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Shad-Keeper in your bait tank #2330726 06/03/08 11:40 PM
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Holzer Offline OP
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I have a sunshine bait tank and I've used the shad-keeper a couple of times without liking the results. My experience is that it really doesn't do much other than clog up my filter material. I've tried using less and also letting it disolve and have had the same results. Personally, I don't have any problem at all with keeping shad alive and frisky with cool water, salt and keeping the scale basket and filter material clean.

So has anyone else had the same results with this stuff? Or, is this shad-keeper something that is better to use in your livewells more than your bait tank?




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Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Holzer] #2331494 06/04/08 09:07 AM
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I have found using shad keeper without salt to provide dismal results. I have played around using both. I throw the salt in, can't tell you how much by weight but by volume it is a 1 liter diet coke bottle cut off at the label filled roughly 1 plus 1/3 of the bottle in the 32 gallon tank. To that I add 1/2 capful from the shad keeper bottle of the shad keeper. Much less than recommended. I don't know if it is the shad keeper or the dye keeping the water darker but I have OUTSTANDING results. On Monday I must have had close to 150 3-4" shad in the tank. Caught them at 5:30am and fished to 3:30pm. I had about a dozen floaters when I dumped the tank but also I sloshed 1/3 pf the water out once when I made a run and forgot to close the lid.

The other thing I do is I fill up the tank after I have the shad in the sort bucket. That little bit of time in the sort bucket with salt is just enough for them to puke up anything and shed most of the scales.

Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Cast Net] #2331632 06/04/08 10:12 AM
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Hey Holzer -- good to see you out using that new boat and tank!!!

I do not use the shad saver - I prepare my tank like you do -- Tap water, start right, salt and shad. I purge the shad really good so there won't be a scale problem. Keep the water cool.

I saw Mark1's tank yesterday and he had shad saver in it and I know Baitmaster uses shad saver as well as some of the other guys in their Sunshine tanks. Hope one of those guys will post up...

Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Fuzzy] #2332111 06/04/08 12:28 PM
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Thanks for the input guys. Ya, I'm not trying to find a way to make this stuff work. Just wondering if anyone had the same results. I do just what you mentioned Fuzzy and I either got it down or Sunshine just make a dang good tank. Cast Net, I might try the cap full like you mentioned just for kicks and see if I noticed any changes.

Thanks Fuzzy. I'm getting that "new boat" out on the water as much as I can and slowly adding more and more to it. Wouldn't you know, brand new off the lot and of course you can't ever get enough stuff on it smile



Last edited by Holzer; 06/04/08 12:32 PM.

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Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Holzer] #2332498 06/04/08 02:04 PM
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Shad Keeper definitely is something I use, but just like others on this thread, I definitely do not use the recommended amount. Salt is a definite must because of the foaming, but I do use two buckets to sort fish and to let them purge a bit beforehitting the baitwell. Good Luck to ya, and tight lines!!!

Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: djdiggydiggy] #2336982 06/05/08 04:26 PM
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We are headed to Proctor this weekend, and this will be our first time to try and keep shad alive in the bait tank. What type of salt should I use, and what is the purpose for the salt? Do most people put the shad in a holding tank before adding them to the bait tank?

Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Pockets] #2337308 06/05/08 05:38 PM
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I use regular non-iodinized salt from the grocery store - cheap. Also labeled as Plain Salt. Some use stock salt. I believe that stock salt can be purchased at the feed store.

Salt is the catalyst that helps the water hold more oxygen. I believe that you want to use about 1 cup per 10 gallons of water.


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Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Pockets] #2337547 06/05/08 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted By: Pockets
Do most people put the shad in a holding tank before adding them to the bait tank?


The holding tank serves a couple of purposes. First I always manage to catch a few crappie with my shad. I would not want them in my bait tank if I was boarded. I go a little bit heavier with salt in the holding bucket. They vomit whatever they have in their stomachs and the heavier salt seems to make them shed more scales meaning I'm not cleaning the filter basket every 30 minutes or less for the first two hours of the day. Finally I get to sort and count what is going in the tank. By letting them in the sort bucket a few miutes, the weaker/injured ones usually are very apparent and get thrown back into the lake for the ducks.

Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Cast Net] #2337924 06/05/08 08:03 PM
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Holzer:

Our SHAD-KEEPER has been on the market for 17 years. Our formula contains all the necessary "electrolytes", including some salt. What I found during research, was that shad needed OTHER electrolytes besides just salt. Also, it was easy to understand that these fish have zero tolerance for ammonia. This is the reason that SHAD-KEEPER contains numerous different electrolytes other than salt and also removes ammonia. The foam buildup is a result of protein in the water. These fish produce a lot of slime, which is protein, and this causes foam to build up, much like you see at the beach as the waves come rolling in. Of course, the foam in the bait tank must be removed or the fish will suffocate from lack of oxygen. As you may already know, 90% of the oxygen transfer occurs at the surface of the water, and the presense of foam on the surface will interupt that transfer. SHAD-KEEPER has foam inhibitors built into the formula, but there is just so much it can handle and that is why we produce FOAM-OFF. In any case, if you want to give me a call at 800-846-6524, I will be more than happy to discuss your bait keeping questions concerning our SHAD-KEEPER.

Another common trick dring these warmer months is to use our TRANQUIL fish calmer along with the SHAD-KEEPER.

Kindest Regards,

Tony Gergely

Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Tony Gergely] #2338642 06/05/08 11:34 PM
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I've used it before but I also add a pitch of sea salt with it in my bait tank.

Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: CrappieExtractor] #2338754 06/05/08 11:57 PM
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Salt accomplishes several benefits such as replacing chloride ions in the fish thus aiding in osmoregulatory functions. Salt also hardens the scales. Salt also helps stimulate slime production on the fish, which is very important to the fish for disease defense. Salt does not have anything to do with oxygen. The use of salt dates back centuries and is documented as being used centuries ago by the Chinese in keeping ornamental goldfish and koi alive.

Use only non-iodized rock salt found in grocery stores or at farm/ranch feed stores.

For those who mentioned Start Right, I would recommend that you try our BETTER-BAIT formula. This formula has been used for years and years along with salt to keep shad alive. Start Right is a tropical fish tank dechlorinator while BETTER-BAIT is formulated for use in bait tanks.

However, as mentioned earlier, our SHAD-KEEPER is a complete formula which hardens scales, stimulates slime production, removes ammonia, removes chlorine, fights bacterial and fungal infections, removes heavy metals and replaces several lost electrolytes and helps with foam removal.

Just remember, temperature of the water is very critical, especially during these hotter months.

Tony Gergely

SURE-LIFE LABS




Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Tony Gergely] #2339431 06/06/08 09:53 AM
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Tony,
Thanks for all the good info and correcting me on the purpose of salt in the tank. I will say that now that you mentioned it, I don't remember having much foam buildup in the tank when using the Shad-Keeper. But I do have a bottle of the Foam-Off you had mentioned. I'll keep your number on hand. Thanks for the invite to call.


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Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Holzer] #2339661 06/06/08 11:06 AM
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Thanks for all the feedback, it will be very helpful for us this weekend.

Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Pockets] #2341961 06/06/08 08:58 PM
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Foam control is easy and FREE. Every time you pick up coffee, pick up a few dry creamer packets. When the tank starts foaming, open a packet and sprinkle a TINY bit in. Poof, the foam is gone.

Re: Shad-Keeper in your bait tank [Re: Cast Net] #2343307 06/07/08 12:28 PM
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I have a 30 gallon bait tank..I just put 2 hand fulls of rock salt, 1 capful of shad keeper and tap water.

3 days ago i caught 20 8 inch shad...they are still alive today!

part of the secret is using a small bilge pump with a hose on it going back to my filter and hand remove the waste thats in the bottom of the tank each day!

The heat didn't bother them.

T



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