10 replies to this topic

[ncpanfisher]

Has anyone used a stock tank like this one https://www.tractors...hcaAiuAEALw_wcB as a fish tank? I want to start a native tank for pumpkinseeds or blue spots. If you have used a tank like this are there any problems to watch out for?

Edited by ncpanfisher, 09 January 2019 - 04:02 PM.

[FishingLucky]

I've never had one but I know there are plenty of people who use them. My friend breed minnows is one and never had any issues.

[lilyea]

Has anyone used a stock tank like this one https://www.tractors...hcaAiuAEALw_wcB as a fish tank? I want to start a native tank for pumpkinseeds or blue spots. If you have used a tank like this are there any problems to watch out for?

 

 

I have two of those 110g stock tanks from Tractor Supply for keeping fish outside.  Currently I have sunfish in one and native killifish in the other.  The tanks have worked well for me and I like the fact that I can drill holes for zip ties etc. around the top edge for plastic potting baskets, wire mesh lid, and more.  Additionally, they seem to hold up to the Florida sun, although I can't speak to their performance in cold or freezing conditions.  

[Michael Wolfe]

Yes, I have three of these (well the Rubbermaid version) in my backyard right now.  They do very well for a lot of natives.  I have water lily or water shield in there and no other filtration or circulation.  They seem to do well for me here in Georgia (sometimes it is very hot, and occasionally it freezes... both conditions need the water to not be circulated, but to naturally stratify). 

 

I have had Enneacanthus and Cyprinella breed successfully in them.

[littlen]

If I'm not mistaken, you buried/recessed yours in the ground, Michael?

[Michael Wolfe]

Not really. They are close to the back of the house in an area that had no sod. I just raked back the pine straw ground cover and pressed them into the ground about an inch (just the ribs that are on the bottom of these rubbermaids). Then pushed the pine straw back around to make it look nice. I think someone else mentioned burying them a little bit.

[ncpanfisher]

Michael Wolfe, do you shoot bows? You didnt happen to be president of Mt. Pisgah bow hunters at one time did you?

[lilyea]

IMO, burying the tanks is a trade off between improved temperature control and natural aesthetics vs more difficult maintenance and higher safety risk (especially for children & small animals). I have found that the 110g is enough water that it mitigates fast temp swings.

[swampfish]

I use them extensively during the growing season as the lazy guy's fish breeding system. I set them up in April or May and drain them in September or October before they freeze and the fish are killed. With the bung near the bottom, they are easy to drain. They spend the winter upside down. We set them on the ground in the shade to keep them from overheating in the summer.

 

I have one round 1000 gallon tank, seven round 350 gallon tanks, and five oval 100 - 110 gallon tanks. Two of the oval tanks are Rubbermaid, and the walls are thick enough to work well without support. The three other oval tanks have thinner walls that bow to the side when filled with water. This caused the sides to be 2-3 inches lower than the ends. I solved that problem by drilling holes in the top of the sides and bolting a flat, one-inch wide, aluminum crosspiece that i purchased at a hardware store and drilled the ends. I purchased the two oval tanks that were the worst at bowing at Rural King. 

 

Phil Nixon

Central Illinois

[Michael Wolfe]

Michael Wolfe, do you shoot bows? You didnt happen to be president of Mt. Pisgah bow hunters at one time did you?

No and no. Sorry.

[mattknepley]

Late to the party, but I will also add that I really enjoy my 100 g recycled rubber/plastic TS stock tanks.  Deep enough to stay cool (enough for most) in my upstate SC summers but also durable enough to freeze several inches thick in the worst of our winters and provide plenty of room for the fish to ride things out til the thaw. Never been buried, always kept above ground, but provided afternoon shade.