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Well, here we are in Central Texas and temps hitting 90 degrees. We have a 40 gallon plastic/rubber minnow tank with lots of aeration and filtering. Now we are battling heat and minnows are dying. There has to be a better way to cool the water then ice blocks or bags of ice. Anyone know of a submergible cooling element powered by electricity that can be dropped into our tank? Thanks in advance.
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they have these things on ebay - 100W 35L Aquarium Water Chiller Fish Shrimp Tank Cooler Heating Cooling Machine
Chiller sounds like the ticket. Here is a link to a manufacturer that can tell you what size or power chiller your set up needs.
jbjlighting.com/prod_chiller_size.asp
More summer problems with live minnows and shad keeping/transport?
Consider this if you’re not totally pleased with exactly what you got this summer. There are other options available to consider if you like.
Inducing hypothermia with ice or refrigeration in Livewell/bait tank water is certainly an option if you really believe that 90 F water temperature is really causing your minnow/shad problems this summer.
Keep in mind that those minnows/shad live just fine in that same 90 F water every summer in Central Texas and South Texas. Those baits don’t get sick and die in hot lake water like they do in that same 90 F water in your bait tanks/livewell do they. Well, yes they do for some reason.
Maybe you have heard that it’s that 90F livewell/bait tank water is killing the minnows/shad… the water temperature is killing the bait and what survives till noon is often red-nosed and way sloppy to be effective live bait. Fishing guides always tell clients to use the best, liveliest baits first; quickly before they die on summer trips.
So what’s the real problem in your livewell/bait tank? Poor water quality, hypoxic dissolved oxygen saturation when bait is added into your bait box… what is the real water quality problem in your livewell/bait tank that is negatively affecting your minnow/shad?
Many, many fishermen do lose every summer then the environmental water temperature reached that predictable 77-80 F and this hypoxic bait tank water quality problem just gets worse as summer progresses to 90F -100F and greater.Every live baiter and tournament C&R fisherman knows about this. Actually, this is a FACT.
Many fishermen do consider 50% mortality and another 20% live red nose, sloppy baits success by 1 PM which is quiet normal in the summer. Perceptions of live bait problems are relative and different for every fisherman. Many would never, ever consider this summer bait tank mortality/morbidity a problem with minnows or shad.
Actually you are not in a battle with warm water, you are really in a war with deadly hypoxic livewell water quality and you are already losing that war again this summer. This hypoxia matter is exactly problem you last summer and exactly the same problem you will have next summer because is normal and it is predictable every summer from now on.
One great solution to eliminate this problem and aggravation forever is plastic baits and scented chemicals to spray on the plastics. Many fishermen chose plastics because trying to keep minnows and shat alive in the summer is beyond their limitations and way too much trouble and steeps aggravation/stress levels.
Like many fishermen and you are losing the war you fight with hypoxic water quality again this summer in Central Texas. Don’t feel bad, ancient man has had this exact same problem (hypoxic water) for thousands of years since the first time prehistoric man tried to keep a fish alive in a box or a little pond he dug in the ground. This summer problem is ancient.
Insuring continuous minimal safe water quality in your bait box is vital, essential, necessary for great success. Fix your livewell water quality problem (specifically dissolved oxygen saturation) and you can and will win this this war you have ever summer in Central Texas for the rest of your fishing life…. There ain’t nothing to keeping minnows/shad and mature gamefish healthy and alive all day or for a few weeks 24/7.
Manage your livewell water quality, insure minimal safe water quality a day or several weeks.
1. Regardless of your stocking density, insure continuous safe oxygenation with a livewell full of fish 24/7: Optimal safe oxygenation is continuous DO Saturation 100%.
2. Change your livewell water occasionally which controls all the toxic metabolic waste that accumulated naturally in the livewell water (ammonia, dissolved CO2, carbonic acid, acid livewell water, nitrites, nitrates).
3. Add salt to your livewell water to aid osmoregulation.
4. Dip out your dead and dying fish, get the dead stuff out of the box.
This is all you need to do if you really want excellent livewell/bait tank water quality and really be successful keeping your baits healthy and alive every summer, ain’t nothing to it. This is real easy and anybody can chose to be successful anytime… today, next week, this year, next year, 5-10 years from now. But, if you really like your summer live minnow/shad quality, do not change anything about your bait keeping.
So, how bad do you really want fix your summer hypoxic water quality problem in your bait tank? That’s a personal decision for anyone that thinks they have bait problems in the summer that need really needs fixing.
Interesting recurring topic that presents on fishing forums every summer about mid May with all minnow/shad fishermen having problems keeping/transporting live bait fish and transporting live C&R tournament fish trying to avoid the "dead fish penalty."
what a ramble ��
Of course if you "think/believe" that you have no summer bait quality problems, life is good.Quote:
Originally Posted by ibmack
Fake-baits are really popular if you can't keep minnows/shad healthy or alive in summer bait tanks/livewells. Fake baits are a lot cheaper than buy, catching trying to keep live baits when failure is predictable like in the summer.
FACT: Fake-baits will never catch the red-nose, suffocate in any bait tank, get sickly and die! Fake plastic fish baits survive for decades like plastic water bottles.
I'm a hard core meat hunter and I use fake baits in the fall, winter and spring plus a splash of garlic juice... I use live minnows and shad when the environmental water temp reached the high 80 F (when the bite slows down). I have found over the years that fake baits do not catch crappy well when the environmental water temp reached the high 80F - low 90 F... like the crappie just won't chase nor eat the fake baits very well at that time of the year.
Memorial Day today - please take a moment today and think/prey if you like, for all the military personnel that have died, been physically and emotional wounded and disabled with PTS and quality of care the wounded receive in VA Hospitals across the country. Thes soldiers gave everything specifically for all for the citizens of America... I really appreciate that, thanks so much.
Take a disabled veteran fishing this summer.