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Calcimator

Live Well Capacity Calculator

Calculate the live well size, aeration rate, and water change frequency needed to keep your catch alive during tournaments.

Inputs

lbs
°F
hours

Results

Recommended Capacity

42 gal

≈ 8 buckets

Minimum Capacity15 gal
Aeration Rate450 GPH
Water Change Interval10 min
Oxygen Demand1,803 mg/hr
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter the number of fish you plan to keep alive in the live well during your trip.
  2. Input the average fish weight in lbs to calculate total biomass load.
  3. Enter the surface water temperature in °F — warm water holds less dissolved oxygen and increases stress.
  4. Set the tournament or fishing duration in hours to account for water quality degradation over time.
  5. Read Recommended Capacity in gallons — choose a live well at or above this size.
  6. Set your aerator to at least the Aeration Rate (GPH) shown, and exchange water at the Water Change Interval (minutes).

How the result changes with Water Temperature

Water TemperatureRecommended Capacity
4629 gal
5935 gal
7652 gal
9062 gal

What each input means

Number of Fish
Total number of fish you plan to keep alive in the live well.
Average Fish Weight
Average weight per fish in pounds. More weight per fish requires proportionally more water and oxygen.
Water Temperature
Surface water temperature. Warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen, making fish care more critical.
Duration
How many hours the fish will be in the live well. Longer durations increase water quality demands.

What each result means

Minimum Capacity
Absolute minimum live well capacity (1 gallon per pound of fish).
Recommended Capacity
Recommended live well capacity adjusted for temperature and duration.
Aeration Rate
Recommended aeration pump flow rate in gallons per hour.
Water Change Interval
How often to exchange live well water with fresh lake water.
Oxygen Demand
Total oxygen consumption of your fish in milligrams per hour at the given temperature.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Number of Fish = 5, Average Fish Weight = 3, Water Temperature = 72, Duration = 8 = 4 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Recommended Capacity
    Recommended Capacity = max(2
    42 = 42
  3. Calculate Minimum Capacity
    Minimum Capacity = max(1
    15 = 15
  4. Calculate Aeration Rate
    Aeration Rate = max(100
    450 = 450

Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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