New Tanks

I have had a few tanks hanging around for a while waiting for me to have time to plumb them in for special projects. The tank on the left has been sitting on my front lawn for months while I worked out where to put it. On the weekend Charlie and his daughter helped me move it into the backyard so that I could give it a good clean out with the pressure washer and get it ready to go into its final position.

I picked this tank up for free from a local plumber who had been commissioned by a client to get rid of it. The tank has a lot of problems not least of which is the huge crack along the floor that you can stick your arm through, also with the lid removed there is very little rigidity and it is going to need reinforcing before it is strong enough to take the water that will be added to it.

I feel a lot more confident repairing fiberglass tanks after having finished the redclaw tank on the left. This had it's own set of problems when I got it but scrubbed up really well with a new layer of fiberglass on the base, a smooth white gel coat over the interior surfaces and a couple of coats of UV resistant paint on the outside.

 I will also be repairing the base on this new tank and will give it an internal gel coat as well. In order to increase the rigidity I am going to rivet some steel bands around the circumference and then put a layer of fiberglass over the bands.

De-chlorination tank

I decided to put the new tank at the back of the sheds open area. My brother in law and I moved out the existing 3000 liter de-chlorination tank and repacked everything with the large tank at the back. I was surprised how well everything fitted and still allowed easy access, I also saved money by not having to put down another slab.

 I have had the big cray tank covered up for the last week and the algae has largely cleared up. The water is starting to go the colour of weak tea which I have always found to be a good sign that conditions in the tank are starting to normalize.  I really have to come up with a better solution for a tank cover but as the tarps and old blankets that cover it now are a bit of an eyesore. I will try and make something up during the next holidays, the wooden deck on the main perch tank looks good so I will probably just copy that.

Geoff and Llyn dropped off some grow beds that they no longer have space for and they fitted perfectly next to the redclaw tank. I still need to plumb them in and decide what to add. Llyn and I will have to chat about what we are growing so we can put in different plants and share them around.

Greg Rutter