Stock tanks - which type?

[ASB_Stars]

I am NOT a fan of the Rubbermaid stock tanks. I have five sitting here, right now, with cracks in them. They are also expensive. I hate the metal tanks. I just figure somebody around here is going to find a way to hurt themselves on one.

I spent some time working at a TSC, and I will tell you that the number one complaint about them is that they crack. There are many kinds of repairs attempted- and I’ve tried them all- but, once that sucker cracks, they are only useful (around here) for putting hay into out in a paddock.

I LOVE these things:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr…l?cm_vc=-10005

They are cheaper, they are softer (you can run into it, and bounce) They are made of recycled material (go EARTH!) and I have used them. I am a big fan. They are actually kind of bendy, so safer forhorses, and I am not sure how you would ever break the thing. I like that, when used around horses.

[Bluey]

When you use goldfish, what blows in and horses/cattle/birds/wildlife dribbles feeds the fish.

As little fish eat other little fish, they get bigger and you will have bigger and bigger and fewer fish.
Finally you have only a handful of big fish and coons go fishing and one day there are no more fish.

If your tank is getting dirty at the bottom, you can scoop the fish with fishing or butterfly nets on a stick into a five gallon clean bucket full of water, clean the tank and slowly, so the change in temperature of the water doesn’t shock them, put them back in the now clean tank.

We used metal tanks, all the way to 30’ ones when windmill fed, as the extra water served during calm weather when the windmills were not pumping.

We replaced all tanks over the years with fiberglass tanks a local company makes.

We have not had one yet fail in any way, all those are still doing fine.

[wildlifer]

I’m a fish biologist - fish waste is high in ammonia & nutrients (like N) , so you really aren’t doing water troughs any favors with fish & at worst are feeding aquatic vegetation. Excretion rates will also increase with metabolic rates in warm water, then slow down when it’s cool. Visual inspection is generally a poor indicator of water quality (i.e. clear does not equal clean), but at the same time, horses do not need human grade drinking water.

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[Lolliver]

@wildlifer

I’m a fish biologist - fish waste is high in ammonia & nutrients (like N) , so you really aren’t doing water troughs any favors with fish & at worst are feeding aquatic vegetation. Excretion rates will also increase with metabolic rates in warm water, then slow down when it’s cool. Visual inspection is generally a poor indicator of water quality (i.e. clear does not equal clean), but at the same time, horses do not need human grade drinking water.

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Thanks so much for posting this! Very informative!

[dqtastic]

@poltroon

By the way, fully onboard with the OP’s plan of this as an xmas present. Really, my stock tanks make my everyday life so much better. Stock tanks and a load of gravel are two of my favorite gifts ever.

Ha! Thank you - YES i love a nice load of gravel! I think that might be my birthday plan (er…again…)

I am so tired of filling buckets everywhere, these tank things are going to be great.

[poltroon]

@wildlifer

I’m a fish biologist - fish waste is high in ammonia & nutrients (like N) , so you really aren’t doing water troughs any favors with fish & at worst are feeding aquatic vegetation. Excretion rates will also increase with metabolic rates in warm water, then slow down when it’s cool. Visual inspection is generally a poor indicator of water quality (i.e. clear does not equal clean), but at the same time, horses do not need human grade drinking water.

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I hear you, but I can only say what works. Without the fish the tank fills with mosquito larvae and algae in less than two days. The horses seem happy, and what I’ve learned is that I need a backup for the plan of filling and spilling water buckets every day, because stuff happens and this way my horses always have some sort of water, even on hot days, even when I cannot get to them, even if the power is out.

[wildlifer]

I’m with you on buckets, I hate water buckets & don’t miss those either (can’t remember last time I used one). A 300 gal system is also a lot larger than the average stock tank, so you have 3x the dilution of the average horse trough.

[stb]

@wildlifer

I have both. I vastly prefer the Rubbermaid. My horses love the galvanized, I think they like the water flavor from the metal, but I got really tired of patching pinholes. It’s not hard, I just epoxied them, but a waste of water & time. Both my galvanized tanks are now laying outside pastures until I decide what to convert them to.

The Rubbermaid can also definitely take a lot of abuse. My young horse chews on EVERYTHING, so that is a necessary feature.

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You should make your leaky tanks into planters. I actually bought new planters and drilled drainage holes in them. Pinterest has a million ideas of stock tank planters. I have actually wondered whether my horses prefer the taste of water from galvanized as well. It’s interesting that you think so too.

I have not had trouble with my galvanized tanks leaking so far. The oldest is only 4 years old, so maybe it’s coming. I find the Rubbermaid tanks hard to keep clean. They have nooks and crannies that are hard to get into, and I feel like algae re-grows faster in the them than in the galvanized tanks. Could be my imagination, though.

[stb]

Also, on the subject of water tanks. I recently mentioned to my husband that I had bought an aquarium net to use for leaf removal in my water troughs. He laughed at my puny, flimsy net and the next day brought home a new bait well net for me to use. It’s perfect. Sturdy and heavy duty, with a handle that is about 18 inches long. Sure beats pulling leaves out by hand, which is what I was doing over the summer.

[Lolliver]

@stb

Also, on the subject of water tanks. I recently mentioned to my husband that I had bought an aquarium net to use for leaf removal in my water troughs. He laughed at my puny, flimsy net and the next day brought home a new bait well net for me to use. It’s perfect. Sturdy and heavy duty, with a handle that is about 18 inches long. Sure beats pulling leaves out by hand, which is what I was doing over the summer.

My husband bought me a pool skimmer for the same reason! It works great! Sounds like our husbands are keepers!

[wildlifer]

@stb

Also, on the subject of water tanks. I recently mentioned to my husband that I had bought an aquarium net to use for leaf removal in my water troughs. He laughed at my puny, flimsy net and the next day brought home a new bait well net for me to use. It’s perfect. Sturdy and heavy duty, with a handle that is about 18 inches long. Sure beats pulling leaves out by hand, which is what I was doing over the summer.

I bring home my broken nets from work for this. Saves way more water than dumping all the time & reduces my cleaning duties by removing that organic material. Super effective!

[wildlifer]

@stb

You should make your leaky tanks into planters. I actually bought new planters and drilled drainage holes in them. Pinterest has a million ideas of stock tank planters. I have actually wondered whether my horses prefer the taste of water from galvanized as well. It’s interesting that you think so too.

This would be great if I didn’t basically kill plants by my proximity & the rabbits didn’t devour everything, lol. I also don’t do plants that require care & I don’t pull weeds. But for people who like such things, yes, that’s a great use for them!

My vet said the galvanized tanks sweeten the water by shedding zinc. My horses would sometimes just lick the tank itself.

[clanter]

which ever water tank you get or use the horses will prefer the one that is not available

We have a 100 gallon Rubbermaid that we have had for decades, also bought some of the smaller lower sided I guess 50 gallon ? troughs for the miniature horses… but will they drink from the lower sided smaller tanks, No…they will lift their heads, stand on tippy toes to drink out of the Big Horse water trough, all the while the big horses drain the smaller troughs

[stb]

@hosspuller

Not your imagination …

Galvanized is Zinc coated steel. The zinc is definitely a algae growth retardant.
But when the zinc coating is eventually compromised, the steel is rapidly corroded, leading to pin hole leaks.

See here …

Well, that’s interesting. Thanks for the info. Good to know.