Capt. Charlie’s top recommendation for your BEST live well aeration system in either salt or fresh water is to use a pump to bring fresh water to the well and a second pump that well recirculate the water when trailered or in dirty water.
There are many misconceived ideas about aeration.
Two common fallacies are:
1. Large live wells are required to sustain a large quantity of fish.
2. Large live well pumps are needed to move large quantities of water through the live well to keep live bait and fish alive.
To understand what is really needed for proper aeration, it is best to take a parallel look at ourselves and fish.
1. If we were enclosed in a large airtight room we would be able to breathe for many hours before we would consume all the oxygen.
2. If we were in an airtight closet, the oxygen would be consumed a lot quicker.
3. If we were swimming underwater without a snorkel, the oxygen in our lungs would be consumed very quickly.
4. In all cases, without additional oxygen we would eventually expire!
However, we could stay alive indefinitely, if we could use a breathing tube or snorkel that was in contact with outside fresh air or oxygen. It would not matter about the size of the container or the quality or air that surrounded us.
FISH:
1. If we enclosed a fish in a sealed, 1,000 gallon tank, it would survive for a long time before consuming all the oxygen.
2. If we enclosed the same fish in a sealed 10 gallon tank, the oxygen would be consumed more quickly.
3. If we removed the same fish from the tank and placed it on a table, the fish could live for an extremely short time.
4. In all cases, without additional oxygen the fish would eventually die.
However, our fish could stay alive indefinitely if we could put oxygenated water through its gills and keep it wet. It would not matter about the size of the tank.
AN AERATOR IS TO A FISH, WHAT A SNORKEL IS TO US!
- A small or ineffective aerator cannot provide as much oxygen in the water as a larger or more effective one.
- If an aerator can provide enough oxygen in the water for the fish to breathe, it doesn’t matter how much water surrounds the fish! The only reason that water must be changed occasionally in live wells is to remove ammonia. The smaller the container of water, the more frequently the water needs to be changed.
The major considerations in aeration are:
- The gentleness and direction of water flow.
- The size and amount of the air bubbles.
- The temperature of the water
The KA700 shown below is a good example of fine bubble aeration. The finer the bubbles the more oxygen is infused into the water. The more bubbles breaking on the surface, the more CO2 is being carried out of the water.
FISH THAT SWIM IN SCHOOLS: Delicate bait such as shad, green-backs and croakers will not survive a day of fishing unless the water flow in the well is soft and gentle. Turbulent water will damage the bait and force them to work against the current. Ideal water flow within the well should be approximately 1 to 2 MPH, and in a circular motion. This will allow fish to school and provide a smooth flow of water over and through their gills. If the water flow is excessive, bait tire quickly and will not be lively. Keep water flow as low as possible, with fish swimming in a stationary position within the tank. Do this with a few pieces of bait to see how they behave.
SHRIMP AND FISH THAT DO NOT SCHOOL: Species that do not school, do not need a circular or oval container. Keep water flow to a minimum for fish such as bass, redfish, crappie, bream, and walleye.
For shrimp, provide material in the well so they can cling and not be swirling about the well and become damaged. Leave a dip net in the well, or tie a stone in a piece of cloth such as burlap, or a piece of fiberglass screening.
SIZE AND AMOUNT OF AIR BUBBLES: Take a look at the air bubbles produced by an aquarium aerator. Watch how quickly the bubbles rise to the surface. They provide little aeration, but are aesthetically pleasing to watch. Bubbles must remain contacting the water, if they are to do the job properly. A good rule of thumb is: The smaller the bubble, the longer it will remain suspended in water to dissolve.
VERY FEW MICRO-BUBBLES=VERY LOW AERATION
WATER TEMPERATURES: The warmer the water, the less oxygen it will hold. Fish will deplete the oxygen quicker as the water warms, and poor aerators will maintain less fish. Colder water will hold more oxygen. Water frozen in a plastic bottle will lower temperatures and keep the chlorine out of the tank.
Use an aquarium thermometer to compare temperatures. Keep temperatures within 8º F between water in the well, and water outside the boat.
CAUTION: Placing fish in different temperatures quickly, will shock and kill them. It is best to place fish in the same water and temperatures where they were caught.
1. The smaller the air bubble, the more slowly it will rise, giving it more time to dissolve in the water.
2. Due to the higher density of salt water, air bubbles are usually smaller in salt water than in fresh water.
3. A large 20mm bubble has a volume of 4.19 cm3, and a surface area of 12.6 cm2.
4. You could make 260 small 3mm bubbles from the large bubble. They would have a total surface area of 83.6 cm2. This is 6.6 times the surface of the 20mm bubble.
5. The small bubbles, can theoretically aerate 6.6 times as much water with the same amount of air.
Knowing the importance of air bubble size, the effectiveness of different aerator systems becomes readily apparent!
Oxygen will maintain higher quantities of fish, but extra care must be taken when using pure oxygen. To understand the fundamentals or air versus oxygen, you need to know about both.
A fish breathes in oxygen from the water and gives off CO2. The CO2 is absorbed into the surrounding water. The CO2 is then dissipated into the atmosphere through the process of aeration.
An air bubble as it passes through water has the ability to put oxygen into the water and also absorb CO2 as it passes slowly to the surface. The bubble then pops at the surface and the CO2 is dissipated into the atmosphere. The smaller the bubble, the longer it remains in the water to exchange oxygen and CO2.
BUBBLE AERATORS WITH AIR STONES
Battery operated bubble aerators are an inexpensive way to keep bait alive in small containers. They are an entry point for anglers looking to purchase an inexpensive aerator to maintain small amounts of bait for short periods of time. They provide gentle aeration, but are inefficient because of non-uniformed bubble pattern and coarse bubble size. Cost is the primary factor in producing air stones that are packaged with your aerator. They sustain less bait per unit of air than other aerators that produce smaller bubbles.
Most bubble aerators(shown at left) use AA, C, or D cell batteries, and operational costs can become expensive. If a bubble aerator is the only option available, invest in a low pressure 
ceramic air diffuser.(shown on right)
KeepAlive® manufactures a low pressure ceramic diffuser with micro bubbles that dramatically improves the efficiency of a bubble aerator. They are expensive in comparison to air stones because of the intensive manufacturing process, but if a bubble aerator is your only option in maintaining fish, then purchase a high quality bubble aerator and couple it with the KeepAlive® KA975 Low Pressure Ceramic Diffuser. If properly maintained, your low pressure ceramic diffuser will provide for many years of efficient service.
CHOOSING AERATOR PUMPS AND LIVEWELL PUMPS
When maintaining catch and bait with pumps, the most important requirement is the reliability of your pump. They are all similar in appearance, and it is impossible to decide which pump will provide long lasting reliable service by looking at them.
Many pump manufacturers just add intake bases to their bilge pumps and call them live well pumps. Bilge pumps do not require the endurance to operate for long periods of time, and many brands of bilge pumps cannot provide the stamina of continuous operation as live well pumps.
The following systems use pumps to maintain fish in live wells. Choose your pump wisely!
SPRAY BAR AERATORS
Spray bar aerators add oxygen to the water by jetting small streams of water into the surface. Some air is absorbed into the spray as it passes from the spray bar to the water surface, and when the spray strikes the water surface, air bubbles are injected into the water. For the most part, these bubbles are rather large. Jets of water from spray bars are generally harsh to delicate bait. Their protective coating and scales are easily removed, and their survival is drastically reduced. Spray bars are an inefficient aeration system, and should be used only on the hardiest bait.
VENTURI AERATORS
This is the much copied, old aeration technology. They can be purchased as a floating aerator or a bottom aerator with suction cups. The fast-moving water at the output of the pump creates a vacuum, which suck air into the pump output. This system typically provides better aeration than spray bar aerators, but the efficiency is still low. Some models damage bait due to the high speed of water from the pump output.
THRU-HULL PUMPS
Thru-hull pumps provide a constant flow of new water into the livewell and eliminate the problems of heat and ammonia build-up. As long as clean water is available, more bait can be placed in a given amount of water than with any of the previously discussed aeration systems. However, when entering water that is less than ideal for delicate bait, care must be taken to secure the intake water. By utilizing a combination of the thru-hull pump with other aeration methods, bait can remain healthy and lively for longer periods of time.
KeepAlive® OXYGEN INFUSOR® SYSTEMS
KeepAlive® Infusors are revolutionary Oxygen Infusion Systems, GUARANTEED TO OUTPERFORM ALL OTHERS! They might look like the competition, but their superior technology is completely different. Air is infused with the water at the pump impeller. The micro-fine bubbles produced, are sent gently out of the pump and into the livewell, containing life giving oxygen.
KeepAlive® Infusors are specifically designed for delicate shad, greenbacks and white bait. The millions of 
micro-fine bubbles are so small that they remain suspended in the water longer thus providing more oxygen for your bait and catch. Our smallest model will aerate from a 5-gallon bucket up to a 55- gallon drum or livewell, gently and efficiently. KeepAlive® Infusors will virtually disappear in a mass of micro-fine bubbles when used in salt water.
The water speed is controlled by its Air Control Center to allow fish to school in a stationary position.
KeepAlive® ALWAYS uses the best long lasting pumps available in the industry. We periodically torture test different brands of pumps for endurance to ensure a quality product. They are all similar in appearance, and it is impossible to decide which pump will provide long lasting reliable service by looking at them. That is why we test them.
KeepAlive® Infusors are available as a bottom infusor with suction cups, a floating infusor, or permanent recirculating livewell and thru-hull infusors. Conversion kits are available to convert your Rule bilge pump or Rule livewell pump to the exciting KeepAlive technology!
KeepAlive® Infusors are an investment that will save you time and money by keeping your bait healthy and lively longer than any other comparable aeration system. . . . GUARANTEED!
Don’t let your fishing trip end before its time, just because your bait did!
Make KeepAlive® a part of your fishing gear!
KeepAlive® . . . the newest technology in aeration and oxygen systems!
KeepAlive Fishing Oxygen Infusion Systems
will keep your fish alive and healthy!
