Considering a 300gal Rubbermaid Ray Pond

[Tucc185]

Well, like the title says I'm thinking about setting up a 300 gal rubbermaid in my basement as a ray pond. Ideally I would like it to be running in line with my 125, so I have to think of some way to tie the filtration together. More importantly, I had a few questions on actual setup. Anyone know offhand the dimensions of one of these 300gal stock tanks? Would it be possible to keep one slightly raised off the floor with a fair number of cinderblocks evenly placed beneath it for support or would that not be a very sound idea? Any tips in general? I plan to have a plexiglass or acrylic hinged lid built for it both to cut down on evaporation and to keep heat in. Anything else I should be considering?
Thanks for any help!

 

[BIGgourami]

i ahev never seen on of these bad boys, nor do i know where to find one (tips anybody?)

i think it might be like 6'x3'x2' or something similar..
if the cinderblocks covered the whole bottom or there were a few 1/2 planks of ply under it i think that'd hold...

what are you planning for filtration? like and FX5 or something?

 

[nimboman]

Hello I am new here and I to am thinking of getting a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank, for my African haps, and the dimensions are ABOUT 63" x 66" x 25". Those are not exact but it is roughly the same circumference all around.

 

[Dr Joe]

Dimensions http://www.stockyardsupply.com/page11/index2.html

Yes you can support tha tank with cement blocks, the bottom of the tank has a webbing so you can see the stress points to support.

Run the filter system in parallel, not in series with the two tanks, you use two pumps but both tanks get filtered properly...just be careful of disease.

Put an inside lip on the cover so condensation drips back into the pond and not to the outside.

Follow in the footsteps of rallysman http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131150 and Mr Pleco http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145728

and you should do well.

We're all here to help.

Dr Joe

.

 

[FireMedic]

You may be able to see in my photos how I did some of the set-up for my 350 gallon poly stock tank.
If you first place the tank on the floor and, using a pencil, trace the footprint of the tank, it will aid in the arranging of the cinder blocks.
I used thirteen cinder blocks arranged concentrically underneath and my best calculations put each block as supporting 150 lbs +/- 10lbs. Still well within their capability.

PM me if you want more photos or help, I will do all i can to help you.
Good Luck Brother,
Respectfully, FireMedic.

 

[Tucc185]

Excellent, thanks for all the help! The lip idea is perfect, will make things considerably easier. Now all I need is to figure out filtration, but that's what I consider the fun part. I have a massive wet/dry running on my 125, which this pond will ideally sit right next to, so I would like to maybe double that up and incorporate both, with two separate pumps as Dr. Joe suggested. I have a fairly large UV that should help prevent spreading diseases, but I tend to quarantine any expensive fish anyways so that should not be too much of an issue. I also want to make this as aesthetically pleasing as a stock tank can possibly look, so I plan on aquascaping it extensively and keeping it well lit, possibly with a halide pendant or two. I had a thought to sink the equivalent of a milk crate or two and grow emergent bog plants out of one end, not only would it look cool but it would provide shelter for fish and the plants would help slightly in the uptake of excess nutrients. Any thoughts on that? Thanks again, I will keep everyone updated on setup as soon as it begins.

 

[nimboman]

Hey guys do you think a mobile home could hold the weight of a 300 gallon stock tank given the floor space it takes up??

 

[Dr Joe]

Tucc185 Plants are always a good idea, use pond plant baskets and medium to course gravel for water flow. Cattails are a great filter planta and usually free from local ponds.

.

Hey guys do you think a mobile home could hold the weight of a 300 gallon stock tank given the floor space it takes up??

If you reinforce it from underneath with concrete piers (like what is supporting it now) and use a sheet of 3/4" plywood under the tank...No.

Seriously, it depends on how the floor was made and the age of the mobile home (how come when I lived in one they were trailers? ).

Dr Joe

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[nimboman]

Well the best way to learn is trial and error haha---- but I will put more support under the floor if needed I just was thinking because it took up a larger space that the weight would be distributed better and sorry for stealing this thread..

 

[Tucc185]

As much as I like the 300gal rubbermaid, I recently have been looking into a Laguna basin because I don't like the fact that the rubbermaid is wider than it is long. It would probably end up sticking out too far from the wall and be very difficult to maneuver around. The 195 gallon basin that laguna makes is rectangular and approximately 4' by 6', which should still leave plenty of room for growing rays. Has anyone ever used these before? How easy are they to drill (if possible)? I really don't have any idea what they price may be like but it might be worth it just because the dimensions are a little more reasonable.

Here's a link to the laguna basin info:
http://www.lagunaponds.com/lagunaeng/basins.php

Any feedback on this idea? I would still like to have it raised on cinderblocks, and the shape of this makes it much more suited to building a wood frame around (with plenty of insulation to keep in the heat). I think this is possibly a lot more feasible for what I'm doing than the rubbermaid, even though it is 100gallons less capacity. I'm not really looking to house anything crazy in here, just a few motoros and a few other fish. Any thoughts would be appreciated.