Dang I have missed alot since I've been gone... I've read all the posts, but let me just go off on my own little tangent while the thoughts are still in my head.
I've tried 3 different livewells, and all work given their time of day and place, so I'll go in order of build.
1 - Rubbermaid cooler. I have a 22gal that I made into the livewell which is on the home page. It does good when the water doesn't need to be really cooled, like night (still put an ice pack or something in there though during the hot months) or during the winter when the water is cold enough that you don't really need circulation and oxygen is not being depleted as fast. I gave the guy who bought my 1236 the rubbermaid livewell I made, and during our tournaments in the heat, it's hard as crap to keep the water cool, but the ice packs or frozen bottles help. Aeration is definitely needed during this time because unless the water temps are kept between 65-70, the oxygen goes faster and it speeds up the metabolism of the fish - fast metabolism equals smaller weights at the end of the day at weigh-in time.
2 - 90qt cooler. This was my upgrade and it was definitely a good one. The insulation makes a ton of difference, not to mention less flex of the rubbermaid. Aeration is still needed all day when you get into the hotter months, but you don't go through as many ice packs with the cooler and the water stays nice and cool.
3 - 150qt cooler. WAY TOO BIG... it works great though, but it's just huge. Same as above with aeration.
Ok, now for the tidbits...
1- Ice.
Don't put ice from a bag in your livewell unless you are using "Please Release Me" as an additive. Ice has chlorine in it which the fish do not do well with, but the Please Release Me takes care of it. When I fill my livewell, I do it first thing in the morning when the water is at its' coolest temps. I have a frozen 2-liter bottle in there, and let the water run over it so that it cools it off even more. After about 2 hours, I start putting in the plastic reusable ice packs - they stay frozen longer than the 2-liter bottles and they are smaller. They work the best in my opinion of keeping the temps down.
2- Aeration
I use a spray bar in all of the portable livewells, and in the warmer months, I keep the aerator running all day long. I don't change the water in my livewell during the day because the water temps are cooler and the water that you're putting in your well comes from the surface which is generally much warmer than where the fish are. Seldom to I get any foam in my cooler, but if I do, I only do about a 20% water change and I also use "Foam Off". A couple drops of that stuff takes care of the foam. One thing, if you do keep getting foam, open your lid just a little bit so that fresh air can come in, and the ammonia can go out. Foam on the surface will not allow oxygen to get into the water, so in essence you're suffocating your fish.
I use atleast 500gph bilge pumps or aerator pumps. I have actually found out that the fish and water seem to do much better with 800gph which is what I use on everything now.
The new livewell I'm putting in my boat will be permanent. I'm not going to put a spray bar in this one... I'm using one of the "Keep Alive" systems which blows in pure oxygen and circulates the water with it. If you've ever been to a place where you can get pure oxygen (great for hangovers) and see what it does to you, just imagine what it will do to the fish. (
https://keepalive.net/portable.htm)
3 - Additives
I have used "Please Release Me" and "Catch and Release". Both are made by the same company, and they are both pretty close to each other except for the price and effectiveness in my opinion. Catch and Release is more expensive, but it doesn't seem to do as well as the Please Release Me - and I've used them both an equal number of times, and each time Please Release Me has won out... no more Catch and Release for me.
I'm sure there's stuff I'm forgetting to mention, but for what you need, I think a 120qt cooler, a 500-800gph bilge pump or aerator would serve your purposes well. I'll try to get some pics up of my new cooler set up.. I finally did it right. I put plexi glass along the top, fish have this amazing jumping capability and they don't like the cooler as much as the water they came out of!
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