Printable View
Oxygenator 100% Oxygen vs. aerator 21% Oxygen/80% Nitrogen –that’s a no brainer in the summer when keeping minnows alive when low oxygenproblem start.
All mechanical aerators have the same serious limitation – theyonly ambient air. That is a problem in the summer when the water warms up to100F. Minnows get red-nose and die in the bait bucket so quickly and that timeis near now.
How many of you have tried and use that Marine MetalOxygenator that makes pure 100% oxygen for live bait?
Actually I think your referring to the one made by T-H marine. I’d suggest you do some research on that thing. Not very good reviews and been some study’s done on using it to keep tournament fish alive. Doesn’t do a very good job. Here is one study.
The Oxygenator, how effective is it?
Thanks for the heads up on those Oxygenators. It’s funny that most of the bass boat manufactures install those Oxygenators as an OEM standard equipment and the salesmen really promote that 100% oxygen administration.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cray
Clearly some biologist at TP&WD Inland Fisheries do not have a very high opinion of those livewell Oxygenators. On the up side, they do promote their oxygeninjection livewell equipment they developed that also delivers 100% pure oxygen.
Do you have any opinion about TP&WD oxygen injection systems that delivers 100% welding oxygen?
I have seen thatall the tournament live release boats have those big green oxygen tanks on board and they do use 100% oxygen for the 20 boat ride to the live release sites. I would think that those big green oxygen tanks on those release boats have got to be very dangerous.
Livewell Oxygen Injection Systems by Fishery Biologist Randy Myers TPWD, Inland Fisheries Division, SanAntonio, TX Publication 6/2011 http://www.slideshare.net/raminlandfish/livewell-oxygen-injection-8773301
Most of the tournament guys I know use medical oxygen. If you can find someone to fill them for you without a prescription then you can get the small bottles off eBay. They use the pediatric regulator that cuts down the mount of oxygen to a very minute amount of letters per minute. Then you need a very fine stone to create very tiny bubbles. They use the small bottles for portability and ease of storage. They use on their minnows and in livewell and it is very effective. The regular welding oxygen is not as pure and really don’t know how effective it would be. You might post your questions on the main board because we do have a lot of tournament fishermen on here that use different systems.
I appreciateyour advice Clay.
I do realize that the vast majority of the live bait fishermen never have any problems with their bait in the summer and that is because they do not overcrowd their livewell and they can maintain excellent water quality with Mr. Bubbles or other mechanical aerators/water pumps, ice, etc.
I do overcrowd my bait tank and I do have a problems with summer bait mortality and red-nose bait problems because I do overstock and carry more than a lb. of fish/bait per gallon of livewell water in the summer.
Everything I have read about summer bait problems points to low oxygen being the culprit and that adding supplemental oxygen corrects this low O2 problem which sounds logical to me if the bait/fish in the livewell need more O2. If Mr. Bubbles is delivering plenty air, there may be enough O2 and additional O2 is unnecessary and a waste of time and $.
The issue is…which oxygen system to buy, there are many different types of O2 systems available today for fishermen. A commercial fishing O2 rig will cost as much as a good rod and reel rig or a good pair of sunglasses which is not cheap.
I see several companies are actually selling aluminum lick-style medical O2 regulators on the internet and advertising them commercial marine grade oxygen regulators which seems to be popular.
The $100 Oxygenator is definitely a very poor option for a dependable life support system. It delivers 100% oxygen only while it’s running and it’s certainly not dependable in the summer when you need it to work because it doesn’t generate enough 100% oxygen in the summer for a limited amount of bait or fish. It causes a low O2 problem in the livewell in the summer. Add ice to the well water and the Oxygenator cycles off and stays off till the water warms up and produced no oxygen at all when it is not running.
Medical oxygen and medical oxygen equipment has its own problems like you mentioned before.
Ronnie Capps and several other crappie pros use a commercial fishing oxygen system calledthe “O2 Edge”. Bass Cat Boats make another oxygen injection system called the “TigerTank O2 system.” And many bass fishermen use the oxygen injection system that TP&WD Inland Fisheries developed and sells.
Most of the tournamentlive release boats use homemade oxygen injection systems with big welding O2 tanks and Victor adjustable O2 regulators. They are always testing the DO in the water with a DO meter and increasing the dose of O2 on the regulator as they add more fish to the livewell…. they say that more fish in the livewell require more O2, they increase the flow of 100% O2 on the regulator as needed. They dial in whatever O2 flow it takes on the regulator to maintain 100% DO Saturation. This is how they can control the DO and insure minimal safe oxygenation for all the fish in the livewell in the summer.
I will do as you suggested and bring this up on the general forum, thanks.
I bought the Keep Alive version 3 years ago, and it was one of the best purchases I have made for Tournament bass fishing. I use welding oxygen, refill is $14 and that will last me about 25 tournaments. I no longer have to worry about the fish, and ones that are bleeding badly have stayed alive.
I also you the keep alive .It works awsome no problem with keeping bait alive when it is hot !!
Wonder how an oxygen concentrator would work.
I have wondered the same thing......Quote:
Originally Posted by DockShootinJack
Seems like they could be found on the used market , portable and rechargeable
I have looked, they are out there but they ain’t cheap.Quote:
Originally Posted by DockShootinJack
I had not priced them
In 1971 I worked for National Cylinder Gas Co in Jacksomville , Fla .... My Job was to Fill Oxygen Bottles ... Oxygen is only Dangerous if it comes in contact with OIL of any type..... Welding Gas and Medical Gas are all filled off the same Manifold ,,, just a different fitting on the small bottles. when filling 30 cylinders they all get the same PSI when filled --- the Pump at the Tank of Liquid Oxy is turned off -- then all the Valves turned off then removed from the Manifold and stored untill sold .... there is no difference in Purity between welding and Medical --- the difference is the Regulator
And the price?
Just my 2 cents from personal experience here in central Florida. I have just used frozen water bottles for over 30 years with no problems. I am usually carrying too many minnows and haven't had any problems keeping them alive even saving the left overs for the next trip. I do use the standard aquarium bubbler pump also. I am too cheap to spend money on a system that isn't broke, especially with a 30 year history of good results. Just my opinion and we all know about opinions.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app
I have a converted igloo cooler. I run an aquarium pump at home and a battery operated one when fishing
That's the way I have set up also, when at home I keep them in a refrigerator set as warm as possible but still coolQuote:
Originally Posted by DockShootinJack
Sent from my SM-G900V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app
I used to get them in the fall and keep them until spring. Used an old water trough with a home built filter
Coming full circle now and sharing what I have discovered and what I have learned about bait O2 equipment over the last few months.
The heat of summer has passed now along with all the summer bait tank problems and bait keeping problems. Winter is a few weeks away, it’s cool and bait is so easy to keep alive in cool water, real simple and easy like keeping goldfish in a goldfish bowl.
I have done considerable research with many different types of bait oxygen system the past few months. I discovered there are many different types and different brands of oxygenation equipment for fishermen, all have pro’s and con’s.
Google: “compared bait oxygen systems” and you will discover a world of great technical and scientific information including 3rd party fishery scientific research published on the net by TP&WD Inland Fisheries about those Oxygenators and oxygen-injection systems available today for fishermen.
After reading all the bad reviews about T-H Marine “Oxygenators” on this and many other fishing forums, I Googled: “why do bait oxygen system fail to oxygenate” and found major problems and failures with these Oxygenators and aluminum oxygen regulators sold under numerous different brands of O2 systems (KeepAlive, Fish-Flo2, Pro-O2,Boyd’s Oxygen Response, Salty Air in Corpus Christi and Cramer Decker Pediatric Medical Regulators) that are selling aluminum body click-style oxygen regulators claiming to be "commercial grade" O2 regulators made for use in marine (salt water ) environments That also includes freshwater environments like livewells and bait tanks containing any and all livewell chemicals that contain those life-saving electrolytes, specifically the electrolyte-SALT.
When salt gets on and inside any aluminum alloy regulator the results is always Galvanic Corrosion. That’s the white powdery corrosive tell-tail confirming aluminum deterioration. The terminal process hasbegun when you see that white powder on the outside of the aluminum regulator, the inside the regulator is also contaminated with salt and deteriorating too.
White power indicate regulator malfunction and failure is progressing because of Galvanic corrosion is active. This corrosion is a normal metallurgy problem that affects all aluminum alloy O2 exposed to salt, especially aluminum alloy O2 regulators made in China, Mexico and America. China uses zinc internal regulator components because zinc is cheap. Zinc is used as a sacrificial metal in marine and salty environments, the corrosion attacks zinc immediately. Man fishing oxygen systems use aluminum O2 regulators made in China with aluminum alloy and zinc that makes them so cheap/inexpensive $20.00-$30.00.
I had anopportunity meet and talk with tournament Pro Ronnie Capps last summer about livewell oxygen systems. Ronnie uses a solid brass/pure nickel plated adjustable oxygen regulator with his oxygen injection system for live bait and tournament crappie. He has used a particular band oxygen-injection livewell system the past 10 years with a commercial grade, pure nickel plated soli brass adjustable oxygen regulator engineered for use in marine salty fishing environments.
My special Christmas gift to me, from me this year will be an oxygen–injection system like Ronnie uses with the solid brass, pure nickel plated adjustable commercial grade O2 regulator. I have many years of fish left in my life, baring accident or illness; I am going to invest in a good high quality bait oxygen-injection system that will last for years without problem, the same O2 system Capps uses. I am willing to pay for quality equipment to have a fail-safe dependable bait system every summer. I want the best life support livewell system available that has the least amount of problems and failures.
No Oxygenators, no aluminum oxygen regulators, no junk with well-known,well-documented mechanical problems and failures. It’s logical me, some research before spending any money on an oxygen life support system is well worth a few clicks Googling the internet and talking with a pro that uses this type equipment for a living if possible.
Tome, there is nothing more irritating and stressful than opening the livewell or bait tank lid on a summer day and seeing dead shiners or dead tournament crappie… knowing the bait is dead and trip has turned to crap or seeing dead crappie and knowing you will get the dead fish penalty and will lose the tournament because a fish, 1 fish died in the livewell.
Ya’ll have a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year 2020.
What type of money are you talking about to get a set up like Ronnie?
Discounted Guide pricing a decade ago was around $350.00. It’s a little more now. I’ll let you know how it works next summer when the water gets hot.