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My second Frabill aerator just bit the dust at about 2 years old. Probably about 20 hours total run time. Failed just like the last one. The motor still runs, but it just pump less and less air until it quit. This isn't some cheap thing. I paid $40 for each of them and sunk more into an AC adapter to run them off the water.
I hear people complaining about the Engel aerators failing too.
Does anybody make a good product?
Full disclosure: I have not fished with minnows in years. However, I used to keep tropical fish, and the aerators/filters I used were excellent. Also, they were designed to keep fish much more valuable than minnows alive.
Is there a pet shop near you? Surely they would have something better than what you're currently using.
This is what I have been using and it is several years old now. It has 2 air outlets so you can place one in your livewell and one in your minnow bucket or if you need 2 minnow buckets you have one for each. It is a 12 volt so it works off your boat battery so you don't have to buy small batteries and if you want to use it as portable you can also run it off your car(truck) battery. It really puts out the aeration good also. Well it has worked very good for me so far. this is what it looks like you may want to check them out they sell them at most Walmarts and a lot of other retailers and Grizzly Jig also go online you never know when you may find a deal on them.:twocents
https://www.amazon.com/B15-Marine-Me.../dp/B000EYWNVQ
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....JL._SX425_.jpg
I have the one Scrat posted mounted in my boat. Been there about 5 years. It quit last fall, pumping on one side. Called marine metals explained I wanted to buy replacement pump section. Gave them my address and next day had new pump Assy, and big round air stone in mail at no cost. I have one of the smaller battery units that I have found to be superior to all the others I have owned. And very quiet. True customer service unlike what I got with the 3 frabill's I threw in the trash.
I've used them at home, but they are AC and I need battery or 12VQuote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Been using Marine Metal Power Bubbles, like scrat's post, for years and years. Never had a problem.
Keeping the diffuser stones changed increases the life of the pumps as well
this or a aquarium pump on an inverter/Quote:
Originally Posted by scrat
I've used a lot of the C D battery styles. Some last a year, some more than a year. Don't know the hours used.
This one has lasted 4 years. Marine Metal Products Bubble Box™ Air Pump | Academy
This one lasted 3 years. Marine Metal Products Quiet Bubbles™ Bubble Box™ Air Pump | Academy
I picked up 2 Laker bubblers at $13.95 for back ups. Laker Piston Pump Aerator AE1 Lot Of 2** | eBay
I use the Marine Metals Bubble Box also; I use a 2-way valve to divert air front/rear and livewell.
I've got the same kind that Scrat has.
Bubs daddy the best medical grade aerator made in st marys ohio
Look him up on the web at bubs daddy.com.
I bought one last year that takes the Dewalt 20v battery. Does a great job
i got one with the 4 rechargeable bats its unreal well worth the money.
If a fella minnow fishes much it would take long to recoup the cost in battery savings
I've tried the more expensive models from air pumps to circulating agitators. None have performed as expected for the additional cost vs much less expensive models. I've reverted back to the cheaper, D battery operated Marine Metal Products Bubble Box. I use only the 3V models (Two 1.5V D batteries inverted). Not the 2 D batteries in series ( which is a 1.5V motor with two in series batteries for a little longer battery run life.). The 3V motors are much stronger and pump a lot more air. You can hear the difference if you run one next to the other and see the difference in the amount of bubbles produced. I've gotten significant life out of these. They are cheaply made so care is a must. I keep mine sprayed with WD40 to minimize the internal moisture. This is a key factor in the life of these. Any rust or oxidation that forms reduces the voltage and increases the load on the motor windings. I've actually had one of mine I've taken the best care of for probably 7 years now. The "O" rings in the pump will wear out eventually decreasing air flow. At around $8 for one these days, if I get another year out of the oldest one I have now I figure at $1 a year that's pretty more than sufficient for a return on investment for an item like this. I've left these running for up to 4 days non-stop on one set of batteries without issue. Now, for quality care for bait you have to do one of two things when seeing bait for more than one day. Either invest in a low volume circulating pump and filter system, or change the water daily. As all who use live shiners for bait well know these critter crap............ a lot....... Keep the water fresh and cool is a must. The fresher and cooler the water but more residual O2 in the water at all times. Warm water does not retain as much dissolved O2 as cooler water, and decaying matter consumes a lot of the "free O2" from the water whether warm of cold converting it to CO and CO2 naturally. Those little blue O2 pills work great. They impede the decaying matter from consuming a lot of O2 if you can find them and want to spend a few extra $$.
Getting back to the care of the cheaper aerators, if you neglect them even once and let rust or oxidation start you have allowed a non-reversible process start. You can slow it down by cleaning and caring, but once it starts it can't be stopped. You only prolong the inevitable. But, even with that you should get decent life out of it with a little extra TLC.
Now, this is pretty much for a bait bucket and not a built in live well. I've used them for this too and they work, just have to add something to your boat to hang it on and make sure it doesn't get moisture in it.
Another important thing is the diffuser. Not all are equal. If you're not getting a ton of bubbles it's probably because your diffuser is too dense and requires a higher pressure to get through. When you see this you need to trash it and try a different one. If you're not able to push through with ease you'll wear out your motor and pump much faster. I also always use two aerators in my bucket. I also keep a fine mesh scoop net to sift the crap once or twice a day depending on how many shiners I have in the bucket. I always have a 5 gal bucket on board for "personal use". The bait buckets usually have an insert you can lift out with your bait. I take it out and pour the water through the fine meshed net in to the 5 gal bucket then back in to the bait bucket and put the insert with the shiners back in it. This gets all of the big stuff and probably 50% of the little stuff out cleaning the water significantly. The shiners stay fresh and lively all day. Process takes every bit of 2 - 3 minutes. Well worth it.
Bubs Daddy and be done. He will take care of you.
I use a rechargeable lithium, can't think of the name right now but I will check. It works great in my 19qt engel, cant even hear it running. It runs about 15 hours on constant, and 20-24 on intermittent. I usually plug it into the boat and leave it run 24/7 when on multiple day trips. Never had an issue with lack of oxygen, even with shiners in summer.
You could use an inverter.Quote:
Originally Posted by CatFan
Don’t want to mess with 120V on a boat. Too risky.Quote:
Originally Posted by shadboy
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12 Volt Power Bubbles
I stopped using a battery powered motor aerator several years ago due to them not lasting me more than a year or so. I started using an oxygen bottle with a low flow regulator for live shrimp in my saltwater fishing. Now I use the same oxygen bottle for my freshwater minnows as well.
Using straight oxygen keeps bait alive longer than “air” which contains ~21% oxygen. I’m getting over 360 hours of oxygen per fill of my cylinder. That’s 45 days if I run the oxygen for 8 hours a day, which I normally don’t run it that long. A tackle store near me refills the tank when needed, but the welding shop where I get my Argon gas can fill the tank with oxygen too.
It’s not for everyone, and does cost ~$200 for the tank, regulator, and aeration stone - but once you try it, you’ll be impressed. Minnows will try to jump out of your bait tank when their jacked up on 100% oxygen - they’re super lively on the hook as well. I use it a lot in my saltwater fishing for shrimp, croakers, and mullet - so it made sense for me to use it crappie fishing with minnows as well.
Here are a few pictures of the tank installed on my saltwater boat. I have the oxygen tank mounted on a quick release bracket designed for a fire extinguisher, so it stays locked rock solid when mounted, but with the push of a button - you can remove it in less that 2 seconds.
Attachment 450072
Attachment 450073
Attachment 450074
Double posted by accident
Interesting setup