groperman Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 Gday guys, I am making my own live bait tank, just wondering with regarding to where to put the inlet and outlet connections, is it best to have the inlet at the bottom? and outlet at the top so water can circulate? or is it better to have the inlet at the top and the outlet just below it? (thats what the BIAS guy told me to do) Suggestions would be great. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingpig Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 Mine is setup with the inlet at the top and the outlet on the bottom. It has a pipe that fits into the outlet and sticks up in the tank. When the tank fills to the level of the top of the pipe this then it overflows down the outlet drain. This makes emptying the tank very easy at the end of fishing. Cheers Kingpig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pekingduck Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 I have my inlet slightly higher than the outlet. The inlet has a 90 degree fitting with a tube which brings water into the bottom of the tank. So fresh water flows in from the bottom of the tank and the old water flows out from a tube at the top. On the inlet drill a small hole on top to let air in, this will stop water from siphoning out when the pump is turned off. Works for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groperman Posted May 2, 2007 Author Share Posted May 2, 2007 everyone has different ideas lol what is the most efficient one? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyt Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 pekingduck got the best set up the little hole brings more oxygen into the water as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolan Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Be carefull if the bait tank is fixed, make sure you put the outlet hole so the tank won't overflow into the boat REMEMBERING THE NATURAL ANGLE THAT THE BOAT MAY SIT AT WHEN SITTING AND CRUISING!!!!! I made that mistake the first time and put the outlet holes on the forward side of the tank. It didn't help when the boat sits with a lean towards the stern 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnno Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 (edited) Okay i have done i bit of research and asked questions and come up with this I am not happy with the seal of the top but i have more ideas for that and if it doesn,t work well i will go to a round tub/barrel and modify other things which will have a screw on top i got a heap of water in the boat at rough speed last time out This cost me around $100 mark as i had somestuff lying round at home. My ideas were it needs to be removable and have no un sightly holes when i was in family mode. This might give you a couple of ideas Water drains onto Maxi transom My pickup is a speed pick up and a pump and if i don,t want water going in i remove hose Now when i come to the end of the day how do i remove water you ask. see aerator pump in tub i put it in then the tube gets shoved into overflow and gets pumped out.I already had this pump. Also if I need more air i can use that same pump with a different tube and a aerator nozzle and i get more air into the tub. Hope this has helped But currently i am not overly happy with the tub i might go to a round twist top one I did use a few favours from mates with Plumbing fittings and bits and pieces etc Edited- Sorry if some of this didn,t make sense and spelling errors confused you i was running out the door to go play touch footy whilst rushing Edited May 2, 2007 by johnno 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano1 Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Hey guys, The best set up is your inlet to come in at the top (If you penetrate tank bottom there will be more pressure on it to leak) as mentioned above with a elbow facing down run the pipe to the bottom of the tank and drill plenty of holes in it! I acctually have just extended mine across the base of my tank! As far as the outlet is concerned what ever height suits you to a. get out over the transom or b.if you drill a hole through the side of your boat On the wk end i had the shaft on my bait pump rust through and the impeler snap off resulting in having to bucket water in manualy! (don't get the johnson pumps they are not stainless shafts!) I soon learnt that bucketing in water still was not enough sirculation to keep the squid alive as all died and i was bucketing alot of water through! I have just installed a new pump with a stainless shaft and it is capable of pumping 50l per min! Will keep you posted going to test it in about 6hrs! Dan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano1 Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 worked a treat no dead squid You can see i have extended the inlet right across the bottom and have got holes all round the horizontal pipe! so that will stirr up any muck at the bottom and force it out! Dan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hook'm Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 mate it would have been better to have a DRY shot so we could all see what u were talkin about i cant see the outlet of the pump because of all the squid!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heath Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 Excellent tank Johnno!!! Groperman, It is a pretty confusing thing to decide on how to plumb up your bait tank. Luckly I have 2 ( one in each corner ) which I have plumbed depending on requirements. Both have a bung skin fitting that drains into the motor well and a large overflows which empty out the sides. The pumps are below the water line inside the boat and both have their own inlets through the transom with ball valves on each. What is different is where the inlets enter the tank. I have one up the top and the other tank has the inlet in the bottom. The tank with the inlet up the top is used for hardy live baits. ( yakkas and tailor ) The tank with the inlet at the bottom is used for liveys which require moving and oxygenated water. ( slimys, pike, tailor, squid etc ) The dissadvantage of having your outlet in the bottom is that you will need to run your pump 100% of the time, other wise the tank will siphon out through the pump. If you put a 1 way valve in place this will stop the siphoning action but drastically reduces the pressure of flow from the pump. The tank with the inlet up the top stays full, however you don't get the water movement in the tank like you do with the inlet at the bottom, nor do you get a full tank of oxygenated water as a vast majority simply comes in and then straight out the over flow. One thing we used to do in our old boat which had the inlet up the top of our single live well was to have a tap on the drain. We would slightly open it when we got livies that required oxygenated water. This would allow the tank to continually have fresh oxygenated water the whole way through it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mugen Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 Excellent tank Johnno!!! Groperman, It is a pretty confusing thing to decide on how to plumb up your bait tank. Luckly I have 2 ( one in each corner ) which I have plumbed depending on requirements. Both have a bung skin fitting that drains into the motor well and a large overflows which empty out the sides. The pumps are below the water line inside the boat and both have their own inlets through the transom with ball valves on each. What is different is where the inlets enter the tank. I have one up the top and the other tank has the inlet in the bottom. The tank with the inlet up the top is used for hardy live baits. ( yakkas and tailor ) The tank with the inlet at the bottom is used for liveys which require moving and oxygenated water. ( slimys, pike, tailor, squid etc ) The dissadvantage of having your outlet in the bottom is that you will need to run your pump 100% of the time, other wise the tank will siphon out through the pump. If you put a 1 way valve in place this will stop the siphoning action but drastically reduces the pressure of flow from the pump. The tank with the inlet up the top stays full, however you don't get the water movement in the tank like you do with the inlet at the bottom, nor do you get a full tank of oxygenated water as a vast majority simply comes in and then straight out the over flow. One thing we used to do in our old boat which had the inlet up the top of our single live well was to have a tap on the drain. We would slightly open it when we got livies that required oxygenated water. This would allow the tank to continually have fresh oxygenated water the whole way through it. Nice set up Heath.. Just wondering with the pump set up..Can all pumps be set up like yours as long as they are below the water line...? Because this is the way i would like to set mine up..Not too keen on having pumps hanging off the back of the boat.. regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heath Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 Sure can Chris, as long as they are below the water line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnno Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 Very good setup Heath Thats well designed using the motor well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mugen Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 (edited) Sure can Chris, as long as they are below the water line. No worries Heath .. If you dont mind me asking what pump are you running...? and where did you get those Stainless transom inlets.. Thanks mate Edited May 6, 2007 by Mugen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groperman Posted May 7, 2007 Author Share Posted May 7, 2007 you guys have been great! I think Dano's one suits me the best so ill probably just go with that one, thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heath Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 No worries Heath .. If you dont mind me asking what pump are you running...? and where did you get those Stainless transom inlets.. Thanks mate All my pumps are Rule pumps. I did have Johnson pumps but the packed it in twice in 3 months so got rid of them. The SS Inlets I got from the boats manufacturer ( Cruise Craft ) but they have moved away from this setup now and have the inlets come in through the bottom of the hull. Any SS fabricator would be able to knock these up though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano1 Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 (edited) Hey guys, here is a few more pics if it helps, i have mine set up so it can be detached by the click of a hose, i just use the strap i tie my boat to the trailer with to strap in the tank while im out!! Also u can click on a hose nozzel to the bait pump end of the inlet hose so you can switch ur pump on and have a wash down on the way back in!! As i didn't want to drill any holes through the transom, we just made sure the container we used for the bait tank was higher than the transom, and offset the outlet back up and over!!! I used a 50mm kitchen sink waste to attach the overflow to the bait tank. this is great as the grill stops the squid from finding there way in and causing an overflow. Edited May 7, 2007 by Dano1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groperman Posted May 7, 2007 Author Share Posted May 7, 2007 Hey Dan, what size is your container? ive got the same container but mine is 30L, yours seem alot bigger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano1 Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 Hey Dan, what size is your container? ive got the same container but mine is 30L, yours seem alot bigger Hey mate, I think its about 60-80 litres! Dan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouse2k Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I really like the look of those stainless steel inlets. They are designed to pick up water on the move as well? Has anyone seen any other versions of these available for purchase? Cheers Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnno Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 lighthouse there are 2 types i know of which are bracket that has pump on top of it Bracket that has a hose attached on top Heaths pick ups look really nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouse2k Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 (edited) I recently found this pickup available for aound $70 off the shelf. Have only seen it in the catalogue so far Livewell/Bait Tank Pickup: Installed through the transom for connection to self priming livewell pumps. The cast 316 stainless steel head fitting is installed above waterline and can be fitted with a 3/4” ball valve for added security. The 16mm stainless steel pick up tube fits into the head assembly via a rubber cup gasket allowing easy removal for clearing of debris. The pick up tube can be cut to length if required and is supplied standard with an angled tip to provide water flow when under way, without pump. The lower mount saddle has a rubber insert that allows connection at any height and also secures the pickup tube into the head assembly. Dimensions: Through hull: ¾" BSP Max hull thickness: 90mm Pick up tube: 16x300mm Mount screws: 4 c/s Has anyone seen this one? What is known as a self priming livewell pump? If I got is set below the waterline would this work aound this? Thanks Chris Edited July 14, 2007 by lighthouse2k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM79 Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 (edited) Our live bait tank is a alum box that fits snuggly into the back of the boat next to the motor. It has a PVC pipe which runs the length of the box at the top above the water, sealed at one end and has 4 holes drilled into it with a oval shape dimple to spurt water in to keep the water aerated. The outlet is a hole at back of the box directly inline with the aeration tube with a alum tube welded into it which has a diameter of 1 inch. So basically we fill the tank up to start with then just turn the pump on when we are stationary to aerate the water as we have a scoop at the back of the boat which is part of the pump bracket which will allow water to flow in as we motor about. Keeps everything alive from fish, squid and various forms of live bait and works better than the original design which was a hose flowing to the bottom of the tank and a hole in the right angle joint to aerate. It's a bit dirty as Mr. Squid decided we were in need of ink and we always forget to clean it. Edited July 15, 2007 by reLapse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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