After catching some perch put them in a holding tank filled with water from the hose. This is not well water but did apply some de-chlorinator before dropping them in. After about a day half had died and the others looked like extras from a cheech and chong movie. To clarify the ones that were still alive all had bloodshot eyes. Was there still too much chlorine in the water or is this due to lack of oxygen? l am running an aerorator but maybe its not strong enough...Anybody know what lm doing wrong here?

Keeping bait alive is tricky. Typically using chlorinated water/city water is a no no for me even if I used a declorinator.

How cold is it? Lot of times they will get red noses from running into the sides. What are you keeping them in?

Im storing in a large round tub used to hold molasses for cattle. Not sure on exact temp but dont think it was too cold or warm. If there was a significant diffrence between my hose water and the pond water could that be the culprit?

I would say it was the tap water.

This.

i use a 5gallon bucket filled with the water from where I caught them and us one of those portable aerators from Walmart. It will keep them alive for quit a while I tried the live well and city water, even with dechlorinating the water they still died in a few days.

I'm pretty sure it's illegal to transport water from any body of water because of the Zebra mussel laws.
I've run aquaponic setups, using tap water, for a couple of years now. Just give the water a couple days, in a bucket, and it will be fine. If you really want to make sure the water is good, use a aquarium water test kit.(Walmart) Follow directions to get it right.

This!

Thank you! This is exactly the info I was looking for