Bait tank turnover rate
 

Noob question about bait tank turnover rates as I am working to design a system for my kayak.

Searching online, I have found mainly 2 recommendations for rates, which are wildly different.

One recommendation is turning over the tank volume 42x per hour (so flow rate of 42 x tank volume, e.g. 210 gph for 5 gallon tank)

Another recommendation is gallons divided by .06, which comes up with 83 gph for that same 5 gallon tank, or approximately 17x per hour turnover.

As said, wildly differing recommendations. What's the common consensus on here?

Don't over think it...

Yep........you're over thinking it

Eh lots of other variables that make formulas a moot point. Macks, jacks, dines, squid... all devour oxygen at different rates. Water temp can also dictate how much bait your tank can handle.

My tank is a Vittles Vault 25, 360gph pump powered by a 6V 12ah battery. Fills from the top and drains from the top. Little to no circulation. Guess I got lucky with the design as I've only had 1 greenback die on me in 2 years and I suspected that it was the one I badly wounded while unhooking from the sabiki.

Summer temps I keep it to 12 baits max. I have successfully stuffed it to about 20 macks with no casualties. But then again I only average 5-10 baits a session and that counts days where sea lions are in absolute theif mode.

Hope that helps. YMMV.

You forgot to calulate.......
 

Heart beat rate of mackerel vs sardines x number of baits subtracted from volume cubic oz's of water

From what Ive learned, if your tank takes longer than 7 minutes to start dumping out the overflow, get a bigger pump.

Thanks all
 

Thanks all. I'll try the lower flow (and hence lower power draw) pump first, and if it fails to keep up, then I'll go to the double flow one (at 3x the power draw).

7 minutes
 

X-2 same numbers I've heard...even for the big tanks.