Clean water tank

[pjkjr4]

Anybody have ideas on how I can keep the green suff out of our calves water tank? We tried goldfish, but they keep dieing, I think because the water gets too hot, and not enough oxygen in there. Any chemicals that would work, that won't hurt the cattle. I don't have time to drain it everyday, nor do I want to make a mess in the pen.

I got to thinking about this after reading another thread on the right people feeding the right calves to make them better. Someone had mentioned giving them crystal clear water from the tank. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[BCCC]

Some bleach occasionally in the water keeps it clean, we use clorine tablets that you'd use in a pool.

 

[pjkjr4]

Some bleach occasionally in the water keeps it clean, we use clorine tablets that you'd use in a pool.

It's a 110 gallon tank, how much clorox should I use?

 

[Silver]

Might look at an automatic trough if you want to make things cleaner and easier.

 

[The Show]

Use chlorine tablets like you use in a pool.

 

[siggyl67]

What kind of chlorine tablets do you use, and how much?  The one's that I have seen at Walmart are a huge tablet, and thought that would be too big for a water tank.

 

[shorthorngirl2010]

Gold fish... 10-20 gold fish... if mosquitoes are an issue, gambizi (sp?) will keep it clean, and eat mosquito larvae

 

[siggyl67]

What do the gold fish do?  I have never heard of this?

 

[shorthorngirl2010]

oh my mistake-- i glanced through it and didnt see their gold fish had been dying lol.. gold fish eat the algae and keep the moss at a minimum. keep 'em in our continuous flow tanks @ our feedlot and they work wonders (until calves decide to go swimming, then we have a few casualties lol).

 

[AAOK]

I always had a tank for the calves, and during the dog days of Summer, everything was watered by galvanized tank.  We were always on city water, which was Chlorinated, but the tanks still got grungy green.  I would dump them and clean them out about once a month.  I never saw a calf or cow that turned down the "fresh" water in the tanks.  The algae won't hurt them any, and as long as you're adding fresh water everyday, it's a lot cooler than the pond

 

[HAB]

you can put a small submersible pump in the tank and just let it keep the water circulating.  Cost some electricity, but keeps the water fresher longer.

 

[siggyl67]

What about the chlorine tablets?  How big are they and what do you use for about 100 gallon tank?  ??????

 

[LIMO]

I have a 12 ounce squirt bottle that I keep full of bleach.  I have some of the rubber 110 gal tanks that seem to be the worst on the green around the bottom.  I let it get almost empty and squirt about 2 ounces of bleach in the remaining water and take a scrub brush to it.  Once clean I dump and let it dry for about 30 minutes.  Seems like the clean tanks stay that way for a couple weeks and the ones that I do not clean with bleach  and just rinse out get dirty within a couple of days.

 

[rackranch]

IMO nothing works better than SHADE... move your tank into or build something to cover it up where as little sun as possible gets to it... Barley, if you have a tractor supply they sell barley in burlap bags, it will take 3 for your 110gl tanks and will last a few weeks or ask you feed store if they can order them. you can also find them on the net..just google

 

[firesweepranch]

We use the chlorine tabs for pools. We are on well water and the cattle will not drink city water when we go to shows because of chlorine.  A fellow breeder told us about using the tabs. Our tanks are about 40 gallons each, and we just keep one tab in all the time. When we notice the tab is gone, we throw another in. They last about a month, and the cattle drink the water down quick enough that the water does not get overly chlorinated.  We have done this for several years now, and never had green tanks or problems.

 

[siggyl67]

Is the chlorine tablet the size of a hockey puck?  ???  So it just sinks to the bottom of the tank?

 

[firesweepranch]

Is the chlorine tablet the size of a hockey puck?   ???  So it just sinks to the bottom of the tank?
[/quote

It is the size of a golf ball, but flat and does sink to the bottom. We get them at Walmart in the pool isle, and one container last us a year. About 20 or 30 tabs if I remember correctly. Cheap also. Look for tabs for smaller pools, or that are used in the floatation devices....

 

[jlingle]

I've got the same problem with our calf tanks, but probably not to the same extent.  I just use a 110 gallon tank, keep it in the shade, and clean it weekly.  I've got a couple of 7' long pieces of garden hose with 8 inches of sucker rod wired to the ends of them.  I sink those gardenhoses in the tanks, and siphon the water out while I'm blowing and rinsing calves.  When I get done rinsing calves, I rinse out the stock tank really well, brush it out with an old broom, and then refill it.  Not counting the siphoning, it only takes about 3 or 4 minutes to clean the tank.  I refill while I'm putting out hay/picking up turds.  I'd rather not have to do it every week, but it's become part of life.  Luckily there's also usually a few ice cold bud lights in the fridge at the calf barn.  That helps to pass the time as well.... <beer>

 

[simtal]

dont know what to think about clean water...anybody ever see cows drink out of a mud puddle?

 

[GoWyo]

Yeah - they stand in the pond and pee out one end and drink on the other.  This is within 100 yards of a good clean tank full of water.  NASTY.