Res tank shape matter?

waring192

Active Member
Hey all,

Skip to *** to get to the question but makes sense to read all.

I just bought a heavy duty rectangular plastic 140 litre / 30 gal reservoir tank for my RO’ed water as I was not keen on the Flexitanks which can hold 150 litres + that you can buy due to leaking/collapsing etc.

The reservoir feeds RO water (at room temp) into the header/control pot/tank and gets mixed in with the rest of the system from there. system is 6 x 36 litre /8 gal tanks with a header/control the same size.

The PH/EC/ORP/DO/Temp is measured in the header/control tank and after reading the data (PH, EC, ORP etc) and going by the feed guide the nutrients etc get dosed (spaced apart).

*** I came across a post of someone with a similar reservoir shape/size and they said they braced it with wood as it was rectangular and bending outwards a little. I have yet to fill this new res (which is a heavy duty one) and was wondering if I should return it back and just get a round one of similar size like the big blue buckets you get about 100cm tall and 50cm in diameter which works out about 200 litres?

Or would a square one be as good? Square would help with fittings below the waterline compared to a curved surface unless you get curved fittings?!

Thanks all.

PS I am aware to watch for load bearing on the floor and cross the joints with a sheet of MDF to speed the load a little more if using a taller than wide.
 

bk78

Well-Known Member
Hey all,

Skip to *** to get to the question but makes sense to read all.

I just bought a heavy duty rectangular plastic 140 litre / 30 gal reservoir tank for my RO’ed water as I was not keen on the Flexitanks which can hold 150 litres + that you can buy due to leaking/collapsing etc.

The reservoir feeds RO water (at room temp) into the header/control pot/tank and gets mixed in with the rest of the system from there. system is 6 x 36 litre /8 gal tanks with a header/control the same size.

The PH/EC/ORP/DO/Temp is measured in the header/control tank and after reading the data (PH, EC, ORP etc) and going by the feed guide the nutrients etc get dosed (spaced apart).

*** I came across a post of someone with a similar reservoir shape/size and they said they braced it with wood as it was rectangular and bending outwards a little. I have yet to fill this new res (which is a heavy duty one) and was wondering if I should return it back and just get a round one of similar size like the big blue buckets you get about 100cm tall and 50cm in diameter which works out about 200 litres?

Or would a square one be as good? Square would help with fittings below the waterline compared to a curved surface unless you get curved fittings?!

Thanks all.

PS I am aware to watch for load bearing on the floor and cross the joints with a sheet of MDF to speed the load a little more if using a taller than wide.
55gallons

Has been there a few years now

Always make sure you get the heavy duty ones, I have had 1 cheap “regular duty” fail in the past and dump 30 gallons all over my basement

2D976CC3-3788-4262-9DAE-179F777CFBFB.jpeg
 

amneziaHaze

Well-Known Member
Hey all,

Skip to *** to get to the question but makes sense to read all.

I just bought a heavy duty rectangular plastic 140 litre / 30 gal reservoir tank for my RO’ed water as I was not keen on the Flexitanks which can hold 150 litres + that you can buy due to leaking/collapsing etc.

The reservoir feeds RO water (at room temp) into the header/control pot/tank and gets mixed in with the rest of the system from there. system is 6 x 36 litre /8 gal tanks with a header/control the same size.

The PH/EC/ORP/DO/Temp is measured in the header/control tank and after reading the data (PH, EC, ORP etc) and going by the feed guide the nutrients etc get dosed (spaced apart).

*** I came across a post of someone with a similar reservoir shape/size and they said they braced it with wood as it was rectangular and bending outwards a little. I have yet to fill this new res (which is a heavy duty one) and was wondering if I should return it back and just get a round one of similar size like the big blue buckets you get about 100cm tall and 50cm in diameter which works out about 200 litres?

Or would a square one be as good? Square would help with fittings below the waterline compared to a curved surface unless you get curved fittings?!

Thanks all.

PS I am aware to watch for load bearing on the floor and cross the joints with a sheet of MDF to speed the load a little more if using a taller than wide.
i got a 70L one and it did open up a little on the top but when i put the lid back on it came back in its place...
 

go go kid

Well-Known Member
do make sure you get food grade plastic containers, also, recycled plastics leach out plasizers into the water, leaching occurs with any plastid, as its the solvent used for the job.
direct heat injected plastics are again better, they do leach plastizers into your res, but not as much as recycled or plastics that have been used in the manufacture prosess.
they have just discovered that Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) a widely used plasticizer to render poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) soft and malleable , is way worse then first thaught.
so do some research into plastics, there condition (recycled or original moulding), original being prefered. but other plastics being much prefered, food grade is obviously the first choice.
 

go go kid

Well-Known Member
What Are Safe Plastics For Hydroponics? 5 Options To Check Out
When water is warm, and in contact with plastic for a long time, you want to make sure it doesn’t absorb any bad chemicals and pass it on to your plants.

With this in mind, here are some safe plastics you’ll want to consider in table form. For the details, keep reading after.

Plastic TypeVerdict
High-density Polyethylene (HDPE)Very safe, just make sure it doesn’t use a mold release agent.
Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)Very safe, not as easily recycled.
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE)Safe and great for recycling, but not designed for a lot of use.
Polypropylene (PP)Safe, but doesn’t handle high heat as well.
Polyvinyl Chloride (V or PVC)Considered safe in some forms, but new research shows it may leak more chemicals than previously thought.
High-Density Polyethylene
High-density polyethylene is also called HDPE and is commonly referred to by the number “2” for plastics.


As a general rule, HDPE is one of the safest plastics for any use. It doesn’t spread chemicals through water contact, and it’s also one of the more eco-friendly options as it’s easily recycled.

Most milk and water jugs, juice bottles, yogurt containers, and other food-related plastics are made of HDPE because of their safety.

For extra safety, make sure the HDPE #2 plastic container is also food-grade plastic. This means it’s USDA, FDA, or NSF approved.


Other #2 plastics may contain a “mold release agent” to help release the plastic from the mold shape.

This agent is not graded for food, so while it’s probably OK for hydroponics, you may want to opt for a food-approved option to remove any risk.

HDPE #2 resists UV rays, and it handles high heat well without melting or giving off chemicals.


Verdict: This is one of the best options and the safest for plants. It’s proven not to bleed any chemicals into the water.

AeroGarden makes its units out of this plastic. Check out our review of the best AeroGarden for lettuce and small herbs.

Low-Density Polyethylene
Low-density polyethylene is also called LDPE, and it’s similar to its older and more dense counterpart discussed above.


It’s another food-grade plastic in many cases and is marked as plastic #4.
 

bk78

Well-Known Member
What Are Safe Plastics For Hydroponics? 5 Options To Check Out
When water is warm, and in contact with plastic for a long time, you want to make sure it doesn’t absorb any bad chemicals and pass it on to your plants.

Who is adding warm water to their reservoir and letting it sit for long periods of time?
 

Tolerance Break

Well-Known Member
Something easy to scrub.

I got a couple black plastic containers for my feed res and the weekly cleaning them takes three times as long as the smooth plastic containers. Going to get my money's worth out of these while I try and find my old container.

If you're taking about a res to collect RO, I use a brute 32 gal and installed a water spiket at the bottom. Works great.
 

waring192

Active Member
55gallons

Has been there a few years now

Always make sure you get the heavy duty ones, I have had 1 cheap “regular duty” fail in the past and dump 30 gallons all over my basement

View attachment 5262945
Cheers! Is that your res? So you mix your nutes in your res then pump into the header/control tank already setup with correct PH and nutes?
 

go go kid

Well-Known Member
Awful copy pasta. Try harder
copy n paste, you should check out the fucking plasisizers in your smoke man, from my experiance, cannabis chills people out, not you, must be something in your grass not quite right.
for your information, i wasnt telling anyone to do anything, just education through reading and personel protection.
i dont copy n paste, anyone can say anything, get a new catch phrase n check out your ganja for nasties, coz you aint quite right man, chill the fuck out
 

go go kid

Well-Known Member
copy n paste, you should check out the fucking plasisizers in your smoke man, from my experiance, cannabis chills people out, not you, must be something in your grass not quite right.
for your information, i wasnt telling anyone to do anything, just education through reading and personel protection.
i dont copy n paste, anyone can say anything, get a new catch phrase n check out your ganja for nasties, coz you aint quite right man, chill the fuck out
many apologies BK, I owe you an apology, ive missread and reacted to your post in the worst way. i sincearly apologise
 

bk78

Well-Known Member
Cheers! Is that your res? So you mix your nutes in your res then pump into the header/control tank already setup with correct PH and nutes?
That is my nutrient reservoir in which I mix and ph the solution and feed my plants from. I also have the exact same “holding tank “ full to get to room temperature and I fill this one when empty.
 
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