Looking for advise when if ever do you add ice to your livewell during our last tournament a few guys came in with a couple of dead bass to poor airation and or warm livewell temps does anyone ad ice besides a chemical to help with this problem?? any information would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

look at www.sure-life.com and you will find your answers.

I take 2 frozen quart bottles of lake water, in the ice chest. At noon I shut the fresh water pump off and add the chemical. I then place one frozen quart bottle in the live well with the fish. As we are going to weighin, I will put the other bottle of frozen water in with the fish and take the old one out. I run the recirulation pump on HIGH at noon when I shut the fresh water off. I empty those frozen bottles into the livewell when they are thoughed out, that water is allways a little cooler.

What I want to know is how much ice does it take to maintain a livewell temp of 75 degrees for at least 6 hours?

To me it seems that it would take a boat load.

From Keeping Bass Alive:

Temperature control

Temperature control is essential when water temperature is above 75 degrees F. Four pounds of ice will lower the temperature of a 15-gallon livewell 10 degrees F for about three hours.
Ice cools the water and slows the fishes' metabolism. Cooler water holds more oxygen, and slower metabolic rates reduce oxygen demand and waste production. Rather than trying to achieve a particular livewell water temperature, it is recommended that the water be cooled no more than 10 degrees F below lake water surface temperature. As a guide, one 8-pound block (or two frozen half-gallon milk jugs) of ice cools a 30-gallon livewell 10 degrees F for about three hours. Experiment with your boat's livewell volume and calculate the amount of ice you need to achieve the desired drop in water temperature.

Block ice melts slower than crushed or cube ice, provides more constant temperature modification and can be easily stored for later use. Commercial block ice or water frozen in plastic (milk) jugs works equally well. Don't be concerned about chlorine in the ice. The little that remains when the ice melts will come out of solution with proper aeration.

Some boats have livewell cooling systems installed in their ice chests. Commercially produced livewell-water cooling devices are also now available. With the ice chest system, a pump circulates water from the livewell through a coil that is buried in ice within the boat's ice chest. As heat exchange takes place the ice melts, so additional ice must be added over the course of the day to maintain optimum livewell water temperatures.

With the aftermarket livewell cooling device, a small 12-volt fan blows air across a coil through which livewell water is circulated, using one of the boat's aerator pumps. The coil acts like a tiny radiator, cooling the livewell water approximately 6 degrees to 8 degrees F.

These devices do not have the capacity to cool the livewell water quickly, so adding ice directly can be used for initial cooling, allowing the cooling system to maintain the temperature the rest of the day. While these devices eliminate the need to carry as much extra ice, their cost may deter many anglers from purchasing them to retrofit an existing livewell system. However, included in the cost of a new boat, the extra convenience and functionality could justify the expense.

Monitor livewell water temperatures with a plastic aquarium thermometer, or mount a temperature gauge on the dash of the boat with the probe in your livewell. Some sonar units also provide a readout for an auxiliary temperature probe. This will allow the angler to constantly check livewell conditions, and will serve as a reminder to perform necessary water changes at periodic intervals.


I follow a more aggressive philosophy and will take water temps down 15+ degrees. I will often carry 50 pounds or more of ice and have Minn Kota digital temp guages on my livewells.

Thanks for the info Tim.

I use the hard plastic Blue Ice containers. I freeze 10 of them and keep them in my ice chest until each is needed. Usually puttin 2 in at a time. Only problem I had was a livewell stopped up unknowing to me. Water was very cool, but no oxygen and I lost 2 fish. Be careful of putting your drinking water frozen bottles in the livewell. Some people have contracted bacterias from this and it isn't pleasant.

Great read
on the post by Tim
I carry about 10 frozen quart bottles and start adding them to the livewell one at a time about 9:00am. By noon I am putting them in 2 at a time. I use tap water and then just dump the water in the lake after they are unfrozen.

Just don't forget to remove the bottles from the livewell when you move spots or the bottles can beat up the fish.

Go buy a pool thermometer and keep the water about 10 degrees less than lake temp. I use rejuvenate with it and add frozen water bottles as needed to keep temp down. Works for me all fish are always in good shape when they dump them back in the lake at the end of the tournament.

I freeze 4 2 liter soda bottles and put them in the other side of the live well 2 at a time. and I have the pool thermometer. It cooled it down to 70-75 on sat and water temp was 90. I was ready to get in with them at about noon.

I second that. Only make sure to peel all the labels from the water bottles.I carry a good quality Small cooler to keep the frozen bottles in the cooler in the boats arent qiute insulated enought keep em froze all day. The rejuveante is a must I used to use it only if needed now I doctor it up first thing.