I have done several self studies. What prompted me to add them was fishing a derby in dead of summer and having fish dying. I knew I needed to do something. I tried ice and recirculate and please release-me. It worked better, but still had some issues dead of summer. Added VT-2 vents and actually forgot my please-release-me for that derby. Was SHOCKED at how lively the fish were after adding VT-2. And they're only $35 and a little time and effort. Some on here will say "no scientific evidence!". The main detractor on here is also known as one of the most negative people in the OT section of TFF, so take it with a grain of salt. What more evidence do you need than fisherman saying "after I added them, I quit having fish die AND they are many times more lively at weigh-in". But some people are skeptical of everything and miserable. I also did another "study" where I left minnows in my live-well for 6 days. I never ran the boat on plane after I put the minnows into the live-well, it sat in a boat house. I got the 20 minnows on a Saturday afternoon, this was about 3-4 weeks ago, it was hot. I would run re-circulate about every 4-6 hours starting Saturday afternoon. They went over 10 hours every night without running recirculate. I also went on a business trip Sunday - Tuesday, got home around 6 pm Tuesday evening and ran re-circulate at about 7. Continued to run re-circulate until Thursday when I set the minnows free. Only 6 of 20 died in 6 days. VT-2 vents work. Keep doubting and spending $250 for an oxygen system because Ranger tells you to. I have my vents and laugh at every derby at all the Ranger sheeple who talk about their Oxyegnators. It's great comedy.

As mentioned before Oxygen is more soluble in colder water. You can only put so much oxygen in your water. Your livewell water may be fully saturated with DO yet still lack enough oxygen to support a large stringer of fish if you dont control water temperature.

Lowering the water temperature and maintaining lower water temperatures is the easiest way to achieve higher oxygen levels.

Cool water and recirculation are all that is needed.

Fill your livewell first thing in the morning away from the shore and then recirculate the rest of the day. Adding fresh 90F water does not help.

had 5 fish in livewell from 0850 til 1300 all I did was run pumps on recirculate and add G-juice a few times, kept the lids wetted down so they wouldn't get hot and the
fish were in great shape.

I added the VT-2 vents several years ago. Best thing I've ever done! Fill, hit recirculate, fish and forget about babysitting the livewell. My fish come out there ready to fight and live another day. The best $40 I've ever spent.

Preface: I’m no scientist. I have an Oxygenator only because it was already on my Ranger 521. It is run through one of the auxiliary switches that are on Ranger dashes for adding optional equipment so yes I can turn it off and on as desired. I could see where it absolutely could produce chlorine. I have a new Hot Springs hot tub on our patio with an ACE salt system and it uses electrolysis to turn the low level salt water into chlorine to treat the water in the spa without adding any chlorine. That could be tested by an individual at home by simply adding a little salt, running the Oxygenator and then testing the water with the little spa test strips you can purchase anywhere. The strips show, among other things, the parts per million of both the salt and chlorine content. It is indisputable that the Oxygenator uses electric plates to produce oxygen as you can visually see the bubbles coming off the plates on the bottom of the live well and rising through water. What I don’t have any proof of is if it actually increases the dissolved O2 levels in the water or simply rises to the top and is released into the air. While completely different systems/processes I don’t know that the directly injected O2 systems don’t simply escape into the atmosphere also without actually increasing dissolved O2 in the water. I know for more than my many years on the earth pet stores have been selling the little pumps that release air into the little porous stone into the fish tank to keep your pet fish alive(supposedly). That air in the fish tank rise up through the tank and escape into the atmosphere. Some use these simple systems to keep bait or fish alive(again, supposedly). So much to ponder and choose what/who to believe without actually seeing independent(non-vested) studies measuring the actual dissolved O2 in the water from the various systems! Did I mention I was no scientist? I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last week though!

Oxymorons and irony in your statements.

Jarret said it best

I have seen all but dead floaters in a tank after weigh in and they cracked the oxygen tank and those fish came back to life like they were on hot sauce..

I asked why they dont leave it on and they said because they cant catch them after even a few seconds of oxygen.

This was at a tourney the college weighed measured and tagged every single fish.

I would not want that in my live well, they were bouncing off the tank walls, that cant be good for them.

I dont understand the lid vents unless your lid is SEALED which most are not.

I can’t explain it to you, I just know what I have seen with my own eyes., It’s $35, not like they’re expensive.

Never experienced anything like that before and I've never heard of that but we use catch and release with the pure oxygen. Fish look great at the end of the day.

The process you describe also produces Hydrogen. So I have to ask where is the hydrogen going? If it is collecting in the empty void between the water and the livewell lid, smokers should be cautious!

This!!

In the hot summer time, take the time to rig up a bilge pump with 10-12' of hose and clamps to connect to battery. Lower the pump into the water all the way down, and fill your your live wells. It is surprising how cool the water is 10-12' down. Maybe add a couple drops of G-juice, and you are good to go.

5 degrees