Auto top off jug?

[ajholms0427]

I have a heavy duty 5 gallon square bucket that I would like to use for an ato system. The bucket originally had car wash soap in it. My question is will this be safe to use if I rinse it out really well?

 

[Biodork]

I wouldn't use anything that ever had soap. Go to home depot and buy yourself a new bucket and lid for about $6.

 

[hibb304]

I just used a old salt bucket.

 

[isnyc300]

I just used a old salt bucket.

+1 i use an old oceanic salt bucket. they are 6 gallons

 

[hibb304]

+1 i use an old oceanic salt bucket. they are 6 gallons

Nice! I use the same bucket. It's got pretty ocean scenes on it.

 

[ajholms0427]

I suppose I can do that. I just like to soap bucket because its clear.

 

[dtum]

Agree with others, probably not a good idea if it had soap in it.

 

[E Rosewater]

You could use a 5 gallon aquarium

 

[Crusinjimbo]

I like cat food buckets and have about six in use now. They are square, hold 3 1/2 gallons, have lids, made of see through plastic, have handles and stack. The square shape makes it easy to get close to the sump for water changes. There free, when you buy cat food.

 

[leveldrummer]

I suppose I can do that. I just like to soap bucket because its clear.

you can buy those square clear jugs for very little money and absolutely NO risk to your tank.

 

[ACBlinky]

I agree with the others, it's just not worth the risk. Plastic can retain dangerous chemicals, and a top-off bucket is going to be full 24/7, leeching any toxins constantly, so it's much higher risk than if you were just using the bucket for a quick transfer (just as an example).

I used a 5.5g aquarium for a long time, but when we set up this tank I switched to a 6g salt bucket -- it's virtually unbreakable, I know it's safe, and it comes with a lid that's easily drilled (for the hose).

 

[MondoBongo]

i use an HDPE water container for mine that i procured from a LFS.

it's reasonably translucent enough to see the water level, and also square. so it fits nicely beside the stand.

 

[AlexAquaFX]

I also agree with what the others have said. It's not worth the risk using a container that has stored soap. It might leech something back into your water. I reccomend food grade storage containers that have not stored anything previously. For the little bit of
Money you will save, you might end up with a headache!

 

[sslak]

I use a jug from an office water cooler, it's semi-clear and blue. More attractive than a 5 gallon bucket IMO.

 

[ajholms0427]

That's actually the route I'm going to take. I found two empty ice mountain 5 gallon water jugs sitting around my place of business. I just have to do a little modifying and they will work.

 

[animalkingdom]

glad to see you made the right choice...soap = bad news for tank
Although it would be fun to see the mess the skimmer could make

 

[dkeller_nc]

Not that I'm advising you to do the opposite of what others on the thread have said (there's just no reason to avoid spending $6 when you're talking about your reef tank), but I regularly wash out my 5 gallon buckets with detergent.

Partly that's to control any possibility of transferring a disease from one tank to another, partly that's to remove biofilm that eventually builds up on the inside that no amount of RODI water rinsing will remove.

Properly rinsed (hot tap water multiple times, making sure to catch all surfaces, followed by RODI rinse), there is nothing about plastic that will "absorb" or retain any detergent.

 

[postshawn]

My LFS's sell these 5g water jugs for $10. I've seen people use these for ATO water. You can either put the tube in the back air hole which screws closed or drill a hole in the main cap. These are meant to handle the water and not break down over time. There are so many options out there though that are cheap so don't risk using an old soap bucket and risk killing everything over $10 or less.

 

[PikkaGTR]

+ 1 on the LFS jug
I use these for ATO and to store newly mixed Saltwater