My Experience with Galvanized Stock Tanks ...

R Griftown

Feeder Fish
Aug 18, 2023
3
5
3
19
Absolutely! If I were starting from scratch and had to buy the tanks new, a plastic tank would be the obvious choice. I would only consider a galvanized tank if I could buy it dirt cheap or get it free. I wasn't recommending them, just stating that they aren't completely off the table in all circumstances.

I just picked up an 8-foot diameter stock tank recently, on sale at a local farm supply place on an end-of-season clearance price that I couldn't pass up. Especially for the larger tanks, which take up a lot of space to store for the winter, now is a good time of year to find deals on stock tanks.
My fish pond life started when I just put a dozen little feeder gold fish into a small tank at the bottom of a scenic water fall. They grew rapidly so I spent about 3K building a larger tank for my $6.00 worth of gold fish. Now they are the size of trout and once again I am looking at building a newer and much larger tank and waterfall. I am looking at using plastic stock tanks from Tractor Supply. I have also expermented with solar power for my pumps and I will install a larger system on the new tank and hopefully remove it from the grid completely. The entire experment has been fun. My wife loves our six dollar fish as much as me. Also, my current tank arrangement had a small water fall out of the larger tank and back into the original water fall basin. Last year, I found 6 new baby fish in the smaller tank and was waiting for them to grow large enough to move, but a desert toad got in the tank and had them for dinner. Bummer.
 

tlindsey

Silver Tier VIP
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2011
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My fish pond life started when I just put a dozen little feeder gold fish into a small tank at the bottom of a scenic water fall. They grew rapidly so I spent about 3K building a larger tank for my $6.00 worth of gold fish. Now they are the size of trout and once again I am looking at building a newer and much larger tank and waterfall. I am looking at using plastic stock tanks from Tractor Supply. I have also expermented with solar power for my pumps and I will install a larger system on the new tank and hopefully remove it from the grid completely. The entire experment has been fun. My wife loves our six dollar fish as much as me. Also, my current tank arrangement had a small water fall out of the larger tank and back into the original water fall basin. Last year, I found 6 new baby fish in the smaller tank and was waiting for them to grow large enough to move, but a desert toad got in the tank and had them for dinner. Bummer.
Welcome aboard
 

jjohnwm

Sausage Finger Spam Slayer
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Mar 29, 2019
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...so I spent about 3K building a larger tank for my $6.00 worth of gold fish. Now they are the size of trout and once again I am looking at building a newer and much larger tank and waterfall. I am looking at using plastic stock tanks from Tractor Supply.
Oh, yes...a familiar refrain. :)

Tractor Supply and similar places like Peavey Mart have decent selections and okay prices, but I found much better deals, especially seasonal sales, at smaller independent farm supply places out in the sticks. The tank I just bought was part of a "display group"...i.e. a bunch of tanks stacked up in a weedy field next to the store. I was taking a nice scenic drive home after a morning of fishing, passed by this place and spotted them; wheeled in, struck up a conversation with the guy behind the counter and was back on the road within 30 minutes with a monster stock tank strapped to the bed of my truck. Their regular price was $30 cheaper than the same tank at Peavey Mart, and they marked it down an additional $100 to move it out before winter. He offered me an even better deal if I took them all! :)

I can usually slither new purchases like this past my wife, and adding just one more aquarium, or one more stock tank, or one more fishing rod often goes completely unnoticed. But...adding 6 more 8-foot diameter bright blue tanks into the growing collection back in the corner of the yard is beyond my meager skills of misdirection. :)
 
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Logan487

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2011
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You could also probably add a liner to it to cover it up , with added benefit of it shows off the fish more, plus add an additional water proof barrier against leaks. Not sure if its still available but I used to use a rubberizing spray back in the early 2000s for larger reptile setups that needed a pool, just got to make sure you use several coats. Not sure if it will help as I don't know the chemical properties of chromium, but might help seal it away?
 

R Griftown

Feeder Fish
Aug 18, 2023
3
5
3
19
You could also probably add a liner to it to cover it up , with added benefit of it shows off the fish more, plus add an additional water proof barrier against leaks. Not sure if its still available but I used to use a rubberizing spray back in the early 2000s for larger reptile setups that needed a pool, just got to make sure you use several coats. Not sure if it will help as I don't know the chemical properties of chromium, but might help seal it away?
My issue with a liner in a round tank, is that it must have to wrinkle up a lot. No way a flat liner will lay flat inside a tank. I have considered it however.
Cheers.
 
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