This thread is a little outdated in reference to the specific project in place, but I need to resurrect it because I have a small problem...
My water set-up currently included a wood stand with 2 x 32 gallon roughneck trash cans which I had to jam through my closet door with an opening of about 17". One salt, one fresh with mixing pumps in them that I could switch to output pumps for pumping into my ato and for doing water changes. In short, the set-up is fine and the reservoirs are just about the right size (at 30 gallons, my freshwater can last me a week for topping up all of my tanks with maybe 5 gallons of breathing room and 30 gallons is right around 10% of my total system volume for doing water changes).
When I first put this set-up in I only had one of the big cans for freshwater and a 20 gallon for water changes. It was running that way that way since shortly after this original post was made almost 2 years ago.
When I put in the 270 I used a 32 gallon roughneck can to cook some rock (the can was already on hand from buying a batch of rock). That can popped a seam at the bottom during the cooking process and I figured it just got hit with a piece of rock or something. So when I needed to upgrade the saltwater bucket I went with another 32 gallon roughneck anyway.
I guess you can see where this is going, but today I walk past my fish closet and feel that lovely squish in the carpet. Last night at some point (probably without anyone touching it) that can popped a seem right at the bottom and was shooting a little stream of water out onto our floor (don't tell Moriah... she doesn't know yet and I'll just dry the carpet out... our little secret
). So, one trash can works fine for 2 years and 2 more recently purchased cans fail in almost the exact same spot (there's a seam that goes all the way around the can at the bottom). Rubbermaid QC must be slipping... not that I think these things were engineered to hold 32 gallons of water.
So, I'm just putting this out there as a cautionary tale to whomever might be staring a project like this down and I'm asking for some more help in considering new containers. I can use pretty much anything I can fit through the door, which is 17 inches... but its also a challenge finding something in the 30-50 gallon range that will fit. I'll have to take a ride to tractor supply since I know they have a wide assortment of water holding vessels.
Edit: The original post said brute cans... but I meant to say roughneck cans. The brute cans are too big/stuff to be able to get through my closet door.
