Keeping live bait alive

Started by JasonGotaProblem, May 26, 2021, 07:33:38 PM

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JasonGotaProblem

My record for the longest I've kept live shrimp going, is 19 days after purchase.

When I'm fishing if I bought way more bait than I ended up using, I keep it for the next trip. I bought an aquarium aerator for $8 and I bring empty water jugs when I go fishing. I'll refresh the water in the bait bucket, and fill 1-3 gal of sea water for the shrimp. Also during the winter this is unnecessary but in FL summer I gotta worry about keeping water temp down. So I have a 20oz water bottle that I freeze overnight and put in the bucket in the morning, and back in the freezer in the evening.

Dead shrimp foul up the water ahead of schedule, so you gotta check every day and pull out the dead ones. When the water gets cloudy, dump it out and put in new water from the jugs.

I've had a lot of success with the above.
Any machine is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough.

philaroman

if you have a pass-out drunk for a fishin'buddy/neighbor,
bloodworms/leeches can live much longer  :o

wailua boy

Even better throw them in a cycled aquarium and they can survive for a very long time

JasonGotaProblem

Quote from: wailua boy on May 26, 2021, 10:37:10 PM
Even better throw them in a cycled aquarium and they can survive for a very long time
Absolutely. I just don't have room for that... Yet.
Any machine is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough.

Decker

I heard online that you can dump hydrogen peroxide into a minnow bucket to oxygenate the water.  Anyone ever done that?

Wompus Cat

I was just looking into that the other day and found

THIS LINK

Lots of yes's and lots of No's BUT a Mich study says YES .
If a Grass Hopper Carried a Shotgun then the Birds wouldn't MESS with Him

JasonGotaProblem

Quote from: Wompus Cat on May 27, 2021, 01:24:37 PM
I was just looking into that the other day and found

THIS LINK

Lots of yes's and lots of No's BUT a Mich study says YES .

Consider me intrigued. I love a good controversy.

I swear I've heard of something similar being done - to a lake, I think - because of low oxygen levels. Could be a fake memory though.

For those who don't like calculating ratios, 1oz per 3 gal is equivalent to 1 tbsp per gallon.
Any machine is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough.

oc1

#7
There is this:
https://www.amazon.com/Oxygen-Tablets-Fish-Tank-Releasing/dp/B0888PBQVF#:~:text=%E2%99%A5Features%3A%E2%99%A5-,Oxygen%20in%20tablet%20form%2C%20to%20increase%20the%20oxygen%20content%20of,warmer%20times%20of%20the%20year.

But, good old fashion gas exchange through aeration is better.  Carbon dioxide is a weak acid and the pH will fall if you do not drive off the carbon dioxide as you add oxygen.

Keeping the water very shallow (without reducing volume) also helps increase gas exchange.

Brewcrafter

I'm with Steve on this - the easiest/cheapest way to increase O2 in water is agitation, whether that means recirculating water "fountain style" or incorporating a cheap aquarium air stone and pump.  The challenges I see with the Hydrogen Peroxide trick are a few:  1.  Expense - dumping a pitcher full of fresh water from a height above the bait tank creating agitation costs nothing but time, and the water you are introducing should already have dissolved O2 in it, on top of O2 that gets absorbed through agitation.  Same with a simple pump/stone setup.  2.  Assuming that adding H2O2 into your bank tank allows the O2 to break its bonds and go into solution in the water (basically creating Oxygen and Water) those extra H ions have to go somewhere, and they are pretty reactive.  Everyone here probably has heard of pH and understand in basic terms it is a scale of a solutions basic (high) or acidic (low) pH.  pH translates into "Power of Hydrogen", and while you are theoretically releasing a bunch of O2 into solution when you dump the H2O2 into your tank; all of that H needs to go somewhere and react with something.  And I am guessing that it will probably drop the pH of the tank further into the acidic range, possibly outside of optimum conditions for the bait (think "acid rain" - elevated levels of hydrogen ions in solution).
BUT!  All of this has given my pause to think, and there is nothing like a good experiment with data to help grow knowledge.  Now, I have never dumped H2O2 in my livewell, but, while I don't get into the lab as often as I once did (thanks Covid, keeping me chained to the computer!) I do happen to have access to a pretty damn fine pH Meter (no big deal) AND a pretty doggone good DO meter (that's a big deal in my professional world!).  Now all I need to do is put together a simple test/measure protocol and (the hard part) figure out when I can actually get to the lab and hijack the equipment outside of our normal QA chores.  More to follow! - john

Wompus Cat

An aerator or agitation of course should be used on your Prized Koi Pond with 5 or 600 Dollar 15" Imported fishes in it but for 8 bucks worth of Crappie Minnows a Tablespoon of Hydrogen Peroxide is worth a try besides it might make the Brunettes  in the Bunch turn Blonde and be more attractive to the Fish you are trying to Hook .
If a Grass Hopper Carried a Shotgun then the Birds wouldn't MESS with Him

Swami805

Anything to break the surface tension of the water will help, wider shallower is better than deep and narrow since more surface for gas exchange.  Also your bait produces waste which will get toxic over time, partial water changes will keep them alive longer.
I did hydroponic growing for awhile and added H2O2 to the mix, seemed to help somewhat to keep the plants healthy
Do what you can with that you have where you are

JasonGotaProblem

Quote from: Wompus Cat on May 28, 2021, 06:05:52 AM
besides it might make the Brunettes  in the Bunch turn Blonde and be more attractive to the Fish you are trying to Hook .
See, now we're getting somewhere.

Is surface-area-based gas exchange necessary with a bubbler? I would image that would be where O2 leaves the water.
Any machine is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough.

philaroman

#12
minnows' gills is where O2 leaves -- surface is O2 source, if no other
(that's why they "gulp" air on top when O2 is low)

w/ bubbler water column depth matters most
surface area where bubbles exit -- not so relevant (within functional range)

oc1

#13
Oxygen diffuses into water through the surface.  In still water conditions, a microlayer of water that is saturated with oxygen develops on the surface.  Once the surface layer is saturated with oxygen, no more oxygen can diffuse into it.  Fish gulp at the surface when most oxygen has been depleted except for that surface microlayer.

The bubblers work in two ways.  First, there is oxygen transferred from the surface area of the bubble as they rise through the water.  A lot of fine bubbles work better than a few coarse bubbles because the fine bubbles have more surface area.

The second effect is the disturbance bubbles create.  Bubbles push water up to the surface so the microlayer with saturated oxygen is pulled down into the water column.  Typically, the mixing effect is more important than direct transfer of oxygen from the bubble as it rises.

Riding around in a car, water in the bait bucket will slosh keeping it well mixed and aerated.

Cold water can hold more oxygen than warm water.  Cold water also slows down the metabolism so the bait will use less oxygen and excrete less waste and carbon dioxide.  Bait will always last longer if they are kept cool.  Bubbling and sloshing can cool water to some extent through evaporative heat loss.


Benni3

Here rock salt kicks the flavor and 5in bubble donut aerators work,,,,, ;) but if you take river water in a gallon jug iced it does the trick ,,,,,,,,, ;D