300 gallon Rubbermaid Stock Tank

[Gambusia]

Anyone have one for fish?

I am seriously considering it for my next project to allow me to keep my coldwater fish when they get bigger.

I can get on for $164 dollars.

 

[anonapersona]

go for it, only thing cheaper is galvinized metal which will eventually rust in spots.

 

[N8DOGG]

where can you get that from? I could use one

 

[anonapersona]

makes nice above ground pond

I made a nice aboveground pond with a 2' tall 5' daimeter metal tank. I think the rubbermaid ones might be a bit taller, and strong enough for a horse to lean into and not break.

I used round 2" fence posts to surround it, binding with pallet strapping and a turn-buckle. It would have been clever to use the bottom drain for an external pump to a filter and that would have done a lot of cleaning for me. Can't now, as I had to line with EPDM liner to cover the rusting and I'covered over the drain (doh!)

If you have the energy/tools and a spot with not too much tree roots, you can also sink it part way or even all the way, backfilling with sand. Just be aware of small children and dogs that might fall in.

 

[chefkeith]

Originally posted by N8DOGG
where can you get that from?

A farm supply depot. Or you can order one over the net and have it shipped to your home. Shipping charges are probably fairly high though. My guess is about $150 for shipping.

Here' a link to a 400g stock tank that you can order over the net. -

http://www.gemplers.com/a/shop/product.asp?T1=G82250&UID=20040718214737687752717

 

[Cearbhaill]

Collapsible Holding Tanks- 130-1400 gallons!

 

[Gambusia]

I can also find the Tuff Stuff tanks but the Rubbermaid ones are more solid to me and up to 300 gallons.

I have a couple of gar and a channel cat I'd like to keep in it.

I also have a black crappie I might put in there too.


The collapsible tanks are too expensive for my budget but look nice.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[anonapersona]

$75 metal 300 gal

Find the local feed stores, checkt he phone book.

I got a galvanized metal tank, 300 gallons for $75 for the elementary school science garden. I paid $120 for mine 10 years ago. They delivered for $35, too.

 

[Gambusia]

I use a small galvanized metal tank to wash my dogs.

Is it safe for fish>?

 

[anonapersona]

Will rust

It will rust eventuallly

I washed it well with vinegar, then painted it with some sort of epoxy paint. After about 5 years, the paint started chipping off. Probably should have used a primer coat! Eventually parts above water were rusting slightly.

At the same time, I had a lot of fish deaths that I feared might be due to the paint chips being swallowed and the rust, I have since tracked that problem down to the ancient flake food I was still using (bought 10 lbs in 1992? and was still using it in in 2002) Anyhow I sealed the shell with EPDM liner ($38 online) since I doubted I could depend on the paint holding up since no matter how I scrubbed and pressure washed, more chips came off. So, I painted it to seal the rust and then covered it anyhow.

It is OK for fish, according to most people. I was never certain, but for that price vs the cost of a black shell from a pond store (then about $800) I was Ok with taking the chance.

If you can get it painted correctly, and not have it chip when the goldfish tear the algae off to eat, then I guess it'd be OK. If you can live with the eventual rust, and don't really care about what happens 5 or 10 years down the road, then it is a reasonable solution.

The pond in the science garden at the elementary school is bare metal, I figure in 5 years (or less) someone will vandalize the pond and blow it up with a cherry bomb or gun, anyhow.