any tricks you use to keep stock tanks clean?

[Charlene]

it seems that, since my big gelding plays so much in the water on steamy hot days like we've been having, my stock tank becomes yukky in less than a day. i have drained/refilled it countless times over the past 2 weeks. he's a hay dunker too. i swear, he will walk clear across the dry lot with a mouthful of hay and dunk it, leaving a lot behind, floating in the water.

i have used those cleaner things that you put in the little cage and drop to the bottom of the tank. they're useless. so, instead of that, i just throw in a capful of bleach every few days. it helps but the water still gets eewwwy in no time.

anybody have any tricks to share?

 

[Cathy_H]

Keeping it in the shade helps. I keep a looped toilet bowl cleaning brush nearby to scoop out the hay.

 

[Marty]

Set it up on concrete blocks for easy draining.

Keep it out of the sun to discourage algea growth.

Don't fill it full to the top and do expect to keep it fresh daily and for him to play in his water during the summer. Add a milk jug frozen with water for a water toy.

Use a pool net or strainer to help swipe out the hay.

I would not be adding any bleach to the water, only to clean it.

Provide him with his own kiddie pool to play in also. Give you more to keep clean too but oh well.....it's summertime!

 

[whitney]

Just a heads up you might talk to your vet about the hay dunking it could be a sign of ulcers.

 

[Charlene]

Set it up on concrete blocks for easy draining.

Keep it out of the sun to discourage algea growth.

Don't fill it full to the top and do expect to keep it fresh daily and for him to play in his water during the summer. Add a milk jug frozen with water for a water toy.

Use a pool net or strainer to help swipe out the hay.

I would not be adding any bleach to the water, only to clean it.

Provide him with his own kiddie pool to play in also. Give you more to keep clean too but oh well.....it's summertime!

it's been up on blocks and in the shade for 10 years. i think when it gets as hot and humid as it does here, algae/crud build up is just a fact of life.

if i don't fill it to the top, he won't be able to splash around to cool himself off. that would be worse than me having to work ten times harder to keep it clean. LOL! tuffy sticks his whole face down in the water and splashes it back onto his chest to cool off. i've used the frozen milk jugs trick and when the heat index is 111, that puppy doesn't last long!

i tried the kiddie pool routine and ended up with a kiddie pool full of cracks. those things aren't made to stand up to 1200 pounds of horse wanting to get his feet wet.

whitney, i didn't know about that! but then, he doesn't do it all the time, just occasionally. i think he does it when i'm out there just to get my attention. it works, he gets an apple in his bucket!

marty, the bleach was suggested by my vet. i questioned him about that too but he said a capful every couple of days would not hurt a thing. i've been doing it for years with no negative effects.

 

[Reble]

Marty, the bleach was suggested by my vet. i questioned him about that too but he said a capful every couple of days would not hurt a thing. i've been doing it for years with no negative effects.

Bleach is Ok, we have been told to put a cup of bleach in our drinking well once a week to stop Ecoli. recommended by the water experts. Specially after the Ecoli in Walkerton ON.

So if we can drink it the horses should be fine.

Tennis ball in to keep it moving. I have found nothing but empty empty empty every couple of days.

 

[whitney]

Yep bleach is fine all municiple water has bleach in it, I put bleach in mine. Also apple cider vinegar is suppose to help. Also if the tank is in the sun cover as much of the surface as you can this will cut down on the algae growth.

 

[PaintedPromiseRanch]

it doesn't help with the dirt or hay but we keep a few goldfish in each trough, and they keep the algae under control. wouldn't put bleach in with the fish though, if you decide to try it...

 

[running in the red]

For thoses people who don't have to empety the tank- add feeder fish- we usually put 100 feeder gold fish in and they help to keep down the mesquito and alge......

 

[alongman]

We tried the goldfish and it works pretty darn well (started with a dozen in a 100 gallon tank and are down to three that the cats and horses didn't get) - we've cut down on the mosquitoes, flies and algae problem in our big tanks. We tried the smaller tanks and fish, but the horses were able to scoop the fish out - baked fish.

As far as floaties on the top of the water, we use a strainer and scoop out the junk each morning when we fill the tanks.

 

[MidnightStarr]

we fill ours 3x a day with fresh cold water

we dont fill it a whole lot though because we usually have to dump it out because of the hay and dirt due to the dirty lips!!

we scrub it out every Saturday with bleach and some water

 

[MountainMeadows]

We went to smaller troughs and dump, scrub and refill pretty much every day - it is a huge pain, but it works!

 

[Charlene]

thanks for the suggestions. i have considered smaller tanks and actually do have a couple of those manure tubs (never been used for their intended purpose!!) full of water in the little area fenced off in the corner where the minis can go but tuffy can't.

another suggestion i have heard somewhere is to use the algae tables intended for swimming pools. i would have to check with my vet and see if that's a possibility.

since goldfish are cold water creatures, i'm not sure they'd survive the water temps. even in the shade, when the temps are in the 90's, the water really warms up.

since it's so hot here, i run water in the mornings and evenings while doing chores. i let it overflow so that the horses have to stand in wet sand when they come for a drink and also, the yukky stuff flows out over the edge of the tank.

i am SOOO ready for fall!!

 

[PaintedMeadows]

What about an automatic waterer? I love them. Always fresh water, every time they drink and hardly any algae. Won't help him playing but you could use a sprinkler for that a few short bursts a day. Just a thought.

 

[Charlene]

i have been seriously considering a nelson auto waterer. i once boarded at a place that had one and you are right, it was wonderful. i'm still reading about them and trying to figure out the cost of installation, etc. it may be my best option since i am away from home 4 days/week and have to depend on my neighbor to check the stock tank level every day.

 

[Rachel]

COPPER SULFATE!!!! We buy the granular form and simply pour a small amount into the tanks about once a week. We have virtually NO algae problems and rarely have to scrub out a tank! It's great stuff!!!