500 or 1000 Litre

[KenR60]

Question, I see Bunning's are selling 500Litre Round containers with a Lid for $89.00 seems to be a good quality green Plastic look. If I was to buy one and connect the water flow to my 8,000 Litre Pond how many eatable fish and what type would be best suited? The other Option is the White 1000 Litre containers which would be about $100-130 each so I'm guessing double the amount of fish in the 1000 litre Tubs? I'm not worried about going into the eatable fish in a big way just thought I'd like to give it ago as Goldfish lack taste ... LOL

[fishfood]

Question, I see Bunning's are selling 500Litre Round containers with a Lid for $89.00 seems to be a good quality green Plastic look. If I was to buy one and connect the water flow to my 8,000 Litre Pond how many eatable fish and what type would be best suited? The other Option is the White 1000 Litre containers which would be about $100-130 each so I'm guessing double the amount of fish in the 1000 litre Tubs? I'm not worried about going into the eatable fish in a big way just thought I'd like to give it ago as Goldfish lack taste ... LOL
Those 500 litre bunnings drums are not food grade [made from nasty stuff] go the 1000 one provided it hasent had nasties in it alternative get one of those mega bins like Garry has

[bunya boy]

Ken,
Wouldn't trust those tanks to be food grade. It normally notes on these tanks that they are not for potable water i.e. drinking water, and they could contain toxins which may leech out and either kill your fish or you end up eating them!
This is why they are so cheap, made in China, and any country that puts Melamine in Baby formula could put anything into these containers.
I use Naly Mega bins as well, but I have added some insulation etc to them so they are unrecognisable as MegaBins!

Fish numbers: 1000 litres with sufficient GB volume and feeding regime, allow about 3kgs of Grown out fish per 100 Litres of Gb volume. So, you should be able to keep about 50 plate sized fish. That's how many Jade Perch I'm planning for in my 1000Litre (nominal) Fish Tank. And will be getting 100 Trout for next winter with extra 1000 litres of GB/FT.

Cheers Ian K.
ps: I would love to come down one day and have a look at your pool/deck/usd aquarium etc? :D

[KenR60]

Thanks Fishfood and Bunya, Yeah should have know better to read anything imprinted into the tub. Just got excited seeing such a Big round tub for that value!!!!!

OK so 50 Jades, sounds good, I'll keep a look out now for a 1000 Litre Tank now so I can get started. Ian, sure you are always welcome to come see my Deck/Pond and Ideas. I value anyones thoughts when they see it as I've still got so much to learn and have a feeling I need to re-do the method I've used for the Plumbing/Water sending to the Pot System.

[froggo]

Hi KenR60,

I don't know about the jade perch but silver perch should be fine to growout in your pond.

If you look at my thread I have a large fishpond with goldfish and also have silvers with them.

The silvers and goldies get along fine together. Silvers eat more and more greens as they grow bigger so are good with other species.

Just a thought anyway,

God bless, froggo.

[KenR60]

I'd rather not add them to the pond because of the Natives and other species of fish I have there. I think it would be better to completely separate them and they will be housed around the corner behind my Fence and Gate ( where My Plumbing and Filterbox is stored. The water from the Clean end of my Filter will be pumped into the 1000 litre tank and then from there back into the Filter.

[DaveOponic]

[QUOTE=bunya boy;17519]Ken,

I use Naly Mega bins as well, but I have added some insulation etc to them so they are unrecognisable as MegaBins!

Ian is the pic you have posted a "Mega Bin" What is it made from?

Dave

[GaryD]

Hi Dave,

This is a mega bin......and it's made from polyethylene. They are perfect for use as small fish tanks.....and many other backyard food production purposes.

They hold 780 litres and they measure 1162mm x 1162mm x 780mm.

They can be fitted with a bottom drain. We own four of them.

Gary

[bunya boy]

Dave,

Ian is the pic you have posted a "Mega Bin" What is it made from?

The picture shows the final result of insulating a Mega Bin ready for fish.
As Gary said, they are food grade PE, strongly made and locally available. Mine was $300 delivered from: http://www.peopleinplastic.com.au/Product/800l-megabin-solid-base-sides-grey
They also have purpose made lids, but for an extra $200, I didn't consider it worth it. Of course lids would be obligatory if the bins were to be used for their original purpose of food transport.

I have cut viewing panels in the side and added 75mm thick colorbond steel faced EPS insulation (Bondor EPS panel) to the 4 sides and the base. Just trimmed out with a bit of HW decking and some colorbond flashing. The little tank on top is one of Murray's 130 litre FG tanks treated in the same manner.

Other pics of process.
Cheers IanK

[GaryD]

Hi Ian,

You've made a tidy job of converting your mega bin. I particularly like the viewing windows.

Gary

[blub blub]

The 500 L green tanks of Bunnings are made in Italy (not China). They got a sticker that they not for drinking water, this indicate that they most likely are partly made out of recycled material, so they might leach out stuff when new (as concrete or fibreglass/polyester). I actually see no difference in using them to store water in for my plants or for fish.

I bought a couple a year ago. In one I kept murray cod fingerlings for the last half year, they are doing fine. They still not big enough for the table so I don't know if they have a plastic taste......

To open a tin of worms some people think they can taste it when fish is grown in PE tanks, including the aquaculture polymaster tanks made out of virgin material.

[GaryD]

Hi,



They got a sticker that they not for drinking water, this indicate that they most likely are partly made out of recycled material.....


And it might just be that the containers are not really large enough to sustain the microbiology that is a essential feature of most established rainwater systems that are used for drinking out of. My guess is that it's a defensive move to avoid any legal dramas in the event hat someone's pet budgie croaks after drinking the water.

In recent days, I've read about IBC's that contained oil being cleaned with brake fluid and used as fish tanks. I'd take Bunnings 500 litre water butts over most IBC's any time......and particularly any that have had anything to do with brake fluid.



The 500 L green tanks of Bunnings are made in Italy (not China).


The US has had some major food contamination scandals including one where some very nasty chemicals made their way into the dairy system and caused serious genetic defects in babies. The British got Mad Cow Disease because of contaminated cow feed and the World bought Spanish Olive Oil for decades (although much of the oil actually came from Italy) because Italy blotted its copybook with a bit of a lead contamination issue (if I recall correctly)......and couldn't give its olive oil away as long as it had Made in Italy on the container.

Closer to home, we had a smallgoods manufacturer who deliberately included rotten sheep meat in their salami and killed a bunch of people.

The point is that the introduction of toxic substances into the food chain is not a uniquely Chinese problem.

Gary

[Bidadisndat]

The point is that the introduction of toxic substances into the food chain is not a uniquely Chinese problem.

Absolutely, Gary, although it makes a great beat-up for the media. When you consider the population of China Vs the number of problems they have had, proportionately they are probably no worse than what sometimes happens down here or in the U.S. (where they are having enormous problems with e.coli and the like. The Chinese people aren't too thrilled with their own companies that cause these problems either, and their punishment for transgressors, (who can't always bribe their way out of trouble), tend to be very severe - at times to the point of being terminal.
......Bid...

[blub blub]

An for the Chinese manufacturing, probably more then 50% of stuff we use here is made in China including most clothes, tv's etc.

To come back on the Bunnings tanks they actually smell like plastic when they are new (the average PE food grade watertank smell too when new!!). Now this is not very scientific but the smell tells me they releasing stuff. So I am purging the tanks, fill them with water and let them stand for a while.

I like the Bunnings tank because they are cheap, and a not to bad shape for raising decent numbers of fingerlings. I am actually in the process of collecting materials to build myself a reasonable sized aquaponics system, and this of course with minimal financial outlay.

[Shane]

A little more expensive than those Bunnings ones, but these look OK.
Available in both 750 litre ($275) or 1100 litre ($375).

Cheers,
Shane.

750 litre...http://superiortanksmelbourne.com.au/html/cms/20/750l-water-tub

1100 litre...http://superiortanksmelbourne.com.au/html/cms/21/1400l-water-tub

[blub blub]

While I know that most aquaponic sets come with square tanks for fish, I personally wouldn't use those to raise fingerlings. I don't like dead spots or cleaning tank bottoms.

[bunya boy]

Shane,

A little more expensive than those Bunnings ones, but these look OK.
Available in both 750 litre ($275) or 1100 litre ($375).

You void their warranty by using it for AP:

3.2(c) the use of the tank for any other purpose than that of storing static water in a fixed postion at ambient temperatures;

But that may not be a problem for you. I would rather use a 900 litre Nally Mega Bin for $300 delivered (which I have). Food grade PE, 1100x1100x800h and built for transport so they are solid construction.
Cheers IanK :D

[fishfood]

Or i am told you can get brand new ibc/s from Dailsford for $290

[Shane]

Or i am told you can get brand new ibc/s from Dailsford for $290

Yeah....that seems a good price for a brand new IBC too FF,

Cheapest I've seen in Melbourne for a new IBC is

$277 (new bottle / reco cage)
$331 (new bottle / new cage)

.....+ the dreaded GST.

[bunya boy]

http://www.aquaponicshq.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1676

Just posted for Brisbane, pretty good value and coming from a Fishing organisation I'm sure they would be suitable for Fish Tanks etc.
Can only try and see!

Cheers Ian K