.....At keeping eels alive........
After too many scoldings from the crew, I finally fired up the live well and have now had my longest streak of not killin any eels. The guy at the bait shop is disappointed as I am buyin less of 'em. Have now managed to keep 50 eels alive and well since sunday....I am sooo proud.
Problem now is that if I don't start feedin em to fish soon, I am gonna become too attached to them like pets........I may lose my title as the perenial eel killer.......

Tag the eels with a color code tag like a date code.
First in, first out
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I can't seem to get them to remain full length for very long this year. Chomp.

...you could always start trading them for plugs....:buds:

Don't start giving them names:rotf2:

Tag the eels with a color code tag like a date code.
First in, first out
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Hey maybe you could use different color ribbons with bows

[QUOTE=redlite;782995].....At keeping eels alive........
After too many scoldings from the crew, I finally fired up the live well.

Could you instruct me about this? Do I dig and old bathtub into the ground and cover it? How big for four dozen eels? Goldfish pond? In my garage or cellar? Do you have any suggestions how I could secure this from Numbskull or other vermin from sabotaging the critters?

.....have now had my longest streak of not killin any eels.

What's the secrete? Gold fish? Redbull? Mineral water?

What's the secrete? Gold fish? Redbull? Mineral water?

The secret is he listened to me for a change...funny thing is I got up this morning to check my stash and I had 6 dead ones...:huh:

The secret is he listened to me for a change...funny thing is I got up this morning to check my stash and I had 6 dead ones...:huh:
And Dan furbished the blue prints.......

Alan I like to keep them down cellar as it is cooler but changing the water is a PIA. I keep them outside too but need to be in shade and I change water daily. Down cellar I can leave in for a few days. I also don't try to keep that many, maybe 25 would be my max. I use a heavy duty aquarium pump and 2 stones and that does the trick for me but all I have gotten on them lately is bluefish so dead ones would work too.

[QUOTE=redlite;782995].....At keeping eels alive........
After too many scoldings from the crew, I finally fired up the live well.

Could you instruct me about this? Do I dig and old bathtub into the ground and cover it? How big for four dozen eels? Goldfish pond? In my garage or cellar? Do you have any suggestions how I could secure this from Numbskull or other vermin from sabotaging the critters?

Under the tutalage of Angler 229,
The way I ended up going is taking my old 120 Qt coffin o' death, drillin 4 holes through the cover for hoses. I liberated one of the rollin flat bread carts from the back of Stop & Shop that I screwed a piece of plywood onto. I got 2 air pumps (in case one shats the bed) at Wally world for like $12 a piece. A length of tubing. 4 of the long air stones ($2/ each). Threw cooler on cart, fed hoses through holes on cooler cover. Let the garden hose run for a while, filled cooler half way up, and voila, eel tank. I am keepin it in the garage for now and that is why I mounted it on the rolling cart so I can wheel it outside to change the water. The issue I have is keepin the water cold enough so that my eels aren't swimmin around like crazy so much gettin skinny. I have been rotatin frozen 2 liter soda bottles in and out, 2 at a time, once in the mornin and once at night. I don't have enough room in the freezer to make more than that. Would probably be better off with 3 or 4 at a time to really keep the water cold so the eels slow down. That is the side effect of keepin it in the garage where it is probably 90 durin the day, but it was the best/ easiest solution at this time.

I put it together saturday nite, and changed the water tues, but as I did not wash the cooler out during the water change, it looked this mornin like I am gonna have to change it again today. Lesson learned.

The hardest part of it all was the battle with the wife to A) Have it in the garage B) Her nonsense about runnin up the electric bill for the little pumps runnin all the time. When I explained to her how much money I have been wastin havin eels die, she started to see the lite. Also got an arse reamin for how much I spend on fishin....If she only knew the other half of it......So far, so good.

if I keep down cellar I prop it up high so I can just put 5 gal. buckets under the drain and lug and pour outside. Since herring is outlawed I really miss lugging 5 gal buckets of water for great distances. It is a good work out, which I can use, and the 60 degree temp down there helps a lot. Good idea on the frozen water bottles. I do that for my worms but I'll really need to throw out some food in the down stairs freezer so i can keep some more water bottles in there.

BIG QUESTION.....
The eels in my eel tank are already turning lite/ white.....
Is it possible/ recommended to paint the inside of my eel tank so that they will stay dark????? Tank is the ole coffin 'o death, a 120 qt igloo cooler. What type of paint should I use???? Will the paint kill/ harm my pets???? Spray paint??? Rustoleum???? Krylon???? Some type of enamel paint, either brush on or spray on???? Latex??? Sharpie the Shat out of it?????

Advice from the pros out there requested

I use a dark blue barrel and some of mine get white so maybe that doesn't matter. I would think a spray paint would work good but let it dry for a few days before filling. Those sprays for plastic would be good i would think. Do you find the darker ones work better? I never really noticed that much difference but you fish many more than i do so I am curious.

try lining the cooler with a black contractor trash bag
buy a box of them and cut to fit, duct tape them in place, whatever it takes

the paint made for spraying on plastic like Paul said may work

Mike I use a heavy duty dark gray barrel w/ a lid for my eels and they still turn lighter over time.

I have to change my water daily but mine's outside and it gets too warm even in the shade..

To make it easier to change the water I drilled like 5 or six holes about 6" from the top of my barrel for the water to drain thru.. My lid has a hole thats big enough for the air hoses and the garden hose to pass thru. I just stick in the hose and push it to the bottom, turn it on and let it run till its clear ( like 10-15 minutes).

When it gets above 85 i have to add fresh/cold water twice a day or I start to lose eels.

the grass near the eel barrel is the greenest grass I have...:)

I keep them in a mesh minnow carry basket and put it in the shad on the north side of the house(out side)
Next i have a mist from the garden hose spray into the mesh basket.
THATS IT

Here's a link to my system I've posted before that Mike copied. I've actually been keeping up to 70 eels in this system without any problems. I keep mine in the basement as the air is cooler and it helps keep water temps down. I also do exactly what Paul said and elevate the tank so I can put a bucket under the drain and haul the buckets outside. Also, I've never worried about color of my eels as I personally can't imagine a bass coming up to an a live eel and thinking to itself "this eel the wrong shade of color I'm not eating it."

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/771512-post15.html

I've never worried about color of my eels as I personally can't imagine a bass coming up to an a live eel and thinking to itself "this eel the wrong shade of color I'm not eating it."


Me either...Redlite is a real paranoid freak if you ask me...what's particularly bothering to me about him though is his sudden concern for the elvers. Next thing you know he'll be buying a lathe and his wife will be pregnant with triplets.

If you use the ice bucket system your eels will quickly darken, white buckets or not. I'll take the lightest eels the shop has if they are the right size and they are dark within hours and black the next day. I'm thinking of opening a gourmet eel shop where you can select size and color :hihi:

Me either...Redlite is a real paranoid freak if you ask me...what's particularly bothering to me about him though is his sudden concern for the elvers. Next thing you know he'll be buying a lathe and his wife will be pregnant with triplets.

LOL. and the men with the straight jackets and the keys to the rubber room will be right around the corner as that will surely make him mad as a hatter. Plug building and raising triplets at the same time will certainly put a crimp on his dark eel fishing.

black buckets will keep eels from changing color. a dozen for one five gallon bucket works for me

I use a black rubbermaid trashcan with 2 6in air stones. Every now and again I will give them some fish food to keep them happy and just change the water later that day.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[QUOTE=redlite;782995].....At keeping eels alive........
After too many scoldings from the crew, I finally fired up the live well.

Could you instruct me about this? Do I dig and old bathtub into the ground and cover it? How big for four dozen eels? Goldfish pond? In my garage or cellar? Do you have any suggestions how I could secure this from Numbskull or other vermin from sabotaging the critters?

Do a search on eel keeping threads on this site. I bet there are 789,473 threads on the subject:smash:

The secret is he listened to me for a change...funny thing is I got up this morning to check my stash and I had 6 dead ones...:huh:

Overheated. (Hi Mikey)

I have always used the garage and an old brown olive barrel.The garage works great after September.

am in DC for the next week to 10 days,
heppin' out the wife with one of her clients.

BIG cleanup of a DC manse and some painting,
there will be some touring of our Capitol for me and the family~~

but giving her this moon, will hopefully bode well
for the coming News and Fulls in the weeks ahead. PLUS it is

!!!TOO STINKING HAWWWWTT TO FEESH!!!

round the NShore anyways, right?? bright AND hott = :wall: :wall: :wall:

I don't get it. YOUSE GUYS ARE LIKE LITTLE KIDS PLAYING IN MUD PUDDLES. You don't need water to keep eels. PERIOD. Stick them in a mesh container and spray a fine mist on them in the shade.
You could also make a box out of 1/4" wire screening so the slime goes through. Try it. Good luck

Go to CVS or the Supermarket and steal (or politely ask the manager if you can purchase) one of those hand held shopping baskets. Rip the handle off and it fits nearly perfectly onto the top ledge of a 32 quart cooler. Put the eels in the basket with a few cubes on them and put an ice pack or a frozen two liter bottle of water in the cooler next to the basket. They'll keep for days without water

Your all Paranoid!
I have a 55 gallon Black rain barrel and it's buried in the ground with next to never direct sunlight exposure,the water temp never exceeds 70 degrees,I change the water once every three weeks,but over time the eels will change to a lighter color.
If you keep your eels in the basement,garage,back yard,out side next to your garage,or in your friggin attic the water temp will eventually come to ambient temperatures,thats just the law of physics that is,unless you become a total bitch slave and change the ice,water or turn on your chiller to keep them @ a temporary cool temp.but you also keep in mind as the water get's warmer there gonna die because oxygen will become compromised,A river,lake,pond,brook ect.is the best way to keep these things alive with out color change or weight loss.