I am making a livewell from a Coleman cooler. Like all coolers, the interior is stark white and I have read that the fish will be bothered (stressed) by that. So I want to paint the interior something darker and more natural for the fish. Any idea what brand or type of paint to use that will be non-toxic to the fish?

I would think that when the lid is closed, it would be awfully dark in there.

It's not like you're going to leave the lid open for very long.

I would think that when the lid is closed, it would be awfully dark in there.

It's not like you're going to leave the lid open for very long.

That's a good point, but still since it's going to be used as a dedicated livewell, I think I will try to paint it up to the waterline inside.  It's a small thing to do and could be beneficial for the fish. Any little bit helps..

How's it going to benefit the fish ? Just wondering.

Probably be more beneficial if you just left it alone instead of taking the chance of putting something in there that might be stressful to your fish. My boat came from the factory with a light color and a clear devider. It has not hurt them yet. JMO.

How's it going to benefit the fish ? Just wondering.

I read somewhere that the bright white surroundings scare the fish. I think I remember reading that looking at pre-made livewells and baitwells, they were darker blue inside for just that purpose. Sounds reasonable to me. Yet I'll bet allot of home made livwells (converted coolers) are left white inside right?

Both livewells in my boat are White.... Thinking of it every livewell I had in every boat were White. I wouldn't think it would matter much it was white, like as said the lid is only open for seconds not all day.

Ken,

I am pretty sure my Ranger has white in the livewell.

Haven't looked in there in a few months...Like I say, the livewell lid is only open when I am either throwing fish in, or culling them out.

Once that lid closes, I bet it's dark as all get out in there.

Personally, I think you are 'over-thinking ' this too much.

And the ones in my Bullet are black ... guess what. I can't see my fish ... they are heck to get out at weigh in time. Just a thought.

Personally, I think you are 'over-thinking ' this too much.

I guess you're right. It was just a thought but thanks to Forums such as this, you learn allot from others. Thanks guys!

without a source of light, white is as dark as any other color.  your fine with what you have

I know plenty of kayak bassers that use a similar home made livewell setup, and no paint necessary.  In fact, I think it would creat a mess in the end, and finding a "safe" paint, that actually adheres to the cooler might be a tall order.

you're worried about "stressing" or "bothering" them with the color of your livewell? I would think that being jerked away from her favorite stump by a facefull of hooks would be more stressful than your livewell color. If'n you want a real example of stress, watch some of them TV pros, they'll ****** 'em overboard about 60 mph, smack 'em on the console, then they'll put their knee on em to keep them from squirmin around, or get them in the Alabama head squeeze. If that's not enough stress, then they'll hold them out of the water for a bit & scream at them, then give them a good toss into the livewell. That's what causes stress. It's what happens when money and fishing merge.

My livewells are black, and I've often thought of painting them an off white color. I don't fish competitively anymore, but if I did, and was(hopefully) doing a lot of culling, I'd have them white.

If I did paint them, I would use a USDA grade epoxy. It's safe for indirect human food contact, so I'm sure it would be fine for a fish who can live in the outfall of a sewage plant.

The epoxy probably comes in any color you want. Hope that helps.

Just so there's no questions, I intend to leave the cooler white inside. Thanks for all the replies on the subject.