# Stock Tank Questions??



## FaRmEr FrEaK (Jul 7, 2012)

Okay so I am building a goat Pen and I am not sure which one is better the galvanized tanks it the rubber ones.....
-things I want to know
-Which one is more likely to leak 
-which one has more algae growth


----------



## jbreithaupt (Jun 24, 2012)

Both have pros and cons 
I prefer galvanized. Just because it's all I have ever used. 
I have hardly any algae growth unless its in a very shady spot. If it gets good sun, it will prohibit the growth. 
They are easy to clean. 
They can be punctured though but fixed with JB weld if it happens. Not sure how you would patch a rubber one but it's possible I'm sure.
They are lighter weight than the rubber ones I believe. I can move my bigger ones by myself. 
If your in an area that freezes, you might want a heater in it.


----------



## sbhministry (Oct 12, 2012)

I don't use a tank at all. I put a automatic fill float in a small rubber bucket. I'm fortunate we don't have freezing temps. The smaller it is the easier to clean.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

We used the galvanized at first. Then switched to 15 gal rubber. 
ACV doesnt eat rubber.
Plus when it's freezing all we do is kick the outside of it & add a bucket or two of hot water.


----------



## Ninja Goats (Sep 6, 2011)

I use the rubber stock tanks. They would be pretty hard to get a hole/leak in them and won't rust. I had issues with algae more in my sunny tank than my shady one. They're 100 gallon I think, I added about 1/2 cup of bleach once a week and that kept it cleaner. Also when they ran really low I'd dump and hose them out. Someone... the horses of course... like to leave grass in the tanks and sometimes they kick up dirt and rocks that land in the tank.

If you only need a small water source, like 5 gallon buckets, they make some now with silver in the bucket so it limits bacteria and stuff from growing.


----------



## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

The rubber ones...from my experience are easier to clean and are more durable. The galvanized are more likely to leak and they rust. I use small rubber troughs for my goats with automatic float valves and clean the troughs out with a scrub brush weekly during the summer time when there's a lot of algae. Over the winter when it's freezing, I just fill them up 2-3x daily.


----------



## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

like the rubber onse, and they don't freeze as fast in the winter, in my opinion. The only time I have gotten a hole in ours is when one of my kids was trying to break ice out of it and poked a metal post through the bottom. The can be fixed with the right kind of caulking. 

We freeze in the winter, so we just keep the 15 to 30 gallon onse full to the top and poke a small drink hole in them a couple times a day, keeping the ice layer ontop, helps keep it from freezing underneath. Ones you start breaking up the ice layer then they will freeze solid and need to be dumped. Drices me crazy having ice chunks laying around. We don't only get about one week in the single digits, one or two in the teens during the winter, lots of 20's and 30's. 

We don't use heaters in our tank, because we have no access to electricity, and even if we did, we have up to 7 locations that need water. 
I also found for just a couple goats, a 2 gallon bucket, placed inside a 15 gallon tub with straw packed around the bucket, really helps with the freezing. The plastic buckets freeze really fast, otherwise. 


We don't really do a stock tank, I prefer containers that are just big enough to hold enough water for the day. I like to fill them fresh every day.


----------



## onehorse_2000 (Sep 17, 2012)

Personally, Rubbermaid, neither rubber nor galvanized. The 50 gal ones work well for the goats and cows (we have short cows, Lowlines). 100 gal for the horses. Have had them for years, a little chewed on, but still good.


----------

