Aerator for temporary tank

[BarbAZCA]

I asked this before, but didn't get replies related to the question. This summer I will temporarily house my goldfish in a 100 gallon galvanized stock tank while I have work done on my pond; could be up to a month. I was told that I will need to do partial change-outs of the water. I prefer not to use any chemicals, fish friendly or otherwise. They will also need an oxygen source. Can anyone recommend a cost friendly aerator or other oxygen source; assuming I will most likely need an electrical outlet. Anything else I will need or other tips? Other than the sturdy pond cover currently in use to keep the raccoons out at night. Thanks in advance.

 

[Tula]

I've read that galvanized metal tanks leach zinc into the water, any chance you could place a liner in the tank ?

The man who built our pond used inexpensive aerators from Walmart's pet dept. when he held fish in tanks.

 

[BarbAZCA]

I've read that galvanized metal tanks leach zinc into the water, any chance you could place a liner in the tank ?

The man who built our pond used inexpensive aerators from Walmart's pet dept. when he held fish in tanks.

Thank you for the tip about the tank. Others said use galvanized not the Rubbermaid brand. Was the liner the same heavy duty rubber type as used in the pond? I will check out WalMart for aerators.

 

[Tula]

Thank you for the tip about the tank. Others said use galvanized not the Rubbermaid brand. Was the liner the same heavy duty rubber type as used in the pond? I will check out WalMart for aerators.

I'm surprised you've been told not to use a Rubbermaid tank. I use my 125 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank occasionally and have for at least 10 years. Many people use Intex pools as quarantine tanks. I bought my tank at Tractor Supply.

 

[BarbAZCA]

I'm surprised you've been told not to use a Rubbermaid tank. I use my 125 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank occasionally and have for at least 10 years. Many people use Intex pools as quarantine tanks. I bought my tank at Tractor Supply.

I was hoping to use the galvanized tank next year for planting vegetables when done with the fish. I wouldn't want to plant in plastic/rubber. So much research to do and knowledge to be gained from peoples' experiences. Thanks.

 

[BarbAZCA]

I was hoping to use the galvanized tank next year for planting vegetables when done with the fish. I wouldn't want to plant in plastic/rubber. So much research to do and knowledge to be gained from peoples' experiences. Thanks.

I've read that galvanized metal tanks leach zinc into the water, any chance you could place a liner in the tank ?

The man who built our pond used inexpensive aerators from Walmart's pet dept. when he held fish in tanks.

I checked out some inexpensive aerators ($30 or less). It appears that they need to be hooked up to 12V batteries for charging, not home electrical outlets. If you recall, what was your experience?

 

[HomerJay]

They have this

Tetra Whisper Air Pump 60 To 100 Gallons, for Aquariums, Powerful Airflow​

for 23.99. Do you have well water? if not, you will need dechlorinator for water changes. How many fish are going into the tub? you should put something in the tub from you pond to introduce the good bacteria, otherwise you may have ammonia and nitrite spikes which could kill all of your fish. You will probably have those spikes even if you add the good bacteria. If it's only for a month or less, you should do partial daily water changes. Goldfish produce a lot of waste.

 

[WaterGardener]

You will also need some type of filtration to have the healthiest environment for your fish.

 

[BarbAZCA]

They have this

Tetra Whisper Air Pump 60 To 100 Gallons, for Aquariums, Powerful Airflow​

for 23.99. Do you have well water? if not, you will need dechlorinator for water changes. How many fish are going into the tub? you should put something in the tub from you pond to introduce the good bacteria, otherwise you may have ammonia and nitrite spikes which could kill all of your fish. You will probably have those spikes even if you add the good bacteria. If it's only for a month or less, you should do partial daily water changes. Goldfish produce a lot of waste.

Thank you for the specific recommendation. I don't have well water. I did check ph last year and found it very high. I did buy PH Down but never got it in line over time. I haven't used any type of chemicals since then. The water is clear but does create string algae (probably a product of all the waste too many fish are creating?). My current pond is auto filled from my household system. The goldfish seem to be thriving without me being concerned about ph, etc.. I have four one-year-old feeder goldfish that have five babies from late last year, one of the adults appears to be much fatter than the others (more babies on the way or just an overabundance of food?). This is more than my pond is made to support, that's why I'm hoping to have it enlarged and raccoon-proofed. The pond was not originally designed for fish, just decorative. In the past when fish survived the raccoons they completely hibernated for months during winter - I never saw them. The current ones would only go to ground for three or fewer days and would be out for extended periods, even when we had constant night temps in the 30s and days in the 40s, low 50s.

On the initial stock tank fill I plan on using a lot of pond water with some fresh water.

I did find an air pump that also has a filtration system. The bad is that I would need multiple ones and they are not electrical, they run off a battery charge and appear to be for bait buckets/tanks.

If the pond crew can't get me on their schedule this summer, I will need to get the fish out for less than a week so I can remove a bunch of rock and clean the waste accumulated since last summer. Do you think just an aerator will be sufficient for that period? If they can, I'll also ask them if they have the appropriate equipment to temporarily house the fish.

THANK YOU for your help.

 

[HomerJay]

I wouldn't be concerned so much about PH as I would be with the chlorine in the city water. Also, without the tank being cycled, there will be ammonia issues (at the least) unless you do daily water changes. In order to change enough water to run it filterless, you will probably need to change out at least 80% per day. If you're changing that much at a time, the chlorine will definitely be an issue. You can try Seachem safe if you can find it (amazon sells it). A little goes a long way and it's good to have on hand for water quality problems as well as water changes.

As far as the water; the water column does not really house the bacteria. You would need rocks or something from the current pond to help seed the stock tank. The good bacteria is on the pond surfaces.

 

[poconojoe]

I was hoping to use the galvanized tank next year for planting vegetables when done with the fish. I wouldn't want to plant in plastic/rubber. So much research to do and knowledge to be gained from peoples' experiences. Thanks.

Why wouldn't you want to plant in a rubbermaid stock tank? Nothing wrong with that. Many people use them. They are perfectly safe.
As stated, galvanized stock tanks can leach zinc, which is unhealthy.

 

[poconojoe]

I built a little "house" out of scrap wood to protect my aerator from the weather.
I slapped it together in about a half hour. I left an open space for air intake on two sides at the top where the walls meet the roof. I pass the power cord and airline through there too.