building my very first bait tank need help
 

woo hoo! so... after much deliberation and the wet dreams of gay WSB and darting yellows and leaping dorados and an occasional change of underwear and sheets..........

scroll to the bottom for my question, or entertain yourself with my build :notworthy:

i caved in... the mechanic in me and my idle hands got the best of me...... i went a slightly different route then some of the tanks ive seen though

for example, instead of using a milk crate, i used a plastic crate from walmart i got a while back... it was my dog's toy box but she doesnt understand the concept of it so it was put away.... looks just like a milk crate, just inches smaller and much lighter due to lack of size and thickness of plastic, still have room for pvc pipe rod holders one in each corner, with the back two angled outwards for any attempt at trolling.. also adds a little upwards rigidity.

for the tank itself, i used a 3.5 gal bucket. the reason being the height. it's the same diameter as a 5 gal bucket, just much shorter, think... milk crate height, this will give me a little less height to reach over when grabbing fresh bait. though i am going to have to use a small hole in the lid, due to spilling and sloshing issues, i think i'll live.. the intake from the pump is a 3/4in and so is the exhaust, running the exhaust about 4 inches from the top of the tank and the intake aboust 2 in from the bottom of the bucket with a 90 elbow to direct water in a counter clockwise flow

for the pump im running a attwood 500gph tsunami pump... seems like a bit overkill for the tank to me, but i had a hard time locating the 360 that i was gonna run on a 6v... either way the 500 will be run on a 6v battery anyhow... now... i can do electrical rigging.. but im not too familiar with the pumps and their power input needed from the battery..... and im using just a sterlite locking tupperware for my battery box.

so question is... to run this 500gph pump on a 6v battery.... what ah rating am i shooting for?!!?!??! and where did you guys purchase your batteries besides from oex, nothing against them, just dont feel like driving through mission beach to get to them with traffic and all -.- actually stopped by the one in OS yesterday and they were closed... im a fail haha

i'll post pictures later on when i get some more work done to it

any other comments or ideas are more then welcome!!! thanks a bunch in advance

p.s. this set up so far is super super lightweight, i think it should be able to hold about 8-10 sardines comfortably enough for at least 8 hours

I picked up a 6v 7.6a at Frys for abut $20. it fits perfectly into an Otterbox 1060 to stay dry. 3/4inch inlet souds good, but you may have issues with the 3/4 inch outlet, It may not be large enough to release enough water. Don't forget you will also need to put some kind of filter over it to keep the sardines in but still let the scales out.

Sounds pretty good so far!

Good Luck :cheers1:

Dan

thanks dan, i'll throw some pics up later today or tommorrow morning when i get to it. i'll check out frys later today for the battery and maybe the switch. if i have to change boxes for the battery, shouldnt be an issue. trying to be as conservative as possible or else my gf will keel me quickly. the 3/4 outlet i dont use a screen because the sardine wont fit in one haha!!

What yak do you have? It might be easier for you to just drill out 1/4 inch holes and let the water spill out, and through scupper holes (if you your yak has them, back to my first question)

Just food for thought. Put up pictures of your progress if you can!

ok, i might make a run home for lunch to snap some shots for you guys, i have a tamarack 120. little 10ft sit on top, i was thinking of the drain holes instead of the exhaust tube, but prefered to have the water running out the back instead of onto the kayak (the hatches dont seal the best) and the thought of having anymore water then usual sitting on or in my kayak still gives me the heebie jeebies

Until that one stubborn sardine decides to try, get his head stuck in there and clog you up! I bought the switch at Frys but I had to get the waterproof booty for it at West Marine. They may have it there, but I didn't see one.

Dan

You can get a 6v 12ah battery for $16 on ebay.

i dont know why, but ever since i can remember... i hate ordering stuff online.... im one of those people who prefer to buy items with the items in my hand.... at time of purchase....... i'm an odd one...... i know

but what rating should i be looking for in a battery? and how does the ah rating affect pump operation and battery life?

im pretty mechanically inclined... just didnt pay too much attention when it came to electronics specs

Ah* = "amp hour", for example you can run a 1 amp pump for 1 hour.....

A fully charged 12ah battery should last you for a fully day of fishing without problem.

V = energy output - 6v should be good enough for your pump.

Maybe i am wrong...but you should do more research if not too sure.

One 12v 12ah battery should be morn than enough if you want to run your FF as well, but it will be a bit heavy.

I think you may want to up your outlet size. Water coming in is pressurized, exhaust is not. It is going to overfill the tank most likely.

As for batteries, We stock 6v 12ah for use in our tanks. No traffic now that its winter unless you hit it at prime time on Sat/Sun. Rest of week only cars in the lot are employees most the time.

thanks for the advice ^^^ was gonna head to frys, but you guys at oex have the best choice of battery with 12ah for the 6v. so i'll try and stop by there after work. here a couple of pictures... they are taking a while to load, but i have been reading and thinking about it, im either going to upgrade the size of the hole for the drain, or am going to drill some 1/4 holes above it where i would want the water to drain out if it overloads. the bucket

thanks a bunch for the help so far. im getting the itch to put it on the water soon

p.s oh yeah, i forgot to mention, im using 3/4 automotive heater hose for the hoses and since they dont fit perfect into the coupings. i wraped some electrical tape around the hose to give it a better fit, it seems to go in very very very snug and didnt come off too easily either. if this work, i'll keep it that way for the purpose of transportation, but if not, then i'll find a way to permanentally put the hoses on.

heres a few more

You should do fine with that set-up. Make sure you have some type of lid because bait will jump out. You pump will draw more amps than your fish finder/GPS so use seperate batteries and having them in sealed containers is very smart. Rather than using a single overflow hose you can just drill 1/4" holes at the level you want your bucket to fill to. What you have done should work fine and if it does not do the job drill more holes. The rod holders which I attached to the bait tank I made out of a file box are good for holding rods that are not in use but too weak to be used while fishing. I also recommend putting a drain plug at the bottom of the tank so when you get back to the beach you can drain the water without removing your tank. I always keep my tank full when going back in because the weight in the stern helps keep the bow up.

weigh the stern when coming back into the surf for added stability im assuming, i'll have to try that when i get to the surf.

got a lid, just gotta cut it up some, but thanks!!!

i have two flush mount pole holders that angle slightly out, i think those two will be what i use to fish with. and the other 4 are mainly for storage, minus the back two. i was hoping those would work out for trolling if i ever intend to do so. but i'll probably have to go back and reinforce that, figured with the weight of the water in the tank should keep my crate in place in case anything nasty decides to yank on me.

gonna put some holes in the bucket above the drain hole tonight for added drainage

and gonna try and pick up the battery from OEX after work.

as far as the drain on the bottom, i can pull the hose out of the fitting to drain it so i dont have to completly take the bucket out.

what else you guys got hit me!

If you are going to have your inlet at the bottom, you better use a one-way valve in-line. If not, should you lose power your tank will drain out. Make sure all your components are sturdy enough to take a spill and survive if you plan on doing any surf launching.

ok doke.

so far ive been fishing the bay with the practice of leashing all my gear up anytime i launch or land. no bungies though, i just use rope. may upgrade later on but seems to be ok for me right now.

i had that in mind so my bait tank im putting together with the intention of being able to take any hanging parts (hoses pumps) off and put them away either in the tank or in the hull. which ever is easiest at the time.

i'll go look for a one way valve, where did you purchase yours?

btw, you guys are the shit =) thanks a bunch for all the advice so far

Hey don't forget to put one of these on it!
you can store stuff in there for your crash landings. And also keep the bait from hopping out, like they usually do.
Gamma seal lid.
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...-Pf1HmMZY9J9IA

I would stay away from those tupperware type containers, they're not as waterproof as they appear to be. Don't be cheap or you'll be replacing things every few trips, buy quality marine grade products and save yourself the headache. I have my ff/gps battery in a pelican case, three years later the inside is still dry.

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/a...1&d=1348605017


Second thing.........although those crimps are not below the water line I can guarantee they are going to corrode on you after the first few trips. You can goop them but even then they'll still corrode.

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/a...1&d=1348604325

Agree, those crimps are going to go pretty fast! Suggest you put some marine grade shrink tube over those crimps. That should keep it nice dry and sealed.

Home Depot usually carries the PVC type of one-way valve. Or you can use a gas line squeeze ball that most Marine stores carry.

With your inlet so low, how are you going to plumb your pump to the tank?

i used a tank that size with about the same setup and i could not keep a kayak scoop of sardines alive... about half the scoop always died... a few squid and macs were not a problem...

Anyone wanna make a homemade bait tank :D

There are holes in the crate and ive positioned it so the tube feeds through that hole and into the fitting with just a small bit of pressure on the tube to keep it from nudging.

Purchased my battery just moments ago from cj(thanks) and a lid(not gamma) so I'll be back in the workshop tonight.

As far as the case goes, I don't plan on taking the battery out of it ever, even for charging, so it'll be sealed shut with sealant, I chose the cheap clear case because I wanted to make sure I could see inside :)

The crimps are going to be heated, then liquid electrical tape applied to close it up :)

What else we got keep em coming i am loving all the advice!!! Let me know if my thinking is incorrect in anyway as well please

Why do you think the whole scoop died? Not enough room in the tank? , Or too much water running through it? if that's the case I'm bring the sabiki along and test it out in the bay next outting >:) also I know mission bay seaforth sells 8 bucks for a dozen of whatever the bait barge has too might opt for that to try and keep the bait alive

i think i had too many sardines in a tank that size. i probably had more than 2 dozen... a dozen might work though?

Well I'll know within the next week I think. Also. Tested out the pump today with water. No leaks with the quick disconnect style I did :).

However your all right. I am over flowing. Will put a bigger drain in place sometime before the weekend with a screen and two extra holes :)

You should point the 90 deg. elbow inside the tank the other direction. Water in the Northern hemisphere more naturally spins clockwise.

Actually I think the latter is true. Water in the northern hemisphere goes counterclockwise and in the south clockwise

Well, the obvious solution is to only make left turns when you're in the water. :p

if i do that, does that make me paddle faster?! if so i am doing it right off the launch!

watch how far i go fast!

I just flushed my toilet 54 times, I can confirm that his statement is true.

I love Nascar racing ....go fast turn left....:rolleyes:

:rolleyes:you guys are hilarious... i wish my gf was as funny

Put some water in your tank and use a stick to spin it around. You will notice a considerable difference in the slow-down between the two directions. Or just fill up your sink and let it drain to watch the direction of the whirlpool in the middle.

Osnt anyone gonna say anyhting about him pumping water from the bottom of the tank? I think bus kid was the one who told me to give the water from the top?

Someone did and advised him to put a check valve.

ok doke.. so just a little update without pictures... got pretty much everything i needed tuesday night put it all together to find out that everyone was absolutly on point about the drain. so i went out last night buy a bigger fitting. installed it. no more issues with overflowing. got a "flat hose" to save weight and make it more convinient to put away. when not in use.

put a screen in to keep the feesh inside. just need to finish up final wiring and sealing of the wires and if not this weekend, i'll be out next weekend testing out the bait survivability and how many feesh i can catch :)

hopefully, with the FF now with new batteries, and the bait tank running and a sabiki if i dont buy bait... i should have some fun pics to post:cheers1: