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Larry Dietz
11-01-2011, 10:57 AM
Where are most of you getting IBC tanks and barrels from? What types of companies may sell these cheaply?

So far, in my area, I have only found one company that sells these, and they sell new, or refurbished but cannot tell me what the previous contents were in the refurbished ones.

New they are wanting well over $200 for 275 gallon IBCs and about $60 for barrels. These prices are out of my budget right now for a hobby setup.

Any recomendations?

Thanks,
-Larry

LowCarbTNPer
11-01-2011, 10:59 AM
Your best bet would probably be craigslist, that's where it seems most people get them.

keith_r
11-01-2011, 11:03 AM
i spent a few months searching, because they are quite large, i wanted to find some fairly close to me becuase i don't have a truck..
i've seen them on craigslist from $40 up to $150 - most were a couple hours from where i live..
when i found them for $40 they happened to be about an hour from my house so i rented a truck.. all told, 4 totes (2x275gal and 2x330gal) ran me almost 260 to my door.. probably could have built a big gb for close to that

the guy i bought them from is starting a company reclaiming used oil for biodiesel..
some landscaping companies buy dye in them for mulch, the dye is food safe so ok for re-use..
a quick look at terra haute cr showed me this;

http://terrehaute.craigslist.org/grd/2668555476.html
a good cleaning with power washer and detergent, bleach rinse should clean them up.. you can always test by putting some water in them and leaving in the sun.. if you get algae growing you should be ok (i found a couple blue barrels with warning labels, cleaned and put some water in to check.. when i found that mosquito larvae were doing quite well, i decided that the barrels were "probably ok"..

Larry Dietz
11-01-2011, 07:58 PM
Thanks for the suggestion.

I have contacted this guy from Craigslist, and asked if he has any that did not contain chemicals, maybe I will get lucky. If not, for this price I may buy them and try as suggested, and power wash them out, and see if algae will grow in the tanks.

Again, Thanks for the help.

-Larry

foodchain
11-09-2011, 05:39 AM
I don't follow. Why do you want to wait for algae to grow? Is this a way to determine if they held harmful chemicals? Wouldn't the unit, after being thoroughly cleaned and salted/rinsed and supplied with a dozen feeders goldfish be more accurate and faster? The fish I think would be more sensitive to unknown contaminants than algae, and if monitored would show signs and symptoms of a various contaminant or at least of stress far faster then a single cell algae. Just my two cents, but I think if that's your goal...you may be going about this the hard way. What you are planning works, but not necassary. ****Small fish show stress, and are more sensitive than bigger fish. So you wouldn't have to wait as long with little ones.****Use the feeders like the canary in the mine. They will let you know quick enough.

keith_r
11-09-2011, 07:08 AM
good point fc... i'll be testing my next step up with minnows.. already cut 3 ibc's up and the cages!
and it figures, i finally found totes, and then a bunch show up on craigslist 5 minutes from my house.. they previously contained dye for mulch - so check with landscaping places as well

cookie
11-09-2011, 03:04 PM
Craigslist rocks for totes and drums but IBC totes are listed as tanks most of the time and searching for "275 330 gallon" will get more hits then "IBC tote".

Shas
12-07-2011, 10:32 AM
$40 for used barrels?
Good grief!

Have a look at the prices and places in our part of the world:

http://tinyurl.com/6r7jf8u

Everything typically costs much more in Canada.
I would expect barrels in your part of the world to sell for $5 or $10.
Anyway, maybe by seeing who is selling them here
you can get an idea of where to look in your area.
Think about who uses barrels;
sellers of beer and wine making supplies might know of good sources,
inquire at pet shops,
or forums for either of those hobbies...

BTW, when I was raising cichlids commercially
I found that discarded chest-type freezers
made excellent fish tanks.
A bit heavy and rather tall,
but they are INSULATED, food-safe
and a great size-
they hold a lot, yet you can readily
reach into all the corners with a small net.

Sometimes I left the lids on
for insulation and to prevent evaporation
and to keep the fish from jumping out.
I would cut a window in the top
and use silicone to attach plexiglass inside and out
(and around the edges of the cut).

Good luck!

foodchain
12-07-2011, 11:15 AM
freezer boxes....nice.
but bulky and heavy. Can the liner be removed? Inlay that in the ground, like an inground pond. These would be easy to attach bulk heads too as well. Where did you find yours at? Suddenly I am in the market for some.

IBC totes I see being that expensive, but the blue barrels are much less, even from the local feed store who sells them as rainbarrels.

Side note. If you cut the IBC tote, what do you do with the top 1/2? I cut the tops off for easy access, but never thought of cutting them lower. People on here do it....and I like the idea....but what to do with the other 2 1/2 foot piece that would then be open at both ends?

Shas
12-07-2011, 11:36 AM
freezer boxes....nice.
but bulky and heavy. Can the liner be removed? ... Where did you find yours at?

I found mine in the "Free" classifieds.
Nowadays I guess that would be caigslist.
Also, I kept an eye on the local landfill gates.
People often drop them off there after hours,
to avoid paying the dumping fee :-)

Removing the liners-
shouldn't be too difficult,
just cut along the top edge.
I never tried that, as I wanted the insulation value.

urbanfarmer
12-07-2011, 11:59 AM
You can get them for free. Source out some local places that have to PAY to THROW them away and they will GIVE THEM AWAY willingly. The guys that sell them get them for free.

Car washes are a good source that people don't think of, but any place that has to move a lot of food goods in liquid form, syrup, honey, lemonade, etc.

Maybe even school cafeterias... who knows.

alex281
12-07-2011, 11:31 PM
craigslist is your best bet.

All the ones i have seen tell you exactly what was in them, food grade or not, and how well it was washed out.

Totes are about 200$
But the 55 gallon barrels are about 15$

Shas
12-08-2011, 12:21 AM
craigslist is your best bet.

All the ones i have seen tell you exactly what was in them, food grade or not...

Yes, and the barrels are usually well marked.
I've only used those which carried grape juice
(from a wine-making store), apple juice,
molasses, that kind of thing.
I would never even try to rehabilitate a chemical-carrying container.

I'm not familiar with the 'totes' y'all talk about.
What's the story on them?
What sort of industry are they made for?

davidstcldfl
12-08-2011, 05:32 AM
Hi Shas, I'm sorry, I haven't welcomed you to the forum as of yet....so, WELCOME to the forum... :D

The 'totes' are called IBC's ....international bulk containers. The most common size is 275 gals , I have seen a few 330 gal size. Most are a white plastic type material with a metal frame around them. I have heard of black plastic ones, but I've never seen one myself.
They are used for anything from food products to some nasty chemicals. Most of the ones I have seen in person, have a tag showing what they were used for. If not, your trusting the word of the seller (?)

Here's a link to some pictures....
http://www.google.com/images?q=pictures ... group&sa=X (http://www.google.com/images?q=pictures+of+IBC%27s&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&oi=image_result_group&sa=X)

There is a large free PDF online, of all kind of neat ways to make them into fish tanks and grow beds.

foodchain
12-08-2011, 05:45 AM
I have the 330's. They came from the bio deisel industry. While it is true, chemical uses can have a residual effect, I have found through proper cleaning that I don't have this problem. Could be the type of chemical in them too.
Mine have been in constant use now for 3 years with no ill effects.

commander
12-08-2011, 11:13 AM
Easy key to what type of tote you are finding. If the cap and the lower valve are green, it is a food grade tote. Any other color and you are dealing with something else.

foodchain
12-08-2011, 11:20 AM
Good to know. Guess I am not using food grade....mine are all black.

Shas
12-08-2011, 01:07 PM
Easy key to what type of tote you are finding. If the cap and the lower valve are green, it is a food grade tote. Any other color and you are dealing with something else.

That's just what I needed!
I always check on these important bits of advice and you're perfectly correct:
This page, entitled
Intermediate bulk container (IBC) for foodstuffs
says
"The green FDA sticker, the green screw cap, and the green handle clearly identify FDA-approved containers."
http://tinyurl.com/6u9usho

Well done!

commander
12-08-2011, 03:43 PM
Thanks. I try not to post anything of this kind that I have not verified and sourced. Keeps my credibility in tact

davidstcldfl
12-08-2011, 05:21 PM
Good tip commander.....I didn't know about the color code.

Shas
12-08-2011, 08:08 PM
Thanks. I try not to post anything of this kind that I have not verified and sourced. Keeps my credibility in tact

Same here.
I respect that.

Good to meet you.

Bioritize
01-18-2012, 06:20 PM
Hey Guys,

I just moved to Paonia Colorado and I would like to get my hands on a few say 10 IBC totes. If any one around here has a hook on that let me know.

I would be interested in any kind of tanks or equipment.

How are you guys experience building your own tanks with wood using coatings or pond liners?

Thanks,

Shas
01-20-2012, 10:56 AM
I've built a few tanks using epoxy-and-glass over plywood.
They work great.
For fish tanks I silicone in a side window,
for sumps I don't bother.
I doubt that I'll ever again make an all-glass tank.

My best advice is to google "stitch and glue boatbuilding"
for step-by-step instruction.
It's simple, fast, and cheaper than all-glass tanks.
I found a pretty good guide online called
"2010 FREE Plywood Tank Manual."

There are lots of "DIY plywood fish tank" articles out there,
and some of them are absolute garbage.
I would not want to be around when these disasters are filled with water.

Boats have been built with this technique
for at least a generation now,
and boat builders are nothing if not conservative.
I've built several small boats this way
and have watched my kids sail away in them
without a qualm.
Well, with no fear for the integrity of the boat, at least.