Understanding Aeration for Marine Livewells & Baitwells Pt.3

Better Fishing Results & Healthier Fish:
The New Benchmark In Livewell Performance

As we strive to improve customer’s experience with our livewell products we have been gathering research on fish health as it relates to tournament and catch and release fishing.

Comparing the data to the performance of current “best-in-class” aerators on the market, a significant opportunity for improvement was identified.

As you will see in the following report, fish in a livewell environment are stressed and have definable oxygen requirements necessary to stabilize, be returned to their natural environment, to grow bigger, and to live and fight again!

Importantly, this data has enabled Flow-Rite to categorize the performance of our current aerators, which already set industry standards for oxygenation, and develop a premier addition to our aerator product suite that is economical and establishes the benchmark for livewell performance.

Continuing Into Our Research From Pt.2 Of This Series:

(To read Pt.2, Click Here)

Supporting Stressed Livewell Fish

In order to further understand the aeration capabilities as it pertains to marine livewells and baitwells, we can examine the chart below which showcase the calculated impacts in actual livewell use. This shows us that actual production released designs currently on the market are unlikely to be capable of supporting real-world livewell needs.

6 standard bass under stress will exceed system aspiration rate by 9%. 109% duty cycle means the system must run 109% of the available time – an impossibility. Thus, the fish will consume oxygen as a rate faster than can be replenished. Even the 5.5 lpm aspiration rate system will become untenable with additional fish mass (likely for larger systems).

In neither case, Patent or Production designs will currently satisfactorily oxygenate the livewell!

Real-World Air Flow Rate

Oxygen Consumption Calculation
30 gallon live well = 113.5 liters
6 bass * 6 lbs = 16.3 kg / bass [assume stressed]
O2 consumption 272 mg/min (1000 mg/kg fish/hr)

Oxygen Production Calculation:
7.0 L/min aeration x 0.2 partial pressure = 1.4 L/min O2
25% transfer efficiency with jet aerator = 0.35 L/min O2
1 liter O2 = 1.43 g; (1.43 x 0.35) = 500 mg/min O2 @ 7.0 l/min aeration
272 mg/min consumed / 500 mg/min produced x 100 = 54.4%

6 stressed bass can be supported with a 54% duty cycle of 7.0 L/min jet aeration at 20°C livewell temp.

Improved specification and constraints reveal between 7 and 9 lpm aspirated air can improve outcomes. 7-9 liters per minute air aspiration must be the minimum goal, as it equals 2x Factor of Safety for stressed fish.

7 - 9 liters per minute air flow aspiration rate range
150 - 200 mm (6 - 12 inch) aerator install depth range
25% Oxygen transfer efficiency with jet aerator
500 mg O2/kg fish per hour @ 20C (Boyd)
Stressed Fish: 1000 mg O2/kg fish per hour @ 30C (Schramm & Heidinger)
Least power needed to achieve required aspiration

Feel Free To Share This Post!

Reach Out For Any Questions

For the past 6 consecutive years, Flow-Rite has been selected as one of the 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in West Michigan.

We take pride in our customer support team, always ready to listen, always willing to improve.