Wheelie bins for water storage

[ziggyboy]

I've got 2 x 6 foot tanks and do water changes every 2 weeks. I try and use old aquarium water as much as possible to water our plans when doing water changes, but about half of it goes to waste and ends up in the drain.

I'm thinking of buying a couple of 240L wheelie rubbish bins to use as storage for old aquarium water so I can slowly water plans from it throughout the week.

Has anyone got any idea whether these bins will be able to hold water at full capacity?

I thought of using rainwater tanks but 600L ones cost $500+. 240L bins from Bunnings cost $99 each.

Would also like to hear of how others store old aquarium water for plants in case someone's got a better idea....

[Ducksta]

A wheely bin at my mums place exploded after the truck left the lid up and it filled with rain.
I'm not sure if I would trust many containers to hold a significant water all the time if they aren't designated as water storage.

I used to use those same 200 litre blue drums that a lot of people for aging/conditioning water for both old and new water.

The biggest issue I came across was insects using it as a breeding ground. Even though I would empty it to within a few inches of the bottom most weeks. I put gambusia in there to keep some semblance of control. (Was using them as feeders anyway).

[BengaBoy]

do a search for IBC tanks/containers - pretty cheap for 1000 litres

[edas]

I used the Bunnings 240 litre wheelie bin for water changes for several years without any issues. Note that I only stored water in it for 3 to 4 days at a time, not weeks on end.

Having said that, when it was full of water I never felt that it was under any severe pressure

[Buccal]

Long term they belly out a bit at the bottom.

I used them as big filters filled with bird net.

I went through two of them from splitting open at the bottom,,, but I had large holes drilled in bottom for fittings which may have compromised strength.

I'm pretty certain that three quarters filled will be fine.

[CommandoAndo]

You should be able to find a food grade IBC on Gumtree or a similar classifieds location for less than $100. Then you have 1000L capacity in a container designed to hold liquids for long periods of time. I got mine for $60 each from a local seed supplier.

[Buccal]

^^^^^. If you can seat the ibc up high or above aquarium level,,,,, then you'll have a nice 50mm valved outlet that will speedily gravity feed water to your tank.....

[Chuckmeister]

If you want to try green bins then maybe try 2 or 3 ratchet straps (probably supporting the bottom half) to support the depth. It is the depth that adds the pressure. Same as an aquarium.

[Buccal]

^^^^^^. Hah ha,,, I did exactly this with the second one I used after the first blew out.

I went with another bin as the surroundings I built up around it only allowed the space to fit another of the same size bin.

The second one lasted three times longer, but a small split still occurred eventually and started leaking.

I think from memory there are little mould joins in the bin which are the weak points.

But drilling holes as said, really compromises strength integrity.

A similar alternative, is at bunnings they sell those miniature rainwater collection drums similar to literage of the green bins.

Also there are miniature versions of the bins that come in a array of colors,,, these smaller sizes have less depth which decreases the total pressure as Chuck mentioned.

You can just get three of them to equate to a full size green bin.......

[Ged]

I suggest that you have a look at using a Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC Tank). A second hand food grade 1000 litre tank will set you back between $100 - $150. There are a couple of sellers on Gumtree in the Canberra area.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/theodore/other-home-garden/food-grade-ibc-cubes-palecons/1070426332

The advantage is they are not going to blow out the side, have a higher capacity and have tank fittings that will allow you to fir a tap at the bottom of the tank.