New Tank!?

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MonsterMinis

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 28, 2009
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Wisconsin
At the end of the month here we are moving in with my parents ( Babies suck all the money out of you) and we've been trying to come up with some cost effective altrnatives to houseing the Gar. My parents have a huge unfinished basement to house all the tanks we have, and not have weight restrictions on getting the gar something more appropriate. IMO the 75 is to small now to house all 3 gar. we've come up with a few cost effective options and I'm wondering what others think

1. 300 gallon stock tank
2. plywood build. fairly simple - 6x6x2-3' depending on liner costs.
3. one of the initex pools

I like the mobility of the initex pool... you can even get mesh covers for the top. but I'm concerned about leaks/teeth perforating the liner.

stock tank is pretty much bullet proof but woudl be the smallest option, and imo the hardest one to view the fish in. not a huge issues but still... have fish we can't enjoy watching? not ideal but better then leaving them crammed in the 75 indeffinately longer.

ply-wood build would be a mid-sized... and we'de do it w/ screws so it would be moveable... but still a pita to tear down and up. as well as the most labor intensive.

filtration for all of them would be pretty much the same.. I plan on a DIY sump/wet dry so money wise I think I'm looking give or take a few hundred no matter what avenue.

What would you guys do? suggest? other suggestions would be great as well.

btw we're tryign to figure this out before moving... as it will be harder to convince my parents to bring in something bigger for them later on. my dad is old school "it will grow to the size of the tank" bless his heart...
 
Ah cradoo... wrong forum... lol can a mod move this plz to reg gar forum?
 
MonsterMinis said:
At the end of the month here we are moving in with my parents ( Babies suck all the money out of you) and we've been trying to come up with some cost effective altrnatives to houseing the Gar. My parents have a huge unfinished basement to house all the tanks we have, and not have weight restrictions on getting the gar something more appropriate. IMO the 75 is to small now to house all 3 gar. we've come up with a few cost effective options and I'm wondering what others think

1. 300 gallon stock tank
2. plywood build. fairly simple - 6x6x2-3' depending on liner costs.
3. one of the initex pools

I like the mobility of the initex pool... you can even get mesh covers for the top. but I'm concerned about leaks/teeth perforating the liner.

stock tank is pretty much bullet proof but woudl be the smallest option, and imo the hardest one to view the fish in. not a huge issues but still... have fish we can't enjoy watching? not ideal but better then leaving them crammed in the 75 indeffinately longer.

ply-wood build would be a mid-sized... and we'de do it w/ screws so it would be moveable... but still a pita to tear down and up. as well as the most labor intensive.

filtration for all of them would be pretty much the same.. I plan on a DIY sump/wet dry so money wise I think I'm looking give or take a few hundred no matter what avenue.

What would you guys do? suggest? other suggestions would be great as well.

btw we're tryign to figure this out before moving... as it will be harder to convince my parents to bring in something bigger for them later on. my dad is old school "it will grow to the size of the tank" bless his heart...
Click to expand...

I'm guessing that you don't intend on putting a viewing window in if you make a plywood aquarium/pond?
 
hey Amy,

since this will likely be a temporary arrangement and you guys will be moving again someday, i would go with the stock tank. that is enough volume and space for the fish, and it is by far the simplest. also likely the most durable. go with that and although you won't be able to see them as well, you will be able to set it up and tear it down very quickly and efficiently when it comes time to move. maintenance will also be easy with that sort of tank. that's my initial take on it, but also what i would do. trust me, simplicity and durability are the ways to go when dealing with fish moving and temporary setups. good luck!--
--solomon
 
Stupid MFK just deleted my whole post. Won't bother retyping it all :irked:.

I second the rubbermaid tub. It will be the most durable, and can be easily transported and converted to a sump filter later on for a larger tank.
 
I agree with Solomon and Conner: Get a Rubbermaid stock tank. Also: Avoid galvanized metal stock tanks like the plague, especially if you don't intend on putting a liner in. The zinc from the galvanizing will slowly leach into the water and will cause nervous system issues which will eventually kill your fishes.

Lastly, what I meant about not putting a window in for the plywood aquarium idea was that glass for a build that size would be pretty costly and could easily exceed $100 in cost.
 
I haven't used stock tanks with gars so I will share my experience on the other two options. With a plywood build you can build to the exact dimensions you want and I have found these the easiest to insulate using some foam insulation between the wood and the liner. Depending on construction they can be easily taken down and moved, but are very time consuming with initial setup and the moving process.

I wouldm't really suggest the intex pond without putting in another liner. I have had problems with gar teeth puncturing ponds this past summer. Not easy to insulate, which could be a problem effectively heating it.
 
Go with the stock tank, they are bulletproof and already have the holes in them for a filter
 
As far as insulation for stock tanks, you can use the fiberglass batting with 1 or both sides papered, and just wrap it around the outside and secure with tape. Or, you can use water heater insulation. Its thinner and cheaper, but obviously has a lower R value.
 
Thanks guys!

Sol- this is pretty much the exact situation we're in only I'm gonna be popping out our first child during this time. and he's in line for a promotion that will likely move us out of state. we're estimateing being w/ my parents 6 monthes to 1yr tops. During this time hubby will be doing most of the tank maitenece, so easy is better.

Ryan- Thanks for the reminder about the zinc.. I knew there was a reason I headed straight towards the rubbermiad ones.

Kevin- Thanks for confirmation on the initex pools. we where really leaning towards one of these at first. ( in a few years our daughter could then use it) BUt I was worried about teeth.

Since this will be a temp home for them I think we'll pass up the ply-wood as well. I'de hate to have my husband build it while I watched. But hopefully we'll have one in the works sometimes next year at our own place =) As ultimately this is what we would like to design for them.

I'm looking at the oval 300's we have a Fleet farm not far from us or Ace. How do I make sure the tank hasn't been treated with algacides ect in the plastic/polimer/ect? are their certain numbers on it I should look for? as I know some stock tanks are treated w/ chems for livestock.

And thanks for the insulation tip Connor. I'm not sure exactly how cold it will get down there this winter. as it's an unfinished/large basement. I do plan on haveing heaters on all the tanks down there for security reguardless.
 
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