Need advice on cleaning live well Please!

OK, so our live well has earned itself a bit of funk & we want to clean it safely (for the next batch of catching!). We always rinse it and let it air dry, but it needs more. Online, read some info from Wired2Fish and his method used vinegar and peroxide to clean livewell & your pumps and lines as well, using the RECIRC position on your actuator. There was lots of freshwater rinsing involved, but still a little cautious. (Article is linked below) Has anyone tried this type of cleaning or have an alternate way they would share? Thanks!!



How to Quickly and Safely Clean Your Livewells - Wired2Fish.com

Mine doesn’t have recirc system but I just plug, add a cup of bleach and fill to brim with water. Just let it sit over night then wipe out. Drain then fill with fresh water and let sit for a while the drain and rinse. Never had any problems keeping fish afterwards.

I too have used bleach which works well. I have also used Dawn dishwashing liquid. Like Cray I rinse well and have not had a problem keeping fish afterwards.

I use the bleach and rinse method, too.

I use cleaning strength vinegar. Soak rinse wipe.

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Its hard to beat just plain Bleach.
LittleJohn

Vinegar and Dawn with water is a great cleaner. If there is stuff stuck on , cut off a new toilet brush and chuck it in a 1/2" drill. Scrubs fast and easy with any solution you use.

All i ever do is spay it out and get scales out.Sometimes when i get home i leave the lid open snd let it get some air,but i never actually clean it with a chemical.

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I don't catch enough fish to have to worry about it! :Rofl

Great info though, thank y'all for sharing.

My live well is a wire basket.

Don't worry about peroxide when it comes to fish. A little bit won't hurt fish. It actually is used to clear up infections in aquariums and goldfish ponds. Don't intentionally add it with fish in there, but any residual left from cleaning should be fine. I'm assuming of course, that you're diluting it (mixing it with water) to begin with. Not sure how vinegar impacts fish. With the lakes turning over in some areas, pumping in lake water may "funk" it up without ever adding fish.

Thanks for all the advice! Love the idea about the toilet bowl brush & drill !

I use the bleach method on mine. A cup or two of bleach and fill with water (30 gallons of water). I turn my bubbler on and let it sit a few hours. Wipe it down and then rinse 2 or 3 time. I never have any issues with fish.

To add a comment, I use peroxide in my minnow box and have added it to my live well. Peroxide will not hurt those fish. I generally use a couple of capfuls of peroxide in my 30 quart minnow box. It makes em slick but they sure are lively.

I’m a bleach guy.


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Originally Posted by Fishn buddy

Thanks for all the advice! Love the idea about the toilet bowl brush & drill !

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Works great for cleaning tile grout too :).

Hydrogen peroxide readily decomposes to form water and oxygen so you probably don't have to worry about any kind of residual left over. I'd give it a quick rinse with water and call it good.

Pool Shock - I fill the livewell in the driveway, add about half a bag of pool shock, and let that run on recirc for about 30 minutes. I then make sure to rinse it out good. It does the same thing as bleach, but I feel like it does a better job since it was designed to clean pool pumps and pool piping too. A bag of shock is about $2 at Walmart.

Thanks all, did know that peroxide can actually be helpful to fish...think we are going to try a combo of some of the ideas. I love Crappie.com!

i use vinegar, its what our wildlife agency uses to clean there fish holding tanks


seems to me that bleach would be harmful to the plastic pump parts, hoses, rubber seals etc, bleach is rough on stuff