Newbie’s Choices of Stock Troughs?

[DenniMac]

I bought a 550 gl “Tuff Stuff” stock trough, to make into an above ground pond, for several big gold fish, (that have outgrown their indoor tank), after seeing a few made ponds made from similar troughs. After a trial filling, the trough bulged out on one side. The ground wasn’t prepped yet, but its pretty flat compacted dirt. These troughs work fine for horses & steers, without bulging. I also have an old galvanized stock trough, but the exterior looks like its got a brownish, thick film on it. I wonder if it’s the metal underneath showing through, & how well the riveted seams will hold up to pond use?

 

[Joshaeus]

Galvanized stock tanks will slowly release metals into the water, and these will eventually harm the fish. If you use the galvanized trough - ignoring any structural issues it may or may not have - I would coat the inside with a liquid rubber product or find some way to cover the entire interior with a pond liner. Maybe you just got a defective tuff stuff tub?

 

[poconojoe]

I bought a 550 gl “Tuff Stuff” stock trough, to make into an above ground pond, for several big gold fish, (that have outgrown their indoor tank), after seeing a few made ponds made from similar troughs. After a trial filling, the trough bulged out on one side. The ground wasn’t prepped yet, but its pretty flat compacted dirt. These troughs work fine for horses & steers, without bulging. I also have an old galvanized stock trough, but the exterior looks like its got a brownish, thick film on it. I wonder if it’s the metal underneath showing through, & how well the riveted seams will hold up to pond use?

As stated by others, galvanized tanks leach zinc into the water which will harm your fish. If you use one, you need to place a flexible liner in it.

Your present stock tank just needs a bit of support. You can achieve this in several ways. Some suggestions might be to support it by creating a soil mound against it and plant grass to prevent erosion. Stack large rocks against it and add soil between the rocks. Build a block wall around it. Or bury the tank either partially or fully into the ground. Add a low fence around it if you want to keep the dogs out. Low fences are not expensive.

 

[KimA.]

Behlen poly tanks are the way to go. I've owned a 1,000 and 500 gallon tank and they're built to last. They can handle the heat and are pretty easy to move.

Flex Poly Round Stock Tanks | Behlen Country

Durable seamless design resists breakage. Round tanks have a “formed open” rim and a heavy duty, molded-in aluminum drain fitting and 1 1/4″ poly drain plug to ensure a long life. All flex poly tanks made with FDA food-grade approved poly, tested to -20°F, corrosion-free, impact resistant and...

www.behlencountry.com

 

[TheFishGuy]

much agreed with the behlhem, I use them and have never had any problems

 

[VTgardner]

Hi there. I just set up a small tank pond in my backyard. 175 gallon 10 year old galvanized horse trough from the farm I boarded my horse at. With the recommendations of people on this forum, I set up a gravel base with playground sand to support it, first, and ordered rubberize it brand paint for ponds and pools. The kit was about 80 dollars and the paint forms a rubber liner when it dries. This keeps the metal/ rust from leaching into the fish water. The painting process for the inside of the tank took about a week, as I did two coats with drying and curing time. The pond has been set up for about 4- 5 weeks now and it's doing pretty well. Good luck!

 

[DenniMac]

Hi there. I just set up a small tank pond in my backyard. 175 gallon 10 year old galvanized horse trough from the farm I boarded my horse at. With the recommendations of people on this forum, I set up a gravel base with playground sand to support it, first, and ordered rubberize it brand paint for ponds and pools. The kit was about 80 dollars and the paint forms a rubber liner when it dries. This keeps the metal/ rust from leaching into the fish water. The painting process for the inside of the tank took about a week, as I did two coats with drying and curing time. The pond has been set up for about 4- 5 weeks now and it's doing pretty well. Good luck!

I dug down about 5” all around, & backfilled 3” with corse sand, leveled & tamped it down, then replaced the trough, & filled it. Happy to report there are NO bulging sides now! I’m glad it helped, since I don’t really need three stock troughs in my back yard! I‘d already primed it to paint, but since I’m going to place a bunch of large, established plants in big containers around it, I think I’ll forgo painting it! I’m in a hurry to get those huge goldfish out of the indoor tank asap.