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Advice on Poly Tank FT Requested

I think I have found a fairly good deal on a 1550 gal horizontal poly tank. I was thinking I could cut out the top and maybe put hinges on it, and use the top portion as a lid. Is there any reason this would not make a good fish tank? In its previous life I think it was a maple sap storage tank. As a general rule we use food grade components in the production of maple syrup. I am waiting to hear if the seller will confirm it is food grade, but I expect it will be. Thanks for your input!

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Permalink Reply by Aquamaple on July 10, 2012 at 9:39am

Thanks, Ryan and George! I was thinking Reef Industries' Quick Tanks would be perfect for gettting my operation off the ground. I did call the regional sales manager and found out Reef Ind has discontinued that particular product. Their supplier for the "fence" that provided the structure for the liner raised their minimum order quantity to more than they were willing to pay. However, they said they would sell me the 10' diameter 2,055 gallon liner for $350. What do you think? Do you folks have experience building a structure that size for a tank? I was thinking that the Quick Tank would do me for a couple years, until there was more income to support awesome permanent tanks. I'm still looking for a RotoMolding company near by.

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Permalink Reply by Aquamaple on July 10, 2012 at 9:48am

TCLynx, I had another idea of building a stong rectangular wood frame, using Duraskrim as a liner for a fish tank. I prefer a round FT, but I gotta do what I gotta do to get going. A rectangular tank would fit my building better, for now. Do you have any thoughts on that? I figure a 12'L x 4'6"H x 3'D FT would give me 1,077 gallons of fish tank to work with, taking into consideration a water level six inches below the top. It might end up cheaper, but would it serve me better, or worse?

One thing I think I like about Duraskrim over the Quick Tank liner is the color. I'd be able to spot fish and problems much easier with a white liner vs the black QT liner.

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Permalink Reply by David on July 10, 2012 at 10:17am

A reinforced above ground swimming pool will last years when not exposed to direct sunlight if you need something large. I use an 8' 650 gallon non-reinforced pool on my CHOP/DWC. Total cost was $45 for the pool which includes pump and plumbing. Just be sure to remove the chlorine filter before use.

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Permalink Reply by TCLynx on July 10, 2012 at 11:37am

Well for the durascrim, they don't advertize the retail price on the liner in anything wider than 10' rolls so I don't know what a 15' by 100' roll would cost plus freight. I also don't know if they would sell a smaller piece of it.

You can strap together cattle panels or horse panels you can get from tractor supply to use with the Quick tank liner. I might just recommend adding a layer of tarp for sun protection and perhaps a layer of the 1/4" blueboard to help protect the liner and there you go, having a fitted tank liner definitely would make the fence panel tank easier to do.

Now if you are really wanting to do a rectangular space, I'd probably either go for IBC tanks or download Friendlies fiberglass tank manual and build them out of wood and fiberglass. Liner and lumber just doesn't seem worth it to me most of the time anymore.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Carr on July 10, 2012 at 4:39pm

A round tank structurally makes the most sense and is the most cost effective if you are looking at 1000+ gallons or any size really. I think you can get away with building a box if it's 300 gallons or less but it isn't worth it if you can get an IBC or 2 even. Not to knock anyone's work specifically but I think building a square tank that's structurally sound gets some DIY'ers over their heads. Any bulge in a tank is very bad long term. Itll have to be repaired eventually and less likely at your convenience.

I really like TCs DIY round tank design. I like pictures so I drew a diagram on this thread to make sure I understood it correctly:

http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/cheap-or-easy-diy-ft

TCLynx said:

Well for the durascrim, they don't advertize the retail price on the liner in anything wider than 10' rolls so I don't know what a 15' by 100' roll would cost plus freight. I also don't know if they would sell a smaller piece of it.

You can strap together cattle panels or horse panels you can get from tractor supply to use with the Quick tank liner. I might just recommend adding a layer of tarp for sun protection and perhaps a layer of the 1/4" blueboard to help protect the liner and there you go, having a fitted tank liner definitely would make the fence panel tank easier to do.

Now if you are really wanting to do a rectangular space, I'd probably either go for IBC tanks or download Friendlies fiberglass tank manual and build them out of wood and fiberglass. Liner and lumber just doesn't seem worth it to me most of the time anymore.