Capt. "Duck" McDonald
Posted by Capt. Duck on July 09, 2002 at 22:31:13:
In Reply to: Cloudy Water In My Bait Tank! posted by Mike on July 08, 2002 at 15:16:28:
I use a 50 gal Super Bait Tank with air infusion made by Ron Vest.
I have also noticed that the water tends to cloud up quicker when I add foam killer (Foam Off). The foam killer reduces the surface tension of the water which reduces the tendency to produce foam. With the air infusion system the foam does not affect the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water so I seldom use foam killer. The only advantage of removing the foam is so you can see your bait easier.
Other things I do are:
Add polyfil foam to both the removable screen strainer and the top of the filter
tower.
I put activated charcoal in the tower and some Zeolite, which absorbs ammonia,
in old panty hose. I also put some more polyfil on top of the charcoal and Zeolite
in the tower to catch any scales, etc. that come thru while the removable screen
is being rinsed out.
I use 3 cups of non-iodized salt (NaCl) which can be purchased from a farm supply
or feed store. I also use I tablespoon of Baitcycle (blue crystals).
I will try to get all of the above circulating in my tank about 24 hours ahead of time when possible. I use several 2 or 3 liter coke bottles with ice in them to cool the water to the temp the bait will be accustomed to before catching or buying bait.
Prior to first use, rinse the Zeolite and charcoal well with fresh water to remove the fine dust particles.
I get my chemicals from BOATCYCLE. They are a vendors of various fish farming chemicals and handling supplies, etc. You have to buy in quantity (25 lb. +) but 25 lb. of Zeolite and activated charcoal will last a loooooong time. I suggest you contact Boatcycle and request a catalog. Their catalog has more info than their website.
I use this for Blueback Herring and Threadfin Shad with excellent results.. I don't have much experience with gizzard shad which will get your tank a lot dirtier. I have seen several post referring to keeping shad but it wasn't clear to me what variety of shad (Threadfin, gizzard, American, etc.) they were referring to. Different lakes will have different types of bait fish.
There is also some interesting info to be found at: Live Bait Technologies.
Thanks,
Capt. "Duck" McDonald