Revisiting Lining a Galvanized Stock Tank

[Tedwards]

Hello,
I want to line a 100gal stock tank but am not sure how to do this without stuffing a giant liner in and getting multiple ruffles. There was a post a few years ago about gluing strips of liner together to make a custom fit (Lining my galvanized stock tank Oct 2018). Could anyone give me more detailed instructions on how to glue the strips of liner together? The liner I have is EPDM 45mil.
Thank you in advance!

 

[j.w]

@Tedwards
Think some here use something called PL sealant or something like that.

 

[Stephen Noble]

Welcome to the forum!
Are you going to keep fish in the tank? It is much easier to start with one of those Rubbermaid tanks if you want a stock tank pond.

 

[Jhn]

Looks like in the thread you referenced the individual clamped the liner, with stainless bolts and strips of some type of plastic or composite material. I would go with that method as you could work the folds in the epdm into the corners and then clamp into place.

Agree with Stephen the Rubbermaid containers are the easiest way to go and relatively inexpensive, but since it sounds like you already have the materials I would go with the aforementioned method.

 

[j.w]

If you are bound and determined to use the galvanized tub you could use the non cut liner and glue down the folds so they stay nice and flat and tight against each other. No chance of leaking then.

 

[Tedwards]

Welcome to the forum!
Are you going to keep fish in the tank? It is much easier to start with one of those Rubbermaid tanks if you want a stock tank pond.

Yes, the plan is to keep fish (but right now its to keep our turtle until we can move her outside in the summer). I've already got two of the metal tanks (one 100 gal and one 300 gal) so I'd like to make those work if possible. The 100 gal is in our living room and fits nicely and I haven't been able to find a Rubbermaid with quite the same dimensions. Plus, sometimes I just like doing things the hard way .
I've gone through 3 sets of koi over the last 5 years (yes, I do the full panel of testing on a regular basis, monitor temperature carefully, etc) before finding the posts on this forum explaining the zinc and other galvanized coating chemicals that could be causing a problem.
Thanks for responding and your recommendation.

 

[poconojoe]

I think the uncut liner is the best choice. Unless you really know what you're doing, cutting and seaming a liner is risky business.

The idea of gluing down the creases with PL S30 is a good one. You won't need to cut anything. Just put a little PL between the creases to make it look good. You might need to clamp it somehow while the glue sets up.

Or, instead of a liner, maybe you can find something that can be sprayed or brushed on. Just make sure it's fish safe...obviously.

You also mentioned koi and your tanks are 100 and 300 gallons. Both are WAY too small for koi.

 

[Lisak1]

I'm also concerned about your mention of koi... do you really mean koi? Sometimes the word gets used generically for "pond fish" - like Kleenex for tissue.

 

[sissy]

my neighbor painted the inside of his with that stuff they advertised on tv and it is holding up and it has been 3 years . He bought a can of it at lowes and coated it 2 times ,waiting a month between coats ..He had to use brush's to paint it on .His is a filter tank and not a pond ,but it works and looks good with his rustic farmhouse look he is going for .Koi get huge .

 

[GBBUDD]

a one piece is the best option for success as no seams no leaks. the wrinkles that are created could be secured using the PL s30 and wedge some pieces of pine 1x3 or similar from one side of the tub to the other now i would definitely place one laying flat on the rubber and then have the supports wedge between the two sides to the pieces laying flat.. Still won't be pretty but how much will you really see one water and algae start growing on it.?

But if you really want to do it the hard way and you are remotely mechanically inclined what your talking about doing really isn't that hard . in the video you can skip the white strip they add in the beginning to sure the rubber to the ply wood and simply glue the rubber to the tin. Now just like the video i would install the bottom first with at least a 2 to 3" build up where the bottom comes up on the sides like they show in the video glue half the rubber to one side and then glue the other. it will require some planning for sure but once you get the hang of it it's not to hard it's just how neat and meticulous you are.

 

[Tedwards]

Thanks to everyone for your input!
I'm going to try the one piece with glued folds for the 100 gal and see how that goes. Really appreciate the video on flashing- hadn't thought about that as a technique even though I recently had to deal (multiple times) the flashing on my chimney.

As far as the Koi are concerned, I believe they were actual Koi-- I got them from a reputable dealer and they look just like Koi with the little mustache and other features that would distinguish them from goldfish or other types of fish-- but I suppose if there is a species with all the same features as Koi that isn't Koi I wouldn't know the difference.

I had from 3-5 young ones each time, usually starting out around 4 inches long and the longest lived set growing to about 7 inches before the plague struck. That group all died within two weeks of the city spraying for West Nile so for a long time that was what I blamed their deaths on. But after the other two sets died off in less than a year each I started thinking it was the container. Again, I was fairly diligent about monitoring the nitrogen cycle, not over or under feeding, keeping temperatures in a normal range and doing 1/6 water changes every week to two weeks. Never any signs of disease on the fish. If 300gal wasn't big enough maybe that was the issue, but I see successful ponds all the time that are smaller than mine and are successful with multiple young Koi.

Thanks again for the advice- this is a very helpful forum.

 

[sissy]

my koi I bought back in 2005 are now over 2 feet long as that is only because I do not feed them as much as breeders would to make them grow .They do need lots of oxygen more than any other fish I have had

 

[GBBUDD]

in two years i have koi that were born in the pond who are now 8 inches long without butterfly tails . 100 gallon isn't just to small it's cruel, unless you plan or rehoming them in a year or two

 

[j.w]

I would check out shubunkins @Tedwards
They are from the goldfish family and do not get as big as koi but have beautiful colors.

 

[GBBUDD]

It would appear they have come a long way with gold fish

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