Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

After pricing water tanks eh shock horror, i thought maybe i could render the inside of an old corrugated iron water tank. Then i could use it as my fish tank. The question is would there be leachates into the water from the concrete? If so for how long? Would i have to put additives like pva glue to the render to make it water proof. I have access to washed river sand and a concrete mixer. They dispose of old tanks at our local refuse diposal and you can take anything for nothing.
pete

I have thought of doing something similar and this is how I would do it.

Fix chicken wire to the inside using tie wire (this means drilling small holes to pass the tie wire through).

Mix a firm 3:1 sand cement mortar. Additives are optional.

Apply as per rendering techniques. Trowel in a circular and upwards manner. Trowel again after 20 minutes.

This is my humble opinion but I think C1 has done it.

cheers

HI bluefin,
I got your PM and have responded.
See what you think I am here for help if required!!
C1

Any chance C1 of posting your results on the forum. This thread has intrigued me!!

As I have said before, C1 is the concrete tanking god! Bluefin et al have a look at my system thread to find some pictures of C1 at work.

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412

Bluefin, if you'd decided to do this a month ago, C1 probably would have come and done it for you! Whattahero!

now I'm with you jaymie!! I saw these photos a while ago...

I was wondering if anyone has tried 'derekh' approach?

Many many many years ago, and many more repairs to get it only leaking a bit.
My concrete experience started 1982, mind you as a kid my dad would get me to batch the mix in a barrow, telling me (DFB) mix looks good enough to eat.
C1

mmmm yummy

If this is so then who is the young man in the tank concreting

By results are you asking for photos etc because there are 100s of all kinds of concrete installs.
I have repaired more than 350 concrete rain water tanks and as far as I am aware none have a problem and I give a ten year written guarantee.
I have been here for 17 yrs.
any good
C1

My idea refers to a corrugated tank, and is fundamentally the same as what we see with C1. The concrete needs to bind onto something otherwise it could separate and I see from the photos that C1 is in a steel tank and the concrete can bind to the ribs.

The same principles apply to swimming pools and ponds. I did landscape construction at TAFE to learn how to build ponds, etc.

cheers

By results I meant the advise that you PM'ed Bluefin re: his query, but I think this has been covered now

Yeh concrete and steel dont 'bond' and never will, the concrete will always shrink away from the forms(tin tank) you use this gap as a bridge to achieve continuity filling it with flexible jointing and overcoat the jointing with a further flexible membrane the jointing provides a bridge that will contract and expand due to temperature change.
C1

That will get you far Asitis,
Cheers
C1... feeling better now! Thanks

He didn't look that young by the time he arrived at my place. I think Jaymie and Alex have a lot to answer for LOL