Livewell Oxygenators

[Jim Jackburn]

Anybody using those livewell Oxygenators or have any 1st hand experience with them in July/August day and night tournaments and would share your experience and opinions? I've read very some 3rd party (TP&WD) testing reviews that highly recommend using livewell aerators and water pumps along with the Oxygenator in the summer. That Oxygenators used alone just don't do well and fish die. Although they they do produce pure a little pure 100% O2, they will not not enough O2 and that's why you must use aerators with them. If you add ice and chill the livewell water the Oxygenator does not cycle on as much thus producing even less oxygen... the catch 22 problem if you use ice.
Thanks for sharing your experience if you have used Oxygenators.

[SteveTX]

I use ice and livewell aerators and water pump. The times I have used the livewell it worked fine. I rarely put one in the tank though as I don't tournament fish. Never tried any of the additives so I cant speak for them.
I have read those vents for the livewells help a lot. I dont have them in my lids (old boat) but have considered getting some. They may help.

[Nutoy]

I have buddies that have livewell Oxygenators and they still had problems with dead fish during the heat of the summer, or when water temps got above the 80s, and especially in the 90s.
As water temps rise, it lowers the amount of dissolved oxygen retained, regardless of how much oxygen being "forced" into it.
Cooling the water in the livewell is much more beneficial than trying to force oxygen into it, hence the reason the oyxgenators don't cycle as often.
I fish tournaments all year and have had great success with using frozen water bottles.
Start the day with around 40 bottles in the boat cooler. Fill livewell and add 10 bottles. Only run the recirculation/aerator pump. Every couple hours add a little fresh water and swap out thawed bottles with 10 frozen bottles. I try to keep the livewell temp around 70-75 degress and have not lost a fish in years.
You can use loose ice, but most commercial ice is made with chlorinated water. You have to add a chlorine removal additive or the fish will be DOA in minutes.

[Jim Jackburn]

Do you think those lid vents will work as good as Oxygenators or a Mr. Bubbles aerator if you do not overcrowd the livewell?

[Nutoy]

Do you think those lid vents will work as good as Oxygenators or a Mr. Bubbles aerator if you do not overcrowd the livewell?

I don't have vents in my boat, but have fished in quiet a few boats that did have them.
I can't see anything negative about them, but fresh water was still needed to remove the ammonia smell after several hours.
Again, cooler water temps reduce the ammonia build up. I think it slows the fishes metabolism so they produce less waste.
As for overcrowding the livewell. I guide for Crappie and have a 45 gal livewell. When water temps are below 75, I can keep 100 fish alive and well. Once the temp hits the mid 80s to 90s, I have a hard time keeping 25 fish alive, and the ammonia smell builds up faster.
Throw in some frozen bottles to cool the water, run the recirculation pump and 100 fish stay alive.

[Ron Fogelson]

I use them, works in conjunction with my livewell aerators and water pumps and haven't lost a fish yet, my old 929 Nitro had them built in as well, worked the same way-----hand in hand with aerators and water pumps, lost very few fish wih them over the years.


Used to add frozen water bottles with my Nitro and Status but have yet to need them in the Ranger but IMHO bottles are the way to go because you aren't introducing chlorine/water softener/fluoride chemicals like you would with ice and the larger solid bottle lasts longer then little ice cubes

[Jim Jackburn]

Ron -  fast forward to September 27, 2019 after some DO testing and research on the net
Update with actual DO testing with and without 16 lbs. of fish in the livewell, late August early September 2019. We used a YSI 550 DO meter, the test results were shocking. Actually the standard boat aerator delivering 21% oxygen provided considerably more dissolved oxygen than the Oxygenator that delivered 100% pure oxygen.
To establish a DO baseline, the 80F water in the livewell was 1st tested with no salt or chemicals and no fish, the DO saturation was 95%.The water was chilled with ice to 80F.
When 16 lbs. of live fish were placed in the livewell, water temperature 80 F the aerator the Do saturation dropped from 95% down to 41% within a few minutes; the oxygenator alone increased the DO saturation up to 43%, running both the oxygenator and the aerator together the DO saturation increased to 61% saturation. It does not take a college degree to see how effective the Oxygenator plus mechanical aeration applied in tandem.
We then did the same testing with the same livewell, same 16 lbs. of fish, same water and water temperature using an oxygen injection type system with pure compressed welding oxygen like fish hatcheries and shiner bait dealers use. The oxygen regulator we used was set on 20 lbs. of fish, the DO saturation held steady @ 135% DO saturation. Again it takes no college education to see the dramatic difference between the effectiveness of Oxygenators and oxygen injection type livewell systems.
The DO test on the Oxygenator were done with no fish in the livewell water consuming oxygen and we found no published testing from T-H Marine although the testimonials and infomercials do sound impressive.
Interesting sidebar to our testing... when we added Rejuvenade livewell chemicals to the water, the YSI DO Meter failed and would not work at all. The DO reading immediately pegged off the scale. The DO meter failed to function correctly when this chemical was added to the water. The chemical did make the fish hyperactive, they were very excited, trying to jump out of the livewell when the lid was open, the behavior was not normal or natural. The chemical does not sedate fish like other livewell additives that incorporate animal tranquilizing drugs like MS-222 and PCP.
We searched and found many different types and brands  livewell oxygen systems on the market as well as homemade oxygen systems, all have limitations, some work well, some not so well and others are not as good as a Mr. Bubbles aerator using flashlight batteries. Google "compare fishing oxygen systems" see for yourself. We also found numerous fire safety issues and ruled applicable to oxygen enrichment (24% -100% oxygen) that do not apply to ambient air. If a device does in fact generate or deliver 100% O2 gas into a livewell, oxygen enrichment is imminent and O2 safety rules do apply.
Personally after actually DO testing, it is clear to me that a Mr. Bubbles "Bubble Box" for $8 is a much better buy than a $120 Oxygenator including free shipping any day.
1st and foremost, this DO testing demonstrated that if you do not overcrowd your livewell with fish, any kind of mechanical aerator will provide plenty 21% oxygen and supplemental oxygen >21% oxygen is totally unnecessary and a waste of money even in August-September 2019.