For those how have added an oxygenator to their live wells. Has it made a difference? If so, how much of a difference? Would you purchase again? Additional comments and suggestions?

Thanks in advance.....

I would be interested too. I fish Texoma and understand the brackish water would mess it up so I've not purchased one.

I bought an air pump at academy total only about 25$ (I think)does two livewells, has made a big difference in the survivability, I also use please release me and ice in the hot weather. I just couldnt see paying what they ask for something that only does one livewell when I can do two for so little.

You have to keep them clean, mine are 5-yrs old, still work great. A small lite brush will dislodge any build up or debris.

I use C&R,block ice,hydrogen peroxide,and recirculate to whole concoction while running my oxygenators. Haven't lost a fish in 3-yrs.

the new oxygenators are self cleaning and work great,the original's you had to stay on top of to keep clean,but they worked great.i have yet to lose a fish in my livewells,i also use catch and release,and ice bottles filled with catch and release.

i have one in my skeeter i just brought, but have not used it. how do you clean them?

If your Skeeter is a new model the self cleaning ones are installed, no cleaning involved like the older models a few years back.

I also have the Oxygenator in my Skeeter boats, have now for several years combined with the U2 Formula the fish are so lively at the end of the day they practically jump out of the BASS basket on the scales at the end of the day. Be careful of using the frozen bottles only because they can bang up your fish on a run from one spot to another.

Debra

They work great and the fish are stoked even after all day in the desert heat here. Only thing is they are bad if there is any salt in the water or you add a livewell powder that contains salt. The chemical reaction will kill the fish.

I cant agree more or add anything to the comments above. A solid purchase.

For those with divided live wells (ex. Ranger) do you have one installed in each live well?

they probably do work to keep fish alive, but do NOT do what the company claims They cannot separate water molecules, That takes a ton of energy to do atoms are tiny and I dont care how small the bubbles are they are not separating water. What the small bubbles do is provide more surface area so disolve faster, think of a sugar cube vs granulated sugar, the granulated disolves faster. BTW I teach chemistry

Yup. They work great. When you try to grab your fish at the end of the day its like wrestling with an alligator on PCP. Those fish are probably more alive in my livewells than they are in the lake! Had them for about a year now and have no maintenance issues. I occasionally use please release me during the summer but don't think its necessary.

the process you speak of with livewell additives is called ionization. chlorine is produced from the reactioin w salt. but some products like Surelife's has another ingredient that instantly removes chlorine so they can be used together. i too think their advertising claims to be untrue. i'm with the teacher on this one...

I have a divided Livewell but the water flows between them. I have installed one of the older (non self-cleaning) and it works great. I use their additive (U2, no salt) and I have also used Please Release Me (AS DIRECTED). Both additives work as long as you don't over dose. (The Salt will turn to chlorine if you add too much. That's why the "as directed".)
As with all the livewell systems the Oxygenator is not a "Silver Bullet". You still need to consider an additive, and most importantly- the water temp. Oxygen levels are directly related to water temp. The hotter the water the less Oxy it will hold, and the colder then the more Oxy it can hold. (Chemistry 101)
The Oxygenator does make it easier for the fish to utilize the oxygen since it puts microscopic oxygen bubbles in the water. Most aerators put BIG bubbles in and it does not increase the overall USABLE oxygen in the water.
If you find one for a decent price it could be benefitial to your OVERALL system and it doesn't use hardly any battery power. I still use my recirculator, aerators, ice and chemicals. And you still need to look at changing out the water at least one time during the day to get the fish "pee" (Amonia) out. Then recool it with some ice if the water is too hot during the summer.

i'm sold on them,i have not lost a fish in two years.....rick