oxygenator bait keeper

[jason mc]

just wondering if anyone has tried the aqua innovations bait keeper aerator. i bought one and i use it in a small cooler. all of my minnows die every time. wondering if anyone else had luck with this aerator or not. i was excited to try it because it does not utilize a pump so there is no noise, which is nice for ice fishing. i have aquarium silicone in the bottom of the cooler, maybe that is what is killing them. regardless, the aerator costs 50 bucks so i am expecting excellence and i am not seeing it. thanks for any feedback......

[Capn Hooker]

I just bought one & haven't used it yet. I'll let you know.

[jason mc]

i tried my aerator again on sunday, with some chubs that i caught in a creek. i filled the cooler with water from the creek, and the chubs did not die all day in 90 degree weather. after reading the packaging that came with the bait keeper, it says that some baitshops add salt or additives containing salt to their tanks to help maintain the slime coat of minnows. it further says that you must not turn on the bait keeper if this is the case. i bought minnows at 2 different bait shops and used their water with this unit and the minnows died inside of an hour. so i guess if you are going to use this unit do not use water supplied by the bait shop when you buy your minnows.

[B Jensen]

I haven't tried the unit you mentioned, but aeration can be really important for minnows this time of year. There are tablets and powders you can add to help with oxygenation, but areation is very important. Over-crowding can also create problems.

I have used the aeration that Frabill produces and have been very happy with it. The Aqua-Life container is big and keeps the bait jumping even in hot, hot weather.

Best Fishes,

Bob Jensen

[Capn Hooker]

OK, I tried my oxygenator (not an aerator) while I was in Canada. Others kept their bait in the water at the side of the boat and one guy kept his in his livewell all night with it running. I just put the oxygenator in my minnow bucket & left it in the boat. I had live bait in the morning, they didn't. What more can I say?

[JAK]

I know this is late, but I am going to paste something I wrote over two years ago. Below that I am going to add a couple of comments.



"I had the opportunity to use the Magnum Oxygenator this last year. I purchased one at the beginning of last season. I was a little skeptical as to how well the unit would work, but was willing to give it an honest try.

I use about 25-30 quarts of minnows each year from May through the beginning of October. I had a chance to test the “Magnum” in a wide range of water temps and a variety of conditions. I was curious as to how well the unit would keep fish. Equally as important to me was how well the bait survived!

It is impossible to gauge exactly how many extra fish I caught because of how lively the bait was. I can tell you that the bait always seemed like I had just dumped them out of an oxygen bag from the bait shop. This was true even after several days in the bait well in 70-plus degree temperatures. It is almost unbelievable how lively the minnows stay.

I was able to keep bait in the boat for several days when the water temperature reached into the low 80’s. Others at the dock were loosing most of their bait each night. I witnessed them throwing out their dead bait while mine remained healthy. I calculated my bait savings would pay for the unit in less than two years! (In years prior to this, I too, was throwing out dead bait each morning when conditions were similar to this)

Fish in the livewell always seemed to gather around the oxygenator. I accidentally left a fish in the live well overnight and it was healthy in the morning. When I opened the door it was “parked” right on top of the unit. It was obvious that the fish was more comfortable next to the oxygenator.

I am convinced that the fish stay healthier, the bait is livelier, it survives much longer, and the unit will pay for itself over a short period of time! I will always have one in my boat. …Jim "



Since that time I have used my oxygenators for MANY trips. I am still as pleased with them today as when I first wrote the note above!

I will say that they work best when used in conjunction with an areator on some sort of timer. This is required on my set up because of how the bait wells are situated.

I have also installed the flush mount factory style units in my boats livewells as it gives a very clean installation. I can't say enough good about how they work/worked for me!!!!

[jason mc]

have you tried it using the water from the bait shop? i have had excellent results when i use lake/creek water in with the oxygenator, but the bait dies if i use the water from the bait shop.

[JAK]

My bait does not normally have the blue additive in it. I also have between 15 and 35 gallons of water that the bait shop water gets added to so it would be very diluted. It depends if I split the bait between one or two bait wells.

I not sure what is going on there? Drop them a line or give them a call, they migh be able to shed some light on it?


http://www.aquainnovationsinc.com/faq.html