kiddie swimming pool for frag grow-out?

[Coyle]

hey, i am looking for something cheap to use for frag grow-outs, and while i was getting some groceries at the store, i noticed those kiddie swimming pools seemed to be just about the right size (and more importantly the right price). Does anyone know if those cheap child's swimming pools from wal-mart, home-depot, ect are fish-safe and if they can handle the saltwater exposure?

 

[455cutlassdave]

I had a similar thought but on a larger scale. What about those 199.99 pools at walmart that are 17' across and 4' deep. I know it would take alot of salt mix to fill it but why not put one outside and let the sun do its job??? Of course I know circulation and additional filtration would have to be addressed but its alot cheaper that a tank that size would cost.

 

[Pyrojon]

I have seen kiddie pools used as frag tanks. Maybe do a search here on RC.

In fact I just did a search and came up with 6 pages of the words "kiddie pool"

http://www.google.com/custom?q=kidd...ns=reefcentral.com&sitesearch=reefcentral.com

Good luck

 

[xtrstangx]

Get a 500g Rubbermaid.. I bet a 1000w halide in a nice Lumenarc reflector would do a pretty good job on it.

 

[Daemonfly]

Tractor Supply sells a variety of larger "pools", etc.. and they're usually built a little better than the cheapo kiddy tanks.

 

[slevesque]

One good point about circular pools is that once you create a flow of water, it will go for ever with a small power head. Not too strong though, you don't want this kiddie pool being ripped open by the centripetal force!

this guy did it with a kiddie pool link and he is very happy with it. One advice from him: do not put a bulkhead through the bottom. Since the pool has a bumpy bottom (to be not too slippery for kids), it is hard to seal the bulkead adequately. His leaked in the long run.

 

[H20ENG]

My buddy killed about $10,000 in livestock when he put it all in there for temporary holding. Overnight, everything died. His had cartoons printed on it. He never found out what toxin exactly, but if you do this, throw some goldfish in there first as canaries!

 

[Coyle]

455cutlassdave - that would be an ambitious project to say the least..keep us posted if you decide to make the plunge so to speak..

slevesque - that will be very helpful info as i research this further..thanks for the link

H20ENG - that is EXACTLY one of the things i was worried about, and ill be sure to check before i put livestock in it..thanks for posting, and let me know if you can find out what kind of pool and where it was from..i dont think it was because of the cartoons on it, because ive found a few people who have used that type of pool with no problem, it must have had to do with the kind of plastic that the pool was manufactured with, or perhaps a UV coating on it.

if anyone can give me a few tips from first hand experience, let me know and thanks everyone for your comments.

 

[H20ENG]

It was a while ago. I'll have to talk to him and refresh my memory.
As always, anything not designed for use in a reef or with potable water should be "canary-tested" first.

 

[elliotklinger]

Owchie! That's a big loss there! I'll suggest to get container from tractor supply, they usually have horse water and several containers in heavy grade plastic or fiberglass.

 

[greg65]

Chris (H2O eng) was reffering to ME in his post. :^(

I never did find out what exactly caused the crash, whether or not it was actually the pool itself or perhaps some type of contaminant the pool was exposed to. I AM , however, 99.99% sure it was related to the kiddy pool directly.
I had purchsed the pool "out of season", so it may have been sitting around awhile in the hardware store. It was completely washed prior to use with diluted bleach and LOTS of fresh water.

I would NOT reccomend the use of one of these unless your willing to risk what goes into it. (i know others have used them with success)

BTW : I installed a bulkhead into the side of the pool which worked pretty well for a makeshift overflow (be sure to reinforce the area for strength.)
BTW X2 : Chris' estimate of losing $10K in livestock may have been a bit on the low side.................... :^((((((((

-greg-

 

[H20ENG]

Sorry to dig up bones for you Greg

Makes me wonder if that pool had something spilled into it during the off season that somehow got soaked into the plastic. Or maybe that manufacturer used some sort of anti microbial stuff in the plastic. But if they did, you'd think they'd plaster that all over it as a selling feature.