplier keeps bait at ambient temp then your water should be the same. You will need to add some salt . The best bet is to always fill your tank at the bait shop if it is possible.

Key West 1720 Sportsman 115 Yammie
Angler 2100 225 Yammie
FISH: An animal that grows the fastest between the time it’s caught and the time you tell your friends about it!


If you are on a municipal water system and decide to use your own water, you need to know how its treated/purified. If it is a chlorine treatment, then Bait Saver will work. If it is a chloramine treatment, standard Bait Saver will NOT work. I learned this the hard way and it took me a while to figure out what had killed my bait, twice. Good news is that Walmart sells a product in the fish/aquarium section called “Start Right” that will take care of chloramine. Comes in a 8 oz. bottle. Just read the label. And add salt.

-The size of a fish is directly proportional to the time between when it’s lost and the story is told. - Me
-What’s the best eating fish, you ask? I’ve found that for a lot people, its the ones that they happen to be able to catch, clean, and cook. - My Dad
-Until you have loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened. Anatole France (paraphrased)
-RIP my “Puppy Dog” 10/15/2004 - 1/14/2013. I’ll never forget him. What a special friend he was.

X2 on the start right! I usually add that and salt and let your tank run for awhile. At least have it running before you get to the shop. That way there will be a good amount of oxygen in the water already.

TEAM HARD OF HERRING

91 180 Sport Craft
94 Evinrude Oceanpro

Well water … Colder the better … 20 gallon tank? 1 cup crushed salt (buy a 50 pound bag from Tractor Supply for $7) … 1 TBS of Shad Keeper bait saver … Add the salt & bait saver in as you’re filling the bait tank and let it mix in as you’re filling the tank … Go to the bait shop and buy the bait … Max capacity for a 20 gallon will be around 6-7 dz before you start experiencing dead loss due to overcrowding …

Use foam off to clear the foam from the salt/bait … Best way is to buy a cheap pump sprayer and put a couple cap fulls and fill the rest of the bottle with well water … Some people go cheap by using powered coffee creamer … Don’t do it … Leaves residue on the pumps and shortens pump life … One or two sprays and no more foam …

Check the filters regularly while on the water and clean the scales out regularly to prevent water fouling and/or pump failure …

When it gets warmer out use empty water bottles to keep the water cool … When you drink the bottled water, don’t throw them away … Refill the bottles and freeze them … Then as the water gets warm put a frozen water bottle in to cool it back down …

In the cooler months leave the tank lid open to let the gasses escape and prevent further water fouling … This is a bit problematic during the summer months because it allows the tank water to heat up … Going to have to play that one by ear …

Never never never leave old water and/or bait in the tank … I clean mine after every outing …

… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!

2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke

quote:
Originally posted by Bowhunter
quote:
Originally posted by controlfreak

If you can get some fresh water in the tank it will be better than lake water. Also get some bait saver and foam off. If your bait supplier keeps bait at ambient temp then your water should be the same. You will need to add some salt . The best bet is to always fill your tank at the bait shop if it is possible.

Key West 1720 Sportsman 115 Yammie
Angler 2100 225 Yammie
FISH: An animal that grows the fastest between the time it’s caught and the time you tell your friends about it!


If you are on a municipal water system and decide to use your own water, you need to know how its treated/purified. If it is a chlorine treatment, then Bait Saver will work. If it is a chloramine treatment, standard Bait Saver will NOT work. I learned this the hard way and it took me a while to figure out what had killed my bait, twice. Good news is that Walmart sells a product in the fish/aquarium section called “Start Right” that will take care of chloramine. Comes in a 6 oz. bottle. Just read the label. And add salt.

-The size of a fish is directly proportional to the time between when it’s lost and the story is told. - Me
-What’s the best eating fish, you ask? I’ve found that for a lot people, its the ones that they happen to be able to catch, clean, and cook. - My Dad
-Until you have loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened. Anatole France (paraphrased)
-RIP my “Puppy Dog” 10/15/2004 - 1/14/2013. I’ll never forget him. What a special friend he was.


Assuming you are open to advice from someone who just killed off

I bought a 30 gal. G&M earlier this year. It seems that you can get the water to balance off between the front and back if you start filling on the bait side first until the water starts coming out of the stand pipe in the back. Then cut the pump on and start filling again after a few minutes. You do not have to fill all the way to the top, but leave 6in. or so from the lip, that way the water in the back will not overflow the filter box and bypass the filter.
I have had good luck keeping 6 - 8 dozen all day because it puts out so much O2. Hopes this helps.

Hay tigerpaw80,
There ain?t nothing to it when the water gets hot in the summer, easy as keeping goldfish in a goldfish bowl on your kitchen counter if you can insure minimal safe water quality inside your livewell. Of course if you can?t do that, your loses will be predictable and you will be disappointed.

Here?s some great information on the net specifically about this topic:

Maintaining minimal safe water quality is NECESSARY FOR SUCCESSFUL LIVE BAIT AND TOURNAMENT FISH TRANSPORT

Livewell and bait tank water quality is more important than the shape, size and color of the box. The number and size of water pumps, volume of water pumped, volume of air pumped, type and number of air diffusers, all the alarms, switches, bells and buzzers combined are less important than maintaining minimal safe water quality…

  • Minimal safe livewell and bait tank transport water must be
  1. Oxygenated: maintaining minimal safe dissolved oxygen saturation levels is most important. Low oxygen (hypoxia) kills and causes brain damage in seconds and minutes in livewells.

  2. Ventilated: water must be flushed and cleaned of toxins (second most important). Metabolic toxins take hours and days to reach toxic levels that kill in livewells.

FACT: Livewell oxygen injection systems (adjustable dose) provide the very best and most efficient means of ensuring minimal safe livewell oxygenation.

The purpose of supplemental oxygen is to ensure minimal safe oxygenation for the total biomass of live bait and fish being transported for the duration of the transport in any summer condition. Oxygen injection systems are true ?life support? systems. Oxygen injection systems are not aeration systems.

VENTILATING LIVEWELL WATER ? REMOVING DISOLVED GASES AND TOXINS

FACT: Ventilating livewell water reduces metabolic toxins, dissolved CO2, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, acid pH and the big chunks.
Intermittent livewell partial and total water exchanges are the most effective, least expensive, easiest way to remove toxin

Whatever water you have should be fine. If you have a hose an near the boat I would fill it at home. Put a bag of ice in if it is warm, city, water. I always put the Prime in after dissolving the ice due to the chorine or chloramine in the ice. In the colder months I would fill the tank and leave the lid open overnight which also gets rid of the chemicals and negates the need for ice. If you have to use lake water you will just have to do the same process but add more ice. Check the bait tank water wherever you normally get bait to see how close you are. Just ask your bait man if your water is the right temp. They know.

Joby

A lot of you may already know of this product, but I started using AquaSafe for water conditioning a couple of weeks ago. It removes chlorine and chloramine. I wanted to try it first and make sure that it works and so far I’ve had no issues. It is sold at Lowe’s (and probably Home Depot, too) and is in the pond supply section. At $7.99 for a 16.9 oz bottle, it is a lot cheaper than Prime or Start Right and you only use one capful for 50 gals.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_86020-42478-16267_0__?productId=3759463

-The size of a fish is directly proportional to the time between when it’s lost and the story is told. - Me
-What’s the best eating fish, you ask? I’ve found that for a lot people, its the ones that they happen to be able to catch, clean, and cook. - My Dad
-Until you have loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened. Anatole France (paraphrased)
-RIP my “Puppy Dog” 10/15/2004 - 1/14/2013. I’ll never forget him. What a special friend he was.
-Team Gonna Fish