water pretreating containers
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Here's what I use:
http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/m...drum-30-gallon-closed-head-with-bung-openings
As Tim points out, it's a bit pricey compared to the cheep Rubbermaid containers - but, little chance of leaking.
http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/m...drum-30-gallon-closed-head-with-bung-openings
As Tim points out, it's a bit pricey compared to the cheep Rubbermaid containers - but, little chance of leaking.
Then go with the industrial stuff online, like what jrf linked to. There are several sites out there. Here's another => Plasti-Mart
This is the barrel I picked up from a local micro-brewer. They get malt in them. They are a reall nice heavy plastic barrel that is designed for holding liquids so it should last forever. Nice to not worry about leaks,rust on things and it is easy to cut and drill as well. Here they only sell for ten dollars.
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I drop a heater,airline and pump cord through the screw out opening and then use the cutout flat for looking in and dipping water when I want. Very handy.
I drop a heater,airline and pump cord through the screw out opening and then use the cutout flat for looking in and dipping water when I want. Very handy.
I said they were pricey.
Mine was an important part of the fish room and had to be a good long term solution, so I didn't mind spending what I did. It also had to fit the space.
I ended up building a work bench/space around it to hold two more tanks.
Anywhere you can squeeze them in, right.
You'll need to use screws appropriate for the weight it's got to hold. Typically, I'd have added vertical wood supports (see pic below), but these are small tanks and I got lazy. I've gotten by with typical wood screws for racks with 10's and even a 30H, but know the strength ratings for the screws you intend to use, or just use the vertical supports. For instance, the tanks in the pic above are about 80# each filled. I used 8 screws total for the shelf, so each has to hold 10#. Just about anything can handle that, so I used deck screws. If you're building a shelf to hold a single 20, that's about 160#. If you use eight screws, each needs to support 20#. Common wood screws will handle that as long as you don't go real small. Someone will probably come along and tell you it's all going to collapse and fall down on you. If you've checked the strength ratings, you can smile and nod, and know otherwise.
Sorry for going off topic. Anyone got more on storage containers?
When you are dealing with a fish room, getting the most out of space available is the big question. Floorspace can get to be a critical issue. For me the upright barrel worked better as it would fit inbetween two tank stands. A horizontal tank would stick out too much. Looking at the room you have is a first step. I plan to put a rack over my barrel at some point but that will only be storage as it would make tanks too high for my working.
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Helps me if can just make a stand and use my extra tank think may go that route for now seen another stand made where weight was held by screws should of asked more about it haha once get to many tanks need more then 20g go with plastic barrel
think may go that route for now seen another stand made where weight was held by screws should of asked more about it haha once get to many tanks need more then 20g go with plastic barrel
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We use 20g rubbermaid brute trash cans- inexpensive and safe. We have an RODI since we have both salt and fresh tanks, so the water isn't treated, just stored. A larger container would of been ideal but 2 fit perfectly in the closet area of our basement/ fishroom, one for freshwater and one for saltwater.
Something to watch that I learned the hard way is that some plastic containers are not made to hold liquids long term. As the water is emptied and refilled, you may begin to notice stress marks begin to form along some of the joints where the plastic flexs. If it is a dark colored plastic, it may show up as light colored streaks. Mine lasted more than a year but began to weep water at the edge.
kajunfish--- Check for a couple PM. I got both your questions but will respond here as well. The barrel I have is 24 inches wide and 34 inches high. I would guess it holds about 40 gallons. Somewhat smaller that a 55 gallon if I remember them correctly. That is enough water to do several 25% changes on big tanks and some on tens. In my last picture, it is setting between a 75 on the left and a 29 on the right.
I had forgotten about those. They do hold up well. Before buying, take a minute to look for one item, though. Hold it up to the light and stick your head inside to look for weak spots where the light shows through the plastic. Some forms leave a really thin spot and I would pass on those. It seems to be where the plastic is injected into the mold and then just kind of filled half way.
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