After thankfully testing one of my and primary livewells on sunday we realized it wasn't working- just didn't come on. I'm not sure what the issue is and really didn't look at it. Though I have a backup, I was glad we discovered the issue now vs. next Wednesday during the first Weekday Warrior Tournament.
Anyway, instead of even thinking about fixing or replacing it with the same, in my mind I was waiting for something to push me to finally install the oxygen system Rob Bertazon first posted about here and is in use now by several MRA members. I pinged one of them, Bobby Standiford who is a quite close neighbor who helped track down all the parts, review his installation and even offered to help install mine. Thanks Bobby! I hope to have this up and running for a live test at the tournament next week but that does require fish. Stress testing it with a nice limit would be ideal.
We never had issue with our cheap mayfair icechest pump/sprayer but besides the improved water quality the other benefit I wanted was one (or two if two livewells going) less drain on the trolling batteries.
For others looking to install the same oxygenator, I'll reiterate what Rob posted or linked to prior for convenience.
1. The regulator for an airtank (which you can pickup locally) is on at this link from Premier Industries. You will have to call them to order this as they don't have online ordering.
2. At the bottom of that page on the Premier site click on the link to the article Oxygenation of Livewells to Improve Survival of Tournament-Caught Bass .
3. In that article, there is a link to a Powerpoint presentation on Livewell Oxygen Injection . It steps through the setup in detail and lists all the parts and vendors for the parts. Can't make it easier than that!
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Comments
Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for the reminder.
Craig, your post is a timely one for me. I had totally forgotten that my livewell pump didn't function during the icebreaker tournament, last December. Fortunately, (or unfortunately), I didn't need it that day. It was probably just clogged with ice. That was a cold tournament. Thanks for the heads-up. Good luck with the new system. Great reminder to check all of our equipment before tourney season.
Your'e welcome Craig. Glad to
Your'e welcome Craig. Glad to help a fellow member as well as his bass! I know how much I appreciated Robs help in getting my system started!! You will love how easy this system is to use and best of all no noise!!! PS I did pick you up a propane tank LOL. Need every edge I can get. Welcome to tournament time!!!
That's what friends are for!
That's what friends are for! Bobby and I installed the oxygenation system in my livewell last evening. Bob, thank you so much for ALL of your help.
Last year, my partner and I lost 5 fish in the last Loch tourney. At 3pm they were all alive and less than an hour later 5 of the 8 were belly-up. That is embarassing, for sure. It nearly cost us a spot in the TOC. My partner got a kindney stone near the end of the tourney and we lost focus of the fish, I guess?
I believe Rob said it best a while back....the cost of this system is a decent rod/reel combo OR money you could lose because of dead fish could equal the cost of this system.
There is something to said for PEACE OF MIND....we could still lose fish thru deep hooking, deep catches, etc...but we won't lose them due to them basically being suffocated.
Glad to help you too as well
Glad to help you too as well Ian. This is what MRA is all about! We all want to protect the resource that we spend so much time trying to catch! Good luck!!
Tested my new oxygenation
Tested my new oxygenation system on Sunday. Again, something to be said for "peace of mind". It's a pretty neat set up and EASY to install, less than an hour.
Tc,
Tc,
No doubt that oxygen trumps mechanical aerators and livewell pumps in the summer if keeping fish bait alive is a real issue, provided there is enough oxygen to insure minimal safe DO levels.
How much oxygen do you need for your catch? More fish need more oxygen, less fish need less oxygen. Can you adjust the dose of oxygen between a light limit of small fish and a heavy limit of large fish? If you can’t, that may be a serious limitation and be disappointing if your catch dies in the livewell with the oxygen system working perfectly as it was designed.
Most fishermen have no problems keeping fish alive with aerators and water pumps especially in the fall, winter and spring because they do not overstock their livewells. They simply don’t catch a limit of fish heavy enough to overstock their livewell.
There is a lot to these oxygen systems, more than meet the eye at first glance. Different kinds of oxygen systems have limitations that must be considered so you’re not disappointed if that fail to keep your catch alive.
An oxygen system is a live support system, it’s not like an aerator or an electric fan blowing air in a hospital ER, it’s oxygen. How much oxygen does your catch need? A little, a little more, a lot, a lot more…. A major limitation to an oxygen system is inability to regulate and adjust the dose of oxygen delivered. Example: oxygen systems that deliver a fixed dose and cannot be adjusted… Premier oxygen regulators deliver a fixed preset dose of oxygen. When you exceed the regulators limitations (heavier limits for example) expect the same problems seen with your aerator, not enough oxygen.
If and when you understand the limitations of these different types of oxygen systems, you will not be disappointed if and when you exceed the limitations of that system and the result is livewell mortality again.
An oxygen system that cannot deliver enough oxygen is no different than a mechanical aerator or livewell water pump that cannot deliver enough oxygen for your catch… the result is the same, failure to supply enough oxygen and livewell mortality.
Do not be disappointed with unreal expectations about oxygen systems.
Know and understand how much oxygen (nor air) fish and bait need in summer livewells.
Know and understand the hallmarks necessary for safe life support systems. It must be absolutely dependable, fail safe.
Know and understand the limitations of different livewell oxygen systems… http://oxyedge-chum.com/compare-oxygen-systems/
Tc, this is my third year
Tc, this is my third year with the oxygen bottle and premier regulator. I usually do not have large limits of bass and am typically fishing for points for a berth in our tournament of champions. As with any system you do have to monitor your catch. I use ice to cool water, livewell additive to also help with stress and periodically adding fresh water when I feel it is needed. Also I have noticed it is not only about water temp. I was fishing a fall tournament ( water temp low 60s ) I had 6 average fish in the well and did not think I needed the o2 turned on, when I checked the fish they seemed stressed at the top of the well,so I turned the o2 on and a half hour later all was fine. I think anything the fisherman can do to help protect the resource should be encouraged!
Bstandiford,
Bstandiford,
Not catching nor transporting large, heavy limits of bass has not exceed the oxygen limitations of your specific type (non-adjustable preset and fixed dose Premier oxygen regulator, actually a preset pressure reducing valve with 1 orifice size) of oxygen injection system is clear… no livewell mortality in 3 years.
Air, aeration and high volume livewell pumps and plenty of nitrogen is simply no substitute for pure 100% oxygen, oxygen injection systems in over stocked livewells containing heavy limits of fish in the summer.
Air is not oxygen although that’s a popular myth that many salesmen sell to fishermen and many fishermen buy it every day, every summer… (mechanical aerators, spray bars and livewell pumps).
Chilling livewell water with ice, induced hypothermia and additional stress you are causing – what do you think happens when those nice cool 70 F fish you have transported 6-8 hours are released back into that 85 F - 90 F environmental water after weigh-in July/August?
Did you know that temperature shock (stress) is much more severe and dangerous when mature tournament caught fish are re-caught in you ice chilled oxygenated livewell, moved handled weighed and released (tossed) back into hot hypoxic environmental water?
Moving tournament caught fish from cool livewell water to hot environmental is much more stressful than moving them from hot environmental water to cool ice chilled livewell water.
** Why do you chill and ice your livewell water when you are supplementing your livewell water with pure oxygen and a livewell oxygen system?
Why not keep you livewell temp the same as the environmental water temp from where the fish came from a few hours ago and not cause any temperature stress at all with these acute temperatures changes.
The right dose of supplemental non-iodized salt to balance electrolytes aids osmoregulation helps.
Fresh water fish don’t need to drink excessive volumes of water to get the electrolytes they need for optimum osmoregulation.
They also produce less urine when supplemental salt is added to livewell water to aid osmoregulation and stabilize
electrolytes.
Most tournament fishermen will never catch a limit of fish heavy enough to overstock their livewell. Mechanical aerators and water pumps is all they need… they do not need supplemental oxygen or an oxygen injection system for their catch at all.
They may want one to eliminate summer tournament stress they experience worrying about their battery dying, livewell failure, their catch dying and the getting popped with dreaded “dead fish" hicky and losing the prize.
As you know, summer tournament fishermen waste of lot of valuable fishing time tithering and thinking about their livewells and dead fish in summer tournaments during the 6-8 hour all day boat ride. What if this happens or that happens, a fish dies and I lose the prize after all the money and work I have spent on today’s tournament.
That’s called tournament fisherman’s stress and has nothing to do with tournament fish stress.
The amount of dissolved oxygen a limit of fish need to be healthy in livewells is determined on the total biomass of fish in the livewell (total weight of the catch).
The amount of oxygen necessary for the catch has absolutely nothing to do with the livewell water volume as you may have heard or read in fishing magazines articles or seen on internet advertisements.
Tag. I am not a fisheries
Tag. I am not a fisheries biologist nor pretend to be. I chill the water in the livewell only if I feel the need to do so, I do try to keep it close to the lake temp as much as possible. But riding around in a hot boat all day has to raise water temp somewhat. Maybe a temp probe for the livewell would be a nice addition as well. Again we all want what is best for the fish. Thanks.
What does it cost to refill
Cost to refill the oxygen tank? Approximately $24. They don't just refill your tank but give you a new one in exchange similar to the process of exchanging a propane tank. Other points:
-I used mine for 2 years, about 10 tournament days. May have used it a few more days for like white perching, etc. or to revive a weak fish.
-Most of us bought and exchange our tanks with Roberts Oxygen which has locations throughout Md.
Go Fish Yourself! <'')))>< ...Respectfully.
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