# An old horse trough "fish pond"?!?



## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

I have an old plastic (50 gal.) horse trough. I was wondering if I could turn it into a fish tank for my fish, Dolphin. What tankmates could I put in there w/ her? How many? And how would I set that kind of thing up? I will post a picture on an album called "the future fish tank/trough" so you can see what it looks like.

As for accessories, what would I need? What size filter? (I would have it in a temp-controlled room (75 degrees F)) and what about covers, how would you cover a tank like that to prevent jumping?

Another thing, this horse trough is about 10 years old, but has never been used for horses. It HAS been used as a bathtub, w/ soap used. Could I get the soap particles out from it being used for 10 yrs as a tub? So would it be safe?


Thanks for any help


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Do you mean the fiberglass types like this:








I'd be VERY hesitant to sue it for a tank is soak or any other chemicals have been in it, its a pours surface and very hard to get all that out.. but that's just my opinion


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

People do use them for goldfish ponds and for wintering their pond fish indoors. I wouldn't recommend using the one you have, especially if it was used a a bathtub at one point. Where would you even keep it? It seems a little cumbersome. And if it's been sitting outside in the sun for the last 10 years I'm fairly certain that the effect of UV rays would have degraded the plastic somewhat. If that thing springs a leak in your bedroom you might get in a little bit of trouble with your parents. If they are litigious, you might find yourself involved a lengthy court battle over property damages that may not get resolved for years and end up costing you thousands of dollars in legal fees. Take it from someone who has been sued by his parents on several occasions, this is not a battle you want to fight. Especially right before the holidays.


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

I run a pair of 150 gallon Rubbermaid tubs in my fishroom, along with a third 150 outdoors in the summer. Heat it like a 150 gallon tank if it's indoors, mine are filtered by 3 large sponge filters & 3 large box filters, they run off the room air supply.

Since the one outdoors is run in some colder temperatures I've got a 1kw bucket heater with a controller for heat, and a 5 gallon bucket full of flint gravel with a pond pump for a filter. Tie a couple wires across the top for support, use styrene light diffuser panels found in the suspended ceiling section of any home improvement store for covers.

As far as the soap, hose it really well, fill & let it soak for a while, drain & hose it again. I've used far stronger things than soap for cleaning a tank, and those tubs aren't as porous as you'd think. Traditional patching for one that is cracked & leaks is Bondo, used for auto body repairs. 

If you're putting it on a concrete floor make sure to put a layer of wood between the tub & the floor, concrete at grade level or below can get pretty cold in the winter, my basement floor never warms much above 65F in the summer, mid 50's in the winter.


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

MikeG14 said:


> People do use them for goldfish ponds and for wintering their pond fish indoors. I wouldn't recommend using the one you have, especially if it was used a a bathtub at one point. Where would you even keep it? It seems a little cumbersome. And if it's been sitting outside in the sun for the last 10 years I'm fairly certain that the effect of UV rays would have degraded the plastic somewhat.


I would put it in my bedroom, I do have space.

It hasn't been sitting in the sun for that long, it was used as a bathtub for about 10 yrs, then outside for 1 summer.


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

MikeG14 said:


> If that thing springs a leak in your bedroom you might get in a little bit of trouble with your parents. If they are litigious, you might find yourself involved a lengthy court battle over property damages that may not get resolved for years and end up costing you thousands of dollars in legal fees. Take it from someone who has been sued by his parents on several occasions, this is not a battle you want to fight. Especially right before the holidays.


That's crazy! You were sued by you're parents? Terrible. But yah you have a point about the leak. No one would be thrilled if they woke up in the morning to find their bedroom floor submerged in 50 gallons of water, especially if there was a fish that came out & died, too.

Now I'm not sure what to do!?! (but people do house 50 gallon tanks in houses, how?)


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

I honestly would, but just make *sure* its not gonna leak lol! and you might not want it on a top floor of your house.


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

Tolak said:


> As far as the soap, hose it really well, fill & let it soak for a while, drain & hose it again. I've used far stronger things than soap for cleaning a tank, and those tubs aren't as porous as you'd think. Traditional patching for one that is cracked & leaks is Bondo, used for auto body repairs.


Hmm . . . that's good that you think it'd work to use ones that were bathtubs (w/ soap) but I'm still cautious & want more fishkeeper's oppinions.


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

kjg1029 said:


> I honestly would, but just make *sure* its not gonna leak lol! and you might not want it on a top floor of your house.


I don't have an upstairs. Do you have oppinions on how to get soap out?


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

Aqua Aurora said:


> Do you mean the fiberglass types like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Got it second-hand, not sure but it says Rubbermaid.


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

i would fill it up, soak it and see if it smells, or has bubbles or anything


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

Yup, Rubbermaid agricultural tubs, designed to be kicked by livestock. I've dropped them off the back of my truck, they don't leak;










That's a 70 & a 150. I run a 150 outdoors, you can see the bucket heater, almost see the controller, as well as the bucket of gravel for a filter;










The two in the fishroom run under a rack of 40b's;










The 40's were cleaned with Sno Bowl toilet bowl cleaner, after being pulled out of a large commercial hatchery;



















They've had countless thousands of fish through them over the years, I wouldn't worry one bit about a little soap.


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## hestersu (Sep 28, 2014)

These tubs are designed to be kicked and mauled. They are pretty tough. The only concern I would have is how is your house built. Is it pier and beam or concrete? A 50 gallon tank is going to weigh 400 pounds. That's a lot of weight. If you add any kind of substrate, the weight will just go up. Heating it could be a challenge. Stock tank heaters are available at Tractor Supply. A big heater or 2 could be used. A cannister filter would be a good choice for a filter. 

You can buy a piece of plexiglass at Lowes or Home Depot and lay across for a cover. You need some lighting if you are going to have plants. 

The weight is still an issue. And water changes.


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

A 50 gallon tub will weigh about the same as a 50 gallon tank. Unless the house was built way under any building codes, making it structurally unsafe, the weight will be fine.

Being 50 gallons you'd heat it the same as a 50 gallon tank, 200-250w heater. The reason for the 1k heater outdoors is due to it being run in temperatures considerably colder than room temperature. It's seen snow.

Plexi warps, been there, the styrene diffuser panels won't. Water changes are slow without a pump, part of the reason I use a pond pump on the outdoor tub is for that.


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

did you buy thoose tubs? i want one bad for my goldfish, i was actualy thinking of stealing a pond insert from our yard to set it up in my room, but im not sure i dont want it to leak, then theres the heating it, and filter, and all the lights needed, but im reeealy thinking of doing it!


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

All this for "Dolphin" the betta and a few of her finny friends? I think we are getting caught up in a vortex.

We could probably cure Ebola with the energy we put into this thread. 

G'night everybody.


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

The two in the truck I picked up used, little cash/trade deal. 

Years back I picked up seven of the 150's, used. My wife said no more tanks, ran across tubs. She has never said no more tanks ever again. Nice thing about those tubs is they nest, 7 in the back of a truck is no problem.


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

oh awsome! you have so many, no fair!!! lolxD


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

Tolak said:


> Yup, Rubbermaid agricultural tubs, designed to be kicked by livestock. I've dropped them off the back of my truck, they don't leak;
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So why do people say to be so careful w/ soap?!?


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

hestersu said:


> These tubs are designed to be kicked and mauled. They are pretty tough. The only concern I would have is how is your house built. Is it pier and beam or concrete? A 50 gallon tank is going to weigh 400 pounds. That's a lot of weight. If you add any kind of substrate, the weight will just go up. Heating it could be a challenge. Stock tank heaters are available at Tractor Supply. A big heater or 2 could be used. A cannister filter would be a good choice for a filter.
> 
> You can buy a piece of plexiglass at Lowes or Home Depot and lay across for a cover. You need some lighting if you are going to have plants.
> 
> The weight is still an issue. And water changes.


I told in the original post that I didn't need to heat it, I have a "fish room" to 75 F. Also, I'm talking about a BETTA who would need air; so plexi glass probably wouldn't work!

My house has a wood floor.


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

MikeG14 said:


> All this for "Dolphin" the betta and a few of her finny friends? I think we are getting caught up in a vortex.
> 
> We could probably cure Ebola with the energy we put into this thread.
> 
> G'night everybody.


Dolphin is important; so are other fish; and it's a very little amount of energy in this thread compaired to soo many other threads on here! Why are you complaining? D;


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

MiriamandMoonlight said:


> So why do people say to be so careful w/ soap?!?


Like many other things in life (chain saws come to mind) used properly it's no big deal. Used improperly you can have problems. If something untrue gets repeated enough times, such as the old fish growing to the size of their tanks thing, people believe it just because it's been heard so many times. 

A more recent example is tank water being colder than room temperature. I got so tired of hearing that nonsense here that I set up tanks, ran an experiment, and posted it.


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

Tolak said:


> Like many other things in life (chain saws come to mind) used properly it's no big deal. Used improperly you can have problems. If something untrue gets repeated enough times, such as the old fish growing to the size of their tanks thing, people believe it just because it's been heard so many times.
> 
> A more recent example is tank water being colder than room temperature. I got so tired of hearing that nonsense here that I set up tanks, ran an experiment, and posted it.


Ahh yes, that does make sence. I see that w/ some things as well! So how do you do it properly? (soap, I mean).


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## TerriGtoo (Jul 2, 2013)

MiriamandMoonlight said:


> Dolphin is important; so are other fish; and it's a very little amount of energy in this thread compaired to soo many other threads on here! Why are you complaining? D;


 
Miriam, you do not seem to understand what Mike was saying. Ebola is a very serious disease. It is not to be taken lightly. No person's bettas, including yours, or mine, are more important than finding a cure for this disease.


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

TerriGtoo said:


> Miriam, you do not seem to understand what Mike was saying. Ebola is a very serious disease. It is not to be taken lightly. No person's bettas, including yours, or mine, are more important than finding a cure for this disease.


OK, what I was asking him is what is his point in telling people to not put energy in this thread, when they might feel like putting energy into it. Cureing Ebola doesn't seem to have anything to do with it!

Was he just making a joke, or what?


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

Here is my 2cents. 

75 degrees is not really warm enough for a betta. So I would work on getting the tank/room temperature up to at least 80 degrees.

Next, talk to your parents about this before you do anything. 50 gallons is a lot of water. Meaning that when you do water changes, which you need to do at least once a week regardless of tank size so you can add minerals back into the water that your fish needs, you are going to go through a out of water. That will increase your parent's water bill, a lot. Your parents may not be willing to pay the extra costs. Not to mention their electricity bill also due to the filter you would be running. A 50 gallon tank needs a canister filter or an extremely large and powerful filter to filter all the water. That is more extra costs for your parents. So please talk to them first. 

A 50 gallon tank for one betta isn't really needed. Not to mention the beauty of bettas are being able to see them from the side, which you won't be able to do with a tub. If you wanted fancy goldfish or something similar than that would make more sense. You must also consider that some bettas will hate a tank that size. Either way, you would need to heavy plant it so that there is not open water space. That is again another cost. If you wanted live plants you would need properly lighting which would again add to your parents electric bill. Then you would have to buy the plants, either live or silk depending if you have properly tank lighting.

My advice is that you are very young and you have your whole life a head of you. I would wait until you have your own house and pay your own bills before you tank a large project like this.


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## Destinystar (May 26, 2012)

Nobody's arm is being twisted to post in Any thread !

Stay on topic. If you see a post you have concerns about report it.


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

Perseusmom said:


> Nobody's arm is being twisted to post in Any thread !
> 
> Stay on topic. If you see a post you have concerns about report it.


Who are you talking too?


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

i was wondering that too!^^ it didnt seem like anyone was rude, or really off topic or anything, but idk! lol


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

VivianKJean said:


> Here is my 2cents.
> 
> 75 degrees is not really warm enough for a betta. So I would work on getting the tank/room temperature up to at least 80 degrees.
> 
> ...


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

If you rent...you not only need to be talking to your parents, but your landlord. Think of it this way, this is technically not your house. This is their house. And if they're paying the water bill...why would they want an increase that large just so you can have a 50 gallon tub in your room? If I were a landlord, all I'd see is a gigantic water damage risk to my house. Do not set this up without getting permission from them. Depending on how your landlord is, it can cause problems.

I know next time our landlord drops by to have the house appraised again I'm putting a blanket over my 30 gallon and turning my filter off. I'll tell her it's a second TV or something. (Unlike you, we pay our own utilities, so she'll never know how much water use goes on around here...you won't be able to hide that and they'll probably ask why it's going up if you don't tell them.)


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

oh man! that would suck to have to hide your tank and stuff! but i get why a landlord wouldnt want all that water sitting there, just waiting to spill alover lol


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Exactly, right? I know my tank is nice and secure(except in the case of large earthquake, but nothing is 100% safe in that), but I don't think the average homeowner would feel the same way lol. If most would feel that way about a tank...an open 50 gallon rubbermaid container may get an even worse reaction.


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

You don't need a huge filter for a 50 gallon tub if you aren't going to stock it heavily. Treat the mechanicals no differently than a 55 gallon tank. I manage to filter 150's with 3 box filters & 3 sponge filters, my stocking makes AqAdvisor cry in pain. Any decent air pump that pulls around 6, maybe 8 watts will be able to run the filtration for a 50 gallon tub, or tank.

You've got 50 gallons to work with, and like keeping it in the mid 70's as far as temperature. You might want to look into some of the wild bettas, they can often be kept in a group, as well as appreciate the cooler temperatures. There's a whole world of bettas beyond splendens.


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## MiriamandMoonlight (May 31, 2014)

Tolak said:


> You might want to look into some of the wild bettas, they can often be kept in a group, as well as appreciate the cooler temperatures. There's a whole world of bettas beyond splendens.


Well, not talking about new bettas! I already have one! But thanks for the advise if I want to keep something w/ Dolphin.


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## trilobite (May 18, 2011)

Youd need to stuff it full of plants otherwise the fish would become stressed in such a large open space and youll never see your fish again, especially if its a black tub. I sometimes put my bettas in a little larvae and plant infested 2.5g outside during the day since the water stays around 28C and even in such a small space they are hard enough to find.

Plus 75 is too cold for bettas. See how the average Thailand temperature is rarely that low (75F = ~23C) Look how high the temp usually is
http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Bangkok-weather-averages/Krung-Thep/TH.aspx

Also you definitely want to ask your landlord about having a massive pond in the middle of the floor, its their house and they may not like it if the floor rots

If you want to keep something with your splendens Id go albino cories, easy to see in the blackness of a black tub, active and keep to themselves. Maybe some nice tight schooling fish that look nice from the top view


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

These tubs are something that are most often used by breeders, or folks wintering over pond fish in the winter. You won't see much of the fish from the top, the bigger issue for someone new to this is that you will probably miss a problem occurring with the fish due to the lack of visibility. 

The size depends on the landlord, and the lease, it might be wise to check that lease. My Dad had a 55 in a 3rd floor apartment, landlord was cool with it. I know to the betta world 50 gallons is huge, to the rest of fishkeepers a 55 is a very common tank, they go for $25 used, no big deal.


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

i have yet to see a 55g go for 25$ around here! there always an arm and a leg still! lol


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

Petco sell them for a buck a gallon, $55 new. Used gear goes for half of retail, give or take. Where Petco suckers people is buying the stand, top, light, all that goes along with it. Anything in the 10 to 55 gallon range goes for 50 cents per gallon used around here. You can often find 10's for 2-3 bucks at auctions, they're nearly disposable. 

I picked up a truckload of used 15 longs a while back, twenty of them, $5 each, already drilled with overflows. You don't want to know what I traded for those 40's, get involved with a club, you run across some great deals!


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

wow! i dont even have a petco near me, my LPs is kinda expensive because its a smaller local store, even a used ten gal is still 10$ here! lol


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

Chicago has a real busy fish club scene, cichlid club on the north side, general tropical on the south side. 600+ item auctions that run for several hours, 80+ table swap meets that take up the whole bottom floor of a large hotel, that sort of thing. There's probably 8, maybe 10 events yearly, within a 3 hour drive you can double that. 

Prices are competitive, knowing what sells & for what price, as well as where to get things cheap means I turn a pretty good buck on the side. If I'm not tied up with something else I'm out nearly every weekend selling.


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## SabastiansMom (Jul 25, 2014)

Tolack is that just the 55g tank without stand, lid and lights?


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

Tank only. You can build a better stand for far cheaper than what they sell for. Get tops & lights online.


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## SabastiansMom (Jul 25, 2014)

Why I asked is because I know what I paid for my 55 with everything, stand, lights and top so I was curious if your prices were tank only.


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