Rubbermaid for aged water storage?

[compchick813]

It seems like quite a few people use Rubbermaid containers or trash cans to age their water. I'm concerned about BPAs. Are those safe and can anyone chime in who has used them long-term? If those are okay, that would nice since the food grade containers I've found are pretty expensive.

[Bill63SG]

Around here I found a guy on Craigs selling food grade for $20 a 55gal barrel with lid.Give it a shot.

[DiscusDrew]

Yeah even here I was able to find two places that had actual food storage containers for pretty cheap so you can probably find some if your really concerned. If not I use rubbermaid brute containers with great success, no leaching and such.

[Brokenrack]

I bought a Brute a couple of months ago and kept getting a film on the water. Washed it and changed water in it dozen times still kept getting a film. Used fo it's original purpose now. I have an older one that hasn't caused any problems though.
Scott

[korbi_doc]

I've used RM trash barrels for over 20 yrs with no problems, exc once, one leaned too much when full, so I leaned it into the wooden tank stand on the side & it did fine....now the white or blue 55s are around everywhere so I now have those since I retired the trash barrels...lol...

Dottie

[no1woogie]

I had one of the roughneck totes split on me after 3 months of use. Won't use another for water again. Picked up a couple 55 gal white barrels. No problem since.

[ericatdallas]

no1woogie -> That's good to know about the roughnecks. I was thinking of using them as a "tank" to breed some shrimp.

I also don't use the rubbermaids and I use the food grade barrels. I bought mine for $30 (I bought a larger one with sturdier plastic than the blue ones that go for $20-25). The guy said it stored olives, but I actually let it sit in water for a while before washing it out like 5 times as a precaution anyway. I use it for discus and shrimp and they're fine.

[DiscusDrew]

Ive never heard good things about the roughnecks over time from anybody, much thinner plastic than what you see on the Brute containers. But I suppose with how easily you can find food grade storage these days that will prove to be the ideal option by a long shot.

[fattubwhale]

I use both the brute barrels and the Blue 55g Food Grade barrels. I found the blue's on CL for $20 each. The ones i picked up had Tomato past and Pickels in them.
All i did was scrub/washed them out with Bleach water solution then a vinegar wash and gave it a rinse till i thought it was rinsed out then i RINNNSSSED it out again and again.... So far the barrels have been in use for over 8 mo with no issues.

[compchick813]

I wish I had read the post above about the splitting sooner, oh well, I will double stack them with one on the outside. I picked up 2 storage bins at target today. My issue is that I need to store my water under my 125, and these will fit, as opposed to the large barrels. One is low density polyethylene and the other is polypropylene so they should be safe.

[no1woogie]

Luckily I didn't have a complete blow out and caught it pretty quick. Still didn't make me very happy. Friends of mine use the smaller sterilite for fry grow out tanks.

[quangfee]

I used to store water in a Rubbermaid 30 gal for 24 hours, my loaches got very very shock after I did water change. Some of them rubbed on the rocks and swam away very fast. The others were at the bottom, stop moving, and gasping slowly, but they were back to normal after the water cycled. Fortunately, I didn't have Discus by that time. If I did, they'll all be dead already. At first I didn't know it was that bad when I store my water in that Rubbermaid trash can. So I tried one more time on the second week, and it happened the same. Now I store my water in a 55 gal glass tank, and happy with it.;)

[jnguye26]

I have a Brute Rubbermaid 30 gal to age my water and I also got a platform with wheels on the bottom in case I want to do a water change to another tank.

[brianyam]

BPA is used in plastics to make them harder, so it is likely in everything from Eheim tubes to your filter casing/parts. So if it leaching into your water, it is more likely from your filter/UV sterlizer/whatever else you have in your tank that is plastic than in the rubbermaid bin.

I am not saying it is, from what I understand, it needs heat to leach out. I am just saying there are other things that are plastic in your tank as well if you are worried.

[ericatdallas]

BPA is used in plastics to make them harder, so it is likely in everything from Eheim tubes to your filter casing/parts. So if it leaching into your water, it is more likely from your filter/UV sterlizer/whatever else you have in your tank that is plastic than in the rubbermaid bin.

I am not saying it is, from what I understand, it needs heat to leach out. I am just saying there are other things that are plastic in your tank as well if you are worried.

I don't know much about plastics and I'm paraphrasing here, but my father-in-law is a chemical engineer for a plastics company. He basically said that even non-food safe plastics are likely food safe just based on the tolerances required by regulation. It's not a guarantee, but basically most of the time any plastic is safe as long as they're not brought to high temperatures.

[brianyam]

That is why they banned it from baby bottles since people heat them...other than that it seems remote it would get into your water....also plastics used for bins is not the solid hard type...I am no chemical engineer tho

[compchick813]

I hadn't really thought about it being in other tank items which are obviously fine, but it does make sense that heat would be needed for it to leech out. Thanks for the responses everyone!

[Coffee1stLife2nd]

So happy i read this thread,,, i was going to buy 2- 55 gal new and then read about buying on Craigs List so i looked up my area and YEAHHH $15 a piece THANK YOU... I Love this site... Great Idea`s from every1....

[RyanGSP]

I bought a Brute a couple of months ago and kept getting a film on the water. Washed it and changed water in it dozen times still kept getting a film. Used fo it's original purpose now. I have an older one that hasn't caused any problems though.
Scott

I was reading on Reef Central and the Brute tubs leech chemicals into the water. Not recommended for water storage for delicate fish like Discus or corals.

[a volar]

I have used Rubbermaid containers/trash cans for years with no problem, even in my 200 gal reef and so many other tanks in the past for miltiple purposes and never had any problem.............

[eaglesfan3000]

Yup I have three of them, no problems here.

[k7prz]

So I've read all the posts and still not sure what to get for storing water for daily water changes. I bought a
12 gal bucket, white, at a brewing supply house---supposed to be food safe. However, it was $33. I need a larger
one and don't wish to pay more. (Silly I know, I spent hundreds of dollars on the Discus and tanks!) So these
Rubbermaid 40 or 50 gal are OK? The water only sits in if for a day or so but is heated to 86 degrees. If something leaches,
would carbon in a Magnum hang on tank type filter take out any baddies in a 24 hour period? I have well water so chlorine is not an issue.
Dave near Portland

[mirador]

HI

I happened upon a pair of 115 gallon piped polystyrene tanks on stand. They are great. One thing to note is that they stay really clean when I use RO water and get dirty with a bacteria film if I use straight well water