I am using a oxygen bottle set up and no filter. With this system should I use salt and if so, how many cups per 10-gallons? I spent about 3-hrs researching this on goggle and read many different opinions, but most of the info were people using bilge pump aeration systems. Does it make a difference when using pure 100% ox with a good stone, I also read that most used 1-cup per 10-gal and some 1-cup per 30-gal, but again they were not using 100% ox. Thanks

The filtration is as improtant if not more important that the oxygenation. If you don't include a filter you will just have well oxygenated dead shad.

The things that are going to kill them in my experience is dirty water and water getting too hot.

I use two cups of salt in a 30 gal tank. I add top fin bought from pet smart. It takes the ammonia and chlorine out. I use this all the time even with lake water, but I perfer tap water. When using o2 just turn it on enough to start bubbling. Too much pure o2 will kill them. add a filter very important.

I use two cups in a 17 gallon tank. Keep the water cold. The O2 bottle is great but in my experience, you must have a filter.

Shad are nasty little creatures and you must filter their byproducts from the water.

I use the 30-gal built in live well on my boat, mostly saltwater fishing. I catch shad maybe 4 or 5 times a year, during white bass season. On my last trip, most of my shad lasted all day, I was only wanting to know about the addition of salt and how much. I was hoping to here from someone that was using 100% oxygen, as that is the system I have. Just for info, I use a Point Four Microbubble Diffuser, if you do not use a good diffuser, your wasting the ox. Thanks for the replies.

Save yourself some headaches a work towards getting a Greyline shad tank.

I bought the 17 gallon one, wish I would have done it in the 80's when I 1st started using shad. I add about 1 cup salt (non iodized IMPORTANT). to lake water. I also add Foam off since salty water will foam up. Depending on how many shad I have, I may have to change the filter fulfillment (cheap) 2 times a day. less then 75-3" shad and I can get around 6 hrs on a filter.

You can get allot of shad info here for your research.http://www.graylinebaittanks.com/

Rounded tanks, slight current, aeration, plenty filtration, cup of salt, (I use pool salt) for every 10 gal. Then you can use O2 if you want to. I have a 40 gal gray line with 800gph pump and it works great even in summer.

To answer your question, "Yes, salt helps shad keep a good slime coat and retain their scales." We use about 2-3 cups in a 50 gallon tank. You could try it. It certainly won't do them any harm.

As you can see, if there were anyone on here that uses 100% O2 only, they haven't chimed in.

As to what the guys posting are saying, in their experience, which is substantial, there are other things that are more important than pure O2 and just as important as salt to keep shad alive and kicking.

If I were to fish with shad a lot, I would get a set up for it. The system I have, keep most of the shad alive all day. I was just looking at making them more lively. Like I stated in op, I searched for about 3-hrs, I found "ONE" person who said not to use salt with 100% ox and "ONE" person who said salt was good for gizzard, but not threadfin, just about everyone else was using about 3/4 to 1-cup per 10-gal.. Soooo, I thought I would ask you good folks. I did use "Striper Sniper" suggestion and went to Pets Mart. I talked to a young lady who seemed to know her stuff. I purchased a bottle of AmQuel Plus(Ammonia Detoxifier) to remove ammonia and a bottle of NovaAqua Plus(Water Conitioner) for slime protection, both products made by Kordon. Now, if I can just figure on whether to use salt or not and if so, how much. Thanks again.

I use a white 55 Gallon plastic barrel cut down at the first seam. I then mount a 500 GPH pump with a ventura valve attatched to the inside of the barrel about 6" from the bottom.

I use feed salt from the local farm supply store.

1)Add water, 3 cups of salt and bait.
2)After 5 min. pump the water out of the tank ( using an 1000 gph in/out pump) leaving just enough to cover the bait. From being caught in a cast net and placed in very salty water the shad will loose a lot of scales and produce alot of ammonia.

3)Fill the tank back up with fresh water and add one cup of salt. At the first sign of the water starting to foam change the water out. Foaming is caused from the ammonia.

4) Try to only dip up one shad at a time vs catching several in the dip net placing one on the hook and dumping the rest back in the tank.

If after a few hours the thread fins start turning a green color you are doing it right. If after a few more hours they start turning a bronze color you have mastered keeping thread fins alive and lively.

Here is shad keeping 101 as I no it.

There is a reason for each thing that you add to you tank. Understand what's going on in the tank and you will no what to add.

1. Water temp
Cold water is dense so it holds O2 better. Pumping O2 in your shad tank during winter is useless if you have a good aeration system. As temps warm you should cool your water with ice. Only during hot summer months is 02 needed and I don't need it then.

2. Hard/Soft Water
You can't tell if water is soft or hard unless you trying to wash off soap with it in the shower. Add salt and plenty of it. It helps keep the scales on shad short and long term. If you change water ....add more salt.

3. Ammonia
Ammonia is caused by waste. The first thing larger gizzard shad do is throw up and poop in the tank after being caught. Summer is worse cause there shallow eating green. This is the most critical time you need to take care of filters and ammonia. After that ammonia slowly builds.
Chemicals can reduce ammonia. A 50% water change will reduce ammonia below toxic levels in most filtered tanks. If you remove water then add water ....
You will need to adjust ice ...salt etc

The best shad are fresh.....in the warmer months its some times better to just catch some new ones if there handy on the lake your fishing.

Only thing I can add is Don't put freshly caught shad directly in you tank. I use a catch bucket and let them purge themselves first.

My new cc boat has a built in bait tank, and filters water. But the difference with it is that it constantly recycles fresh water. The concept comes from the larger offshore bait tanks they all recirculate fresh water constantly. The purpose is to keep fresh water circulating in the tank to cut down on the ammonia, and it keeps the water stable to the environment they came from. I have noticed with this type of tank if I keep the temp low enough (buy adding a little ice) shad will last almost all day even in the Texas heat. I had a Grayline tank prior to this, and had to change the water several times, which I don't use anymore. I do use a catch bucket, with water and salt added, to let them purge themselves prior to placing them in the bank tank.

Caught some shad today, first time since I purchased the AmQuel Plus,NovaAqua Plus and salt. Wow, what a difference, did not lose one shad and they were so lively, it was hard to get them on a hook. I used one cup of salt per 10-gal. I also treated the 10-gal bucket I put them in, before moving them to live well. I had one really nice shad, that was wearing down after 3-cast, I left him on the hook and placed him back in the live well for about 5-min and he came out almost as good as from the start. Thanks for all the good info.