Rubbermaid Tubs and Phosphate

yankeereefer

yankeereefer

New member
Couple of questions - Was going to put a bunch of LR into a tub (wet) pending move - I haven't decided if I'll sell, dry or pack it wet for the move, so for now I was going to consolidate and place into a tub.

I have read various threads about rubbermaid tubs and possibly leaching phosphates that leaves me concerned.

Has anyone actually tested before and after effects of using rubbermaid tubs? I don't want to go with lookdown type of tub, need something with lid and not crazy expensive.

Food grade is what I'm looking for, right? Materials (if listed ) to stay away from?

If they (rubbermaid) do leach phos, I would guess it would be over a period of time, right? Would I be ok if we're only talking 6 or so weeks?

Related question, does drying out rock have any effect on phospate which may have saturated / permeated LR?

Recommendations for phos removal whilst "cooking" or reseeding dry? I will skim, water change and run phos reactors.

Any recommendations for other storage containers would be welcome (besides your tanks :)).

Thanks in advance
 
Interested to see what others have to say about this...

I actually use cheap rubbermaid containers for my auto top off systems. I also use 42 gallon rubbermaid brute container for mixing fresh saltwater when doing water changes.....never really tested for phosphates.....I do have algae problems but there are so many different factors that it's difficult to pinpoint at any single source......just my .02 cents
 
I'd think it would be more of a pain to move wet, but cheaper to keep it than sell and purchase more. I guess what are the pros of keeping it wet? Are there a lot of organisms in there that you don't want to have to repopulate? Or don't want to go through curing it again on the other side?

I'd think you'd be OK drying it out and just skimming/GFO while letting it recure. Maybe do both? Keep a couple of the best pieces wet but maybe in a 10g tank and dry out the rest.
 
I have tested this in the past as I was using a Rubbermaid brute container for mixing saltwater prior to water changes. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but Brutes leach phosphate into saltwater and R/O water. The longer the water sits, the higher the phosphate levels go...after 6 weeks I know it was off the scale on my phosphate test kit. I used API test kit. I think it's okay if you mix saltwater and do the water change immediately, but anything longer, I wouldn't trust it. As the water sits in the brute it gets a foul smell and a slimey feel to it as do the sides and bottom of the container. I bought a food save container and test it and it doesn't matter how long, the R/O DI water remained at 0 phosphates. Since I quit storing R/O water in a Brute container, I have NO NUISANCE ALGAE at all in my tank. NONE.. I was storing top off water in the Brute and since I quit doing so the phosphate level in my tank are almost nil.

Get rid of all the nasty things by letting the rock dry out...when you set up the tank again, that rock will probably cook while your doing the cycling and be good to go in 6 weeks of so. All dry base rock becomes live rock after sitting in our tanks long enough, especially if we can get a friend to scrape some coraline algae off the sides of the tank and dump it into our own...turn off skimmer for a day while doing this. And getting a get a cup of sand from different sources helps also.
I got a fuge kit from Inland Aquatics a couple of years ago and now my fuge is teaming with life. Things I didn't see when I originally added the kit to my tank...I now have a number of small urchins, baby stars, shrimp of all kinds, etc. Worth the cost.
 
If kept wet, it wouldn't travel with water - Wet newspaper or towels- I'm only considering the rubbermaid now so I can break the tanks down (the 20H / sump is sold and the other plain 20H w/stand will likely post this week) and have something to put rocks in.

Also, if kept wet now, I have the option of selling some / all before I go and then the purchaser wouldn't have to deal with a cycle (or so much of one).

I just want to understand the likelihood of the leeching.
 
I added a 100 gallon Rubbermaid tub to my system as a sump. Since then, All SPS/LPS stopped growing, went down hill. I have no coralline algae AT ALL in my system.
Leathers and Capnella grow like weeds, but that's all that grows, aside from the nuisance algae.
I suspect that at some point, Agway stored bags of fertilizer in that tub.
I don't have numbers and hard facts to prove the tub is to blame, but I have picked up a glass tank to take it's place, because I do believe it's guilty.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14356215#post14356215 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ladipyg
I have tested this in the past as I was using a Rubbermaid brute container for mixing saltwater prior to water changes. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but Brutes leach phosphate into saltwater and R/O water. The longer the water sits, the higher the phosphate levels go...after 6 weeks I know it was off the scale on my phosphate test kit. I used API test kit. I think it's okay if you mix saltwater and do the water change immediately, but anything longer, I wouldn't trust it. As the water sits in the brute it gets a foul smell and a slimey feel to it as do the sides and bottom of the container. I bought a food save container and test it and it doesn't matter how long, the R/O DI water remained at 0 phosphates. Since I quit storing R/O water in a Brute container, I have NO NUISANCE ALGAE at all in my tank. NONE.. I was storing top off water in the Brute and since I quit doing so the phosphate level in my tank are almost nil.

Click to expand...

Wow. That reinforces an idea I had about my setup. I bought the cheapest rubbermaids I could find at Target and stored all my sand and live rock for several months (~6+) while building my tank setup. I had crazy algae problems when I got set up and have been fighting to get them back in check for a while now. In the back of my head I wondered if the way I stored my rock had something to do with it...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14357058#post14357058 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bpkenn
What type of containers would you suggest to hold ro/di for top off?
Click to expand...

Im guessing from the above comments only containers made from HDPE would be a good choice.... ?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14357058#post14357058 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bpkenn
What type of containers would you suggest to hold ro/di for top off?
Click to expand...

I recommend only Polyethylene Tanks. I originally started with 150 gal drums from aquatic ecosystems. They had a wierd smell to them. They were from China (I should have tested them for lead). I coated the inside with epoxy paint to seal in the possible coataminants. 4 years later some of the epoxy let loose and I'm sure they're leaching some phosphates.

Not bad just a little cyno from time to time. I do have a phosphate reactor running.

Bottom Line Polyethylene Tanks just to be safe. They are not that much more expensive.

Bill
 
Not all HDPE containers are safe...unless it specifically states safe for food, they are not. Brining buckets for brining pickles are food safe.

Here is a list of things NOT to use:

HDPE white plastic containers of unknown food grade status
Garbage cans or pails
Mop buckets
Laundry detergent or kitty litter buckets
Dry pet food buckets
5-gallon utility buckets from the home center
Household storage containers
Garbage bags
Any container,even if made of food grade plastic,that has been used to store non-food items like chemicals, paint, or detergent

B&A Industrial

Has a great selection of different sized containers, barrels, etc. All food safe..they even have large ones that would work for sump applications.
 
I use Brutes for my top off water as well as my mixed water. I have tested it at the lab as well as my tank water. Fresh RODI from Brute, sitting for at least 2 weeks in brute circulated and heated was 0.000. My tank water tests out at either .01-.02 each and every week. I think your phosphates are coming from somewhere else.
 
I heard some people get the food safe drums from Farm & Fleet, but I did not see them on their site. Anyone have a link for those?
 
May depend on when you got you Brute and how long you've had it. My Brute can is about 5 years old or so. Do you see the sides getting slimey? If not maybe your Brute is not one that causes problems...but there are definite changes that take place in mine. Since I quit using the Brute my phosphates are zero.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14357601#post14357601 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ladipyg
Not all HDPE containers are safe...unless it specifically states safe for food, they are not. Brining buckets for brining pickles are food safe.

Here is a list of things NOT to use:

HDPE white plastic containers of unknown food grade status
Garbage cans or pails
Mop buckets
Laundry detergent or kitty litter buckets
Dry pet food buckets
5-gallon utility buckets from the home center
Household storage containers
Garbage bags
Any container,even if made of food grade plastic,that has been used to store non-food items like chemicals, paint, or detergent

B&A Industrial

Has a great selection of different sized containers, barrels, etc. All food safe..they even have large ones that would work for sump applications.
Click to expand...

thanks for the link, their prices aren't too bad.
 
Let your rock dry out. I like to do that every once in a while. It doesn't take much to make it live again. Do it only if the structure of the rock is good. If it isn't beautifully shaped rock, it isn't worth it. Then, when you get to where you're going, you can add a couple of pieces of live rock, or some corals (I find they tend to have more microfauna on them than live rock because they are constantly kept in water) and reseed your rock. That will save you a big headache while moving.
 
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