Options for grow tanks

[blane perun]

After raising corals through propagation over the last few years in glass tanks I decided to take a different approach when beginning my new set up. I had weighed several options; custom building glass tanks, fiberglass tanks, building wood tanks, and shipping containers. I wanted to fit 6-8 systems in my place and was aiming for systems ranging from 100 to 200 gallons. A great cost effective option around the boards is the Rubbermaid container, the company actually markets these as stock tanks. Looking into the industry I actually found a few different manufacturers. The first shown below by Toter



The toter looked good and was built rugged, also has a few options as far as gallonage. I never really considered it though I was not crazy about the design.



Rubbermaids, the stock tank family shown here. I actually purchased 8 of these tanks and ended up returning them. The rounded design not bother me as much as the ratio the tank stepped down inside. The ridges are convenient, but the total surface area of grow space in relation to the amount of floor space there were occupying was bit less than I bargained for. The tanks are built great, and each have a built in drain plug. A bit cost prohibitive for 8 systems, locally a 100 gallon tank cost about $90 bucks with tax.



After returning the Rubbermaids I purchased 6 Tuff Stuff stock tanks and will most likely buy two more. I liked the Tuff Stuff the most because of the surface area. The drain plugs are only included on tanks at 140 gallons and above, but since I eliminated sumps in my plan it won’t be a detriment. The Tuff Stuff tanks, are stock tanks and despite the thin walls they can sustain their shape completely full of water. One last attractive feature of the Tuff Stuff tanks was pricing. A 140 gallon tank cost me about $65 bucks

[scubadude]

Yup i like those tubs too....using a few of them myself...but I dont like black because it attracts heat. I know there are some that are blue and actually come in 600-1200g tubs. How bout giving us a source on them tubs in the first picture, and the Tuff Stuff tubs...I particularly like the tub in the bottom of the first pic, because of its shallowness. I have even considered using feeding troughs for their long and thin characteristics something like this



Thanx for sharing

Rocky

[blane perun]

http://www.toter.com/retailstktks3.htm

this is the toter site,

http://www.tufftubs.com/htdocs/plinoval.htm

tuff stuff

great DIY site that i originally found Tuff Stuff
from there a friend found me a local dealer.

http://doityourself.com/store/variouspetsupplies02.htm

most farm supply, or feed supply stores carry the
rubbermaid stock tanks.

I think these would be too costly to ship. You might
contact the company to find a retailer in your area.

various retailers

http://www.applegatesteel.com/page8.html

http://www.mcfarlanesonline.com/pg-farmsupp.html

http://www.hutchison-inc.com/html/lv...tanks/poly.php
these people carry the blue ones you are lookig for

http://www.siouxsteel.com/LvstkStkTanks.htm
some yellow that will really reflect heat & light

[Reefland]

In the past, there have been concerns with using containers that would leak out "yuckies"; Phosphate being a big one. After a lot of research from various people, it was determined that only "FDA" approved tubs would be good choices to prevent high TDS or other problems. Has any research been done on these tubs that are being listed?

Just curious,
Scott Z.

[blane perun]

None at all, looking at the Rubbermaid Tubbs I would suspect the suface to be the most resistant to leeching organic and inorganic substances into the water. The surface on the Tuff Stuff tubs is a bit more rough. I suppose you do get what you pay for. I had not come across and FDA approvals on any of the products but then again I really was not
Looking. It’s a good point to bring up, and I’ll be cognizant of the fact when I’m shopping around. These tubs were so inexpensive if I get a few years from them I’ll
Be happy.

[Ninong]

A lot of people use the Rubbermaid stock tanks as refugiums/sumps and I don't know if any of them have reported problems with phosphate and other chemicals leaching such as Ltspd measured on his Rubbermaid RO/DI water storage container.

When we contacted Rubbermaid they said that their containers do leach chemicals unless they meet USDA specs. Some of them, like the Brute containers in gray, white and yellow, do meet USDA specs. It seems that Rubbermaid uses a wide variety of recycled plastics in the manufacture of their products. Some of their products are intended for garbage storage and leaching of chemicals wouldn't be a problem.

It's probably not much of a problem unless you are concerned about having perfect RO/DI water so as not to add to your algae problems. I'm sure stock tanks are safe for livestock to drink from but they may not be "perfect." Just make sure that anything you purchase is not impregnated with an algicide.

[Ltspd]

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/cat...sories&Page=1&