Pond Liners & containers

[Natalie Desrosiers]

Maybe this topic is hidden deep in another discussion thread....but in case not...

 

I am wondering what different types of containers people use for fish tanks & plant beds. I was going to build a frame and line it with a pool liner. My uncle is a pool man and I thought I could get a scrap piece of liner. Thank goodness my uncle is very knowledgeable man because he told me that even a new liner would be deadly to fish. Just thought I would share that knowledge for anybody else who had the same idea. 

 

[Tony Renzulli]

I called them today and asked them about the issue with the holy tarp and they said they would offer a credit or replacement. If the shipping costs are prohitive you can call your local area billboard company they may have the vinyl available no shipping charges.
My question is " Is this stuff safe for use?"

David Hart said:

If you have bought from this place, I'd like to know of your experiance...?

I bought a tarp there, They sent it out pretty quick......But I CANT USE IT. It had too many holes to be bothered with. I cut it, and used it for under-layment.
BUYER BEWARE !

ericjf7 said:

Yo Natalie, there' a lot of discussion around used billboard tarps, and a likely direction for my system: http://www.billboardtarps.com/collections/tarps - they recommend vinyl cement HH-66 for joining and patching, if needed. A simple search, using the 'search' box in forums etc., should get you in to some of the discussions

[ericjf7]

Having checked with several local billboard supplier, the answer was that they now reuse the tarps, saying the process is now more high tech, as to printing than it used to be. -- I have had no response from my letter to billboardtarps.com as to quality, holes etc.

[ericjf7]

Here is the reply from 'Billboard Tarp Warehouse' - obviously a problem would be harder to fix after installation and testing with water

Hi Eric,

Sorry for this delay here, I just found this email in my spam folder by accident. We have had a few out of the hundreds we have sold for use as pond liners that have had holes or tears or other problems like that. We can help out with a refund or replacement, or more commonly sending vinyl cement and additional material for patching, whatever is necessary.

Zeke

[Quinn McCarty]

I am wondering about what types of fiberglass resins are considered suitable for the same reasons, tanks and the like.
The two basic types available are polyester resins with an MEK catalyst and then the less vaporous epoxy resins of which there are a number of types of resins. I have worked with all of the above but not as far as for an "organic standpoint.
I know that many tanks out there are chop gunned using the polyester resins and then have a finish using polyester based gel coat.
Any experience with the less volatile epoxy resins? I know they can have an amine glaze left after hardening, making it hard to bond polyester resins and most likely toxic to fish.
Ideas, alternatives, more environmentally friendly and the like?

[TCLynx]

Jon and Cat Billings might be able to shed some light on fiberglass for Aquaponics. They have built a kit system using fiberglass with a gel coat.

Quinn McCarty said:

I am wondering about what types of fiberglass resins are considered suitable for the same reasons, tanks and the like.
The two basic types available are polyester resins with an MEK catalyst and then the less vaporous epoxy resins of which there are a number of types of resins. I have worked with all of the above but not as far as for an "organic standpoint.
I know that many tanks out there are chop gunned using the polyester resins and then have a finish using polyester based gel coat.
Any experience with the less volatile epoxy resins? I know they can have an amine glaze left after hardening, making it hard to bond polyester resins and most likely toxic to fish.
Ideas, alternatives, more environmentally friendly and the like?

[Ron Thompson]

I've been using a 8-foot ring pool that I bought at Wal-Mart for $50. Holds around 600 gallons and has been up for 8-months (including a Florida summer) with no leaks or other issues.

It works and was cheap.. what more can I ask for?

[Ricky Flickenger]

Any detailed info on using a galvanized tub? My friend has a dead pond going - I recently cleaned it out of algae and cleared the pump for the winter. No fish and just one small lily pad. He's interested in having it be an aquaponics pond come spring but doesn't have time to take care of it, so I'm planning on getting it going and using it as practice for when I have an outside place. Anyway, I've heard galvanized tubs can leech metals into the water and become unsafe for fish. Any thoughts/experience on this from anyone?

[TCLynx]

The galvanizing can leach zinc into the water which can reach toxic levels for fish. The amount of leaching will vary depending on the pH of the water and the age of the galvanized coating but for an AP system it is generally inadvisable to have constant water contact with any metals other than stainless steel (or some people put Iron into a system to let it rust away to add iron for the plants.) Some types of fish are far more sensitive to zinc and copper than others.

Some people have kept gold fish in galvanized tubs for a time and they survived while other people have had problems keeping fish alive in a system using water from a galvanized rain water tank or water collected from a zincalum roof. There have been people who run a system for months with no problems and then their fish start dieing off and the only culprit we could figure was causing the problem seemed to be the galvanized corrigated tanks they were using. They even emptied the system cleaned/rinsed everything well and re-started and the same problem, ran fine for a while and then slow die off of the fish.

When I got access to a galvanized stock tank, I decided to use it for my duck system rather than attempt fish in it. Where I have used galvanized tanks for my AP system, I have used pond liner in them.

[Rebecca B]

Quinn McCarty said:

I am wondering about what types of fiberglass resins are considered suitable for the same reasons, tanks and the like.
The two basic types available are polyester resins with an MEK catalyst and then the less vaporous epoxy resins of which there are a number of types of resins. I have worked with all of the above but not as far as for an "organic standpoint.
I know that many tanks out there are chop gunned using the polyester resins and then have a finish using polyester based gel coat.
Any experience with the less volatile epoxy resins? I know they can have an amine glaze left after hardening, making it hard to bond polyester resins and most likely toxic to fish.
Ideas, alternatives, more environmentally friendly and the like?

Tim Mann at Friendly Aquaponics writes "We are posting a free downloadable 'Plywood Tank Construction Manual' on our website soon @ http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com/do-it-myself-systems/free-downloads/

[TCLynx]

I will just remind about my problems with termites where wood meets liner. Pressure treated might give some protection but not forever. I still use liner in many situations but I avoid having it against wood.


Tim Mann at Friendly Aquaponics writes "We are posting a free downloadable 'Plywood Tank Construction Manual' on our website soon http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com/do-it-myself-systems/free-downloads/

[Rebecca B]

TCLynx said:

I will just remind about my problems with termites where wood meets liner. Pressure treated might give some protection but not forever. I still use liner in many situations but I avoid having it against wood.


Tim Mann at Friendly Aquaponics writes "We are posting a free downloadable 'Plywood Tank Construction Manual' on our website soon http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com/do-it-myself-systems/free-downloads/

My posting wasn't as clear as it should have been. Tim has fiberglass boat building experience; the tanks at Friendly Aquaponics are his construction of fiberglassed plywood. That's where the link fit into Quinn's question. Hawaii has termites and I don't know of any problem with them and the tanks.

[TCLynx]

That's good info to know

Rebecca Branham said:

My posting wasn't as clear as it should have been. Tim has fiberglass boat building experience; the tanks at Friendly Aquaponics are his construction of fiberglassed plywood. That's where the link fit into Quinn's question. Hawaii has termites and I don't know of any problem with them and the tanks.