I have a 2010 boat with the oxygenator livewell system. At one on the lean up against the boat after tournament BS sessions, I heard a comment, but i'm not sure if it is true or not. He said that if you have the oxygenator system and you add a livewell treatment (such as surelife), that the mixture will create ammonia and kill your fish. Is this true? I was told this in the cooler weather, and since then have not used it all summer. I've only lost one fish, and ice them regularly to keep the H20 at or below 75*F plus recirculate on manual. I believe in taking as good of care of my fish as I can.
So which is it, can I add treatment or not?

I add sure life

I have the oxygenator and i use the U2 treatment. It is recomended for use with the oxygenator. Never had a problem.

Yes, sure life/catch and release will create a chemical reaction and kill fish. The U2 system as cypress legend said is designed for use in the oxygenator.

wrong, the u2 product is far inferior to catch and release which can be used with an oxygenator. as far as the oxygenator goes, you should check a livewell with a DO meter to see for yourself the O2 created is very minimal at best.

Wrong? Nice approach.

It tells you on the box "do not use with catch and release". I do agree that u2 is an inferior product but I wouldn't use it in conjunction with an O2 system. One or the other brother

What kind of a DO meter are you taling about. Aren't those things a minimum of $500.00?

I was told not to put any additives in there except for the U2.

yall are being tricked into believing what you read on the bottle to buy their product. trust me, i know the ingredients of both. the only thing u2 can do is remove ammonia. its the same as what you will find at petsmart. they know surelife products can be used as they have tested them and confirmed it but you wont hear that from them.

AMEND Senko

yes DO meters are expensive. if your at amistad there is one available to test your own oxygenators at one of the main lodges if you really want the truth about that scam as well. i just dont like fish being harmed and anglers spending their hard earned money on a product that misleads consumers.

And some more "I was told" stuff.
I have an Oxygenator.
I talked to "their" factory techs.
I was told "by them" that as long as you don't exceed the recommended Catch and Release dosage you would not have any problems creating "CHLORINE" (not ammonia). (The salt in the chemical additives is what will change to chlorine.)I have used all the different types of additive (U2, Catch and Release, Please Release Me, and Rejuvenate) and have not had any problems. BUT I do the recommended dosage.
As for using a DO meter, I have access to a YSI Do meter from a previous job and yes there was an increase. (You have to do the correct calibration or it won't show up.)
Using additives AND recirculation AND Ice AND Peroxide are all realistic and conscientious efforts to keep your fish alive. Most are needed in the hot temps of the summertime. The Ice is probably one of the more important (and recirculation a very close 2nd). The cooler the water temp is then the MORE oxygen that the water can hold. It is also important to change the water to flush out the fish pee (ammonia) sometime during the day. But you have to re-add ice and chemicals.
If you don't have any ice then use the recirculation to keep the chemical in the livewell.
Finally if you go with the Oxygenator recommendations they say to use U2 since it is their product. I use it most of the times and it seems cheaper per usage. (1 oz per 20 gals, I believe, since it is an automatic meter bottle.)

if anyone wants to know the reel deal feel free to pm me and ill give you my number.

Didn't bother reading everything above but from what I've experience you cannot use Catch and Release with an oxygenerator, but Please Release Me worked just fine. Maybe it was just bad luck or coincidence when I used the two products, but to be safe I've gone back to the U2 formula.

you can use catch and release with it.

I have been using it all year long and the only fish I had to die was in January....did not lose one fish during the summer....I beleive keeping the water cool is the key....

I use Catch and Release and I have an oxygenator and have never lost a fish. Keep the water cool and you'll be just fine.

Thanks fella's. Yall's opinions seem pretty divided, but the info will help me make my decision.

Senko. Knows his stuff

just telling the truth again. i like my lil green friends and hate and will always call out the BS this industry is flooded with just to make someone rich if it helps our community.

Listen to David. He knows what he is talking about. The oxygenator promotes only U2 because that is what they sell. C&R and PRM both have Chlorine inhibitors which instantly remove it. Take the time to learn about Sure-Life and the company, and you will not doubt their product. No other product on the market does what they claim.

i have to agree with Senko 9's on this one i have had the system in my boat since 04 and have never had a problem with either product from Sure Life,both products do an outstanding job,if used correctly,mine are not the new self cleaning models of oxygenators,so i have to clean mine more frequently.

I hear that you can only run Motorcraft Spark plugs and oil in your Fords also.

Also heard from my nieghbor's brother that his aunt had the chevrolet house fill up her ford taurus's front tire with air and 5 miles down the road it went flat due to the chevrolet air.

Yep...Chevy just don't have the air they use to since obama took over...