Livewell Cleaner

[hl&s]

Anyone know of something you can buy locally that will clean and disinfect livewells without leaving a residue that will hurt fish ?

I've almost got my boat ready for the water. The livewells haven't been used in a long time. They're not real nasty but do need to be cleaned.

Any suggestions appreciated !

 

[kickinbass35]

walmart did sell something in the boating department for that i cant remember the name of it boat it was a clear liquid in a spray bottle said on it safe for livewells will not harm fish

 

[Andrew]

All you need is a cup of clorox bleach. Just run your livewells and pour the cup in it and let it recirculate awhile then empty the livewell and run it again to clear it out. Usually it only takes a couple of times to clear it out to where if you can't smell it its good to go. It will kill all the bacteria in the livewell and all other stuff like that. This is a widely practiced way of cleaning the livewells. Now don't do this the day of a tournament but just when your out fun fishing and don't need the livewell to hold fish. Also before you do that you can wipe it down and vacuum out any stuff in it like sand or dirt or ect. before you take it out on the water with the bleach.

 

[Liveliner]

I agree with tht bleach. Fill it up at home and add a cup of bleach and let it sit. Drain it in a safe area and flush it a couple times. No residue left.

Sorry Bigfish but I would not trust the Dishwashing liquid. It does kill and way too hard to get it all out. After ten rinsings you still get suds.

 

[Carl Guffey]

Bleach is by far the best and only thing to use. One cup per full livewell, recirculate, and empty. Leave lid open to air dry. Any residue will turn to salt and water, salt is the main ingredient in most livewell formulas. Anglers should do this treatment after every use, especially when traveling between lakes.
Reasons:
1. Cuts down on aquatic hitchhikers
2. If per chance you place a diseased fish in your livewell, this fish will not infect future fish introduced for that merry ride back to weigh-in or your table.

 

[hl&s]

Thanks everyone !

Sounds like clorox is the way to go, with a thorough rinse of course. I had been told that but was concerned that it may be harmful to fish.

I had searched the net and found a product called oxy boost that was formulated to clean and deodorize livewells without hurting fish. But at $12 for a small bottle, plus the real expense, S&H, I didn't want to order it unless necessary. $11 bucks saved !

Thanks,

 

[Big Fish]

He asked and I told him what I do. I didn't say use a cup full. I've never had any problems with fish dying and I scrub them out at least twice a year. But, who am I? I only fish 3 or 4 days a week. So you must be the expert.

 

[hl&s]

Thanks Big Fish for taking the time and offering your advice. This is my first fishing boat with a livewell and I just wanted to make sure I don't kill any fish.

Last Sunday my Son and I fished a tourny in Lafayette. We had 5 keepers by 9 am. A 6 lb, 4 1/2 lb., 3 1/2 lb., and 2 keepers. Total weight was over 16 lbs. But by 10 am 2 of the fish were starting to turn belly up. We ran the recirculation continously but by 11 am the 4 1/2 lber and one of the keepers was belly up. The others wasn't looking too good. We culled a couple before we checked in but weighed with 2 dead fish. We were penalised 8 oz each. We still won but next time it could cost us a win, not to mention 2 bass are dead because of livewell contamination. I really hated that. The livewells had not been cleaned this year.

More experienced boat owners like you and the others have learned what works best for them in this situation and that's all that's important, whether it be clorox, dawn, or ajax.

Thanks,

 

[Triton4Bass]

good topic hl&s, im glad you brought that up and recieved a lot of good answers. maybe that will help quite a few people out, keep it up! emoThumbsup

 

[Liveliner]

Big Fish - 5/10/2007 1:06 PM

He asked and I told him what I do. I didn't say use a cup full. I've never had any problems with fish dying and I scrub them out at least twice a year. But, who am I? I only fish 3 or 4 days a week. So you must be the expert.

Big Fish, I was not trying to indicate that you did not know what you were doing. I am very sorry If I came to you that way.

The reason that I commented about the suds is that I have had some bad experiances with Dawn. I cleaned an old bass boat with Dawn and Tide. I guess I used too much because I never got rid of the residue. I took it to the carwash several times and every time it rained or got wet the suds would form. I was always afraid to let my bilge pump into the river because it was always bubbles and chemicals.

I had a neighbor who experianced having to remove the water from a fountain that had been "soaped". He was under strict guidlines to not allow any of the soapy water to enter the storm drains in the city. Cost a bunch of money for someone.

Since then, I have always been over cautious to protect our waterways.