I recently got a Rubbermaid water trough (versus the metal looking one I used to have) and I dump and scrub it every other day if not everyday and the algae is crazy. I feel like the algae comes back right after I scrub out the trough. I’ve heard of people putting a certain type of fish in the trough but I don’t know anyone personally who have done that. Any tips or ideas to prevent the algae? I just use a normal scrub brush when I clean it.
The Rubbermaid tanks do get green much faster than anything metal. I’m resigned to filling it only halfway each day. That provides our horses (just 2) with plenty of water, but it’s down low enough that I don’t feel too guilty pouring out the water that’s left to scrub the tank. I find that if you can put it in the shade the algae grows more slowly than in the sun. I don’t really think that a little green in the tank does them any harm.
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[QUOTE=Hinderella;7128919]
The Rubbermaid tanks do get green much faster than anything metal. I’m resigned to filling it only halfway each day. [/QUOTE]
I only fill mine up a little over half each day, and check it multiple times a day. I do find that if I do a heavy bleach cleaning once a week or every other week it tends to keep the algae at bay for longer. If I just dump and refill I have to dump daily or every other day. Bleach is key and I’m ocd about making sure its well rinsed out.
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When you dump and scrub, add a glug or two of plain chlorine bleach while you’re scrubbing. Then rinse and refill. Add another glug of bleach while filling. It’ll keep the algae away for several days.
And no, bleach isn’t a horrible poison. It’s a commonly used and accepted water purification method.
I bleach and scrub a couple times a year. Then I rinse well and fill. The algae will actually keep going away for several days.
You didn’t say how big this water trough was but have you even considered just using a clean 16 gallon muck bucket? My setup is that the horses have access to their stalls 24/7 so I just fill regular water buckets in the stalls but on a few occasions I’ve needed to shut the stall area which meant not using the water buckets. I’ve then just taken a clean muck bucket (never had manure in it at all) and tied one handle to the fence rail so they couldn’t tip it over but you could tie it also to a post. I had to do that for a couple of days. It sat right in the hot sunshine and never had an algae problem. Just a thought anyway.
I clean mine every other day with vinegar.
No probs with algae.
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Pour a little apple cider vinegar in the water. Works wonders.
I gave mine up and got a free old timer bathtub on Craigslist. Very little algae and seems to stay cooler too.
A couple of 1" chlorine tablets (sold in the pool accessories section at Walmart or the hardware store) keeps our Rubbermaid water troughs algae-free.
Jennifer
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We live were it is hot for about ten months a year.
We have one large 150 gallon Rubbermaid tank but have found the horses prefer the smaller 40 gallon Rubbermaid tanks; the side walls are about 12 inches high so it closer to natural drinking height.
The smaller tanks are easy to clean, I just use a kitchen utility broom to sweep them clean…no bending over required… then flush and refill.
I have found no matter how many you have placed in the pastures and paddocks the horses prefer the one that is the hardest to refill, next comes the next hardest and easiest ones are always the least selected. (well it also makes some since as the horses will do whatever they can to attempt to eat the hay out of the hay barn whereas the same hay placed in the open out in the paddock appears to be laced with poison)
We had hydrants through out the paddocks but have these tanks in some other places.
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If you can keep them in the shade it helps a lot. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not terribly anal about it anymore. Green algae is not harmful. Mine are in the shade and I can get away with only cleaning a couple times a month. I have finally gotten smarter and use our pressure washer.
Keeping them in the shade as others mentioned does seem to help w/ algae but it can mean more detritus in the tank due to falling leaves, bird poop, etc.
If you just have a few horses, keeping it 1/2 full, dumping, etc so there’s cool fresh water can help. I usually would fully dump mine every weekend, scrub and then use a bit of bleach in the water. That was in MI though.
In TX, we went through water so fast that the algae didn’t seem to have a chance.
Once a week I dump some bleach into the water after I bring the horses in for the day. Let it sit in the sun, dump, rinse and refill before I turn the horses out and no algae.
When I managed one of the top Hanoverian breeding farms, their horses had a concrete waterer, that was bottom, gravity filled from underground pipes from a nearby pond.
You guys aint seen nothing like that algae!. No cleaning it ever. 
My horses avoid the Rubbermaid tank, walking past it to another tank, for about 2 days after I srub the tub with bleach, rinse it and refill it. If they only had access to water with bleach residue, I worry that they might drink less and increase the risk of colic.
[QUOTE=AKB;7131410]
My horses avoid the Rubbermaid tank, walking past it to another tank, for about 2 days after I srub the tub with bleach, rinse it and refill it. If they only had access to water with bleach residue, I worry that they might drink less and increase the risk of colic.[/QUOTE]
and that is why I never scrub any buckets or troughs with bleach, or anything else.
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I keep my tub in an insulated box with a lid. There is a hole in the lid just big enough for the horses to stick their faces in to drink (roughly the size of a small water bucket). The box was built to keep the water from freezing in the winter (with the help of a heater) but it also keeps the water cooler and cleaner in the summer, so I use it all year long. My horses hardly drink anything in the summer so it’s important that the water stay clean for as long as possible.
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Thank you everyone so much!
Action42 found some sort of copper insert thingie (via COTH) that has worked wonders on her Rubbermaid trough. You should pm her.
