Clear Water in Troughs

[Chuckie]

In a posting several months ago, we talked about adding chlorine into the cattle's water to keep it clear. I have been doing this and it works wonderful. Someone suggested placing chlorine tablets in the bottom of the tank.
There are some white chalky chlorine tablets made by Clorox,(2000 Flushes) that do not have any dyes and dissolve very slowly over several months. They give a light chlorine smell in a toilet, but water is run rapidly over them often during the day. I would think that they would dissolve even slower on the bottom of the tank.
Are these tablets the ones they were speaking of?
Chuckie

 

[andybob]

I have used swimming pool tablets in a galvanised tank for poultry water, probably the same thing. To prevent the chlorine corroding the tank by direct contact, I suspended the tablets in a milk jug with a slot at the top to place the tablet in, and holes to allow water to move over the chlorine, this also allows you to monitor how much chlorine is dissolved, and when to add a new tablet.

 

[Chuckie]

Let me correct myself before someone else calls it to my attention.
2000 Flushes is not made by Clorox. It is made by WD-40.

Andybob, I bet it is the same thing. Does the swimming pool tablets say not to touch them? Liquid Clorox says you can wash your hands in it to get rid of stains. I have been doing that for years.

I also noticed on the 2000 Flushes box, it says bowl water will not harm children or pets. It didn't say anything about cows drinking out of the bowl. :shock:
Chuckie

 

[andybob]

The pool tabs are safe, we used them to chlorinate water from a river for the broiler barns near Pienaarsrivier in the north of South Africa, several cattle troughs are supplied from the same chlorinated source with no adverse affects and wild antelope, mainly Kudu use the troughs rather than go to the river!

 

[mdmdogs3]

we have a chlorinator for our chicken houses - helps kill the critters that want to live in the water lines

anyway - we just put plain ole bleach (plain label, purchased on sale) in the chlorinator

if you use it outside you'd have to add some every couple of days but it doesn't take very much to clear up the water

I used to put a cap or so in my bird bath every once in a while to get rid of the algae and skeeter babies (didn't stop the birds)

 

[novatech]

I don,t think the algae will hurt them. The only benifit I can see is some prevention of disease transmision.

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

Goldfish work for us-- they eat the algae and keep the troughs clean.

 

[cattleluvr18]

i clean out our auto and stock waters every week or at least try too. i think it makes the water alot better for them.

in valley vet they have some stuff. dont know if ya'll are willin to spend the money. im sure theres prolly something cheaper but heres the link anyway.
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html ... 6e6069f79a

 

[TheBullLady]

Personally I think chlorinating the water is a waste of $$.. for cattle, but I guess if you want clear water in your tanks that's up to you. I wonder if you have to be careful of the concentration? How can you regulate it? Seems that something you use to clean your toilet isn't necessarily something I would let my cows drink.. but just my opinion.

I also use goldfish.

 

[Jogeephus]

Goldfish work for us-- they eat the algae and keep the troughs clean.

Same here, and its amazing how big they can grow.

 

[Chuckie]

Check out these sites about algae control.
http://www.ohioline.osu.edu/anr-fact/0012.html--scroll down to algae control in tanks.
http://www.extension.missouri.edu/explore/qa/water0009.htm
Thanks cattluvr18, I'll check that out.
How many gold fish to a tank?
I would have got "Ty-Do-Bol," but as long as that little man wears that turtle neck sweater, he ain't floating his boat in my tank.
Chuckie

 

[Jogeephus]

Number depends on how much algae there is. But in general, about 2 per 100 gallons. It's amazing how big those things will get in a cow tank.

 

[Chuckie]

Did you buy Wal Mart gold fish?

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

Absolutely... bought 6 for each trough @ $0.25 a piece and 4 lived on average... 1 trough only has 2

They're about 3" long now and a few years old... time to think about replacements.

 

[ROCK-N-W]

Goldfish are great except when you go on vacation & come back finding um all belly up & bloated. Then it's a real stinky tank to clean, WHEW WEE That's a smell Ajax won't wash off

 

[TheBullLady]

My goldfish are easily over a year old. Bought them at Pets Mart for $.25 a piece. Bought 10, had 7 survive the initial move, now have 9. They are HUGE.. a couple are 10 inches long.

 

[Chuckie]

BulllLady, I wonder how Koi would do? They sell the big ones for several dollars at that size. Sounds like a second job in the making!
Chuckie

 

[Chuckie]

Three more questions about the goldfish. When they are put in the tanks, do you feed them anything other than the algae? And, do they keep the water clear?
The green algae can give off toxins if it dies in the tank and the blue green algae is supposed to get them for sure. I have smelled the water of a tank that sat in an empty pasture for a while. The smell of the water is horrible.

The tanks that you are keeping the fish in, are you hooked up to city water or a well on your property. I know that fish can take small amounts of the city water, but when the cows come to the trough all at once, they take it down to half before they are finished. Half city water at once might be too much at one time.
Chuckie

 

[Jogeephus]

We don't have city water so don't know about that. I've never fed the goldfish just dropped them in there. You might find one or two that die in the first couple of days but after that I rarely ever found a dead one. I'd give it a try anyway and see what happens. If it don't work with city water, you'll only be out a couple of bucks. If they can take city water, they will do a good job keeping the algae growth back.

 

[Chuckie]

I meant to add that I put one tablet in each tank several days ago and it is working fine.
Chuckie