RiverMan Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Has anyone come up with a good test tank? I am thinking about something that is maybe 20' in length. Like maybe a piece of culvert pipe or a section of pvc pipe? Getting really tired of the trips to the pond a mile down the road. Ideas? RM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KcDano Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Some use stock tanks which come in many different sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugene Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 i know what you mean....i have seen poly cattle troughs that were probably 2 feet wide and i remember 2 different lengths....i think one would be close to 10 ft long and the other 15 or 20 ft long.....maybe a foot deep...they have a frame they sit in to keep them from turning over.....might look into one myself....later nugene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugene Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 KcDano could not have responded more than 2 seconds before me with the same idea....two great minds at work!!!!!!!! later nugene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTfishingrods Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 This is a bit on the expensive side but you could also get multiple use out of it. Endless Pool, Endless Pool, Endless Pool Utah, Endless Pool UT, Salt Lake City UT, Endless Pool Idaho, Endless Pool Wyoming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdman Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 I have a plexiglas test tank I designed but unfortunately was under some bad advice regarding getting the water to flow smoothly. I have had the tank looked at by qualified people in the swimming pool/hot tub industry and they assure me corrections can be made with properly placed jets and a skimmer. The tank is somewhat large, 36"Wx24"Hx24"D. It was built for commercial use and cost around $900. It is yours if you want it (free)(or any one else at TU) .The cost of shipping and handling is all you. I want to very clear about this-I am not interested in phase of moving the tank out of here. You come get it-I don't want to know anything. I'm not packaging, boxing or waiting for a delivery truck to pick it up. Just to be clear up front. First come, first serve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K.C.K. Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 This is just a thought ??? but why would not a aquarium work. Just put the pump discharge in line with your line you can up the pressure to simulate faster or slower retrieves I have been wanting to try this. K.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdman Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 I looked into the idea of an aquarium but the water would not flow evenly around the corners. So the tank I describe below has four curved plexiglas plates, one at each corner. We took a recirculating pump with several hoses attached and set them up inside the tank. The water flowed fantastically. The water came up the side of the tank and flowed across the top without any eddying or back current. There is a divider plate (18" of depth at the top of the tank-plenty of room to observe a crankbait in the process of diving) in the center and once the water starts flowing, it moves very nicely. I just never finished the project which require hoses installed on the outside so as to not interrupt the water flow. It's been covered up, sitting outside now for several years and needs a home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K.C.K. Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 (edited) That might be true you could get back turbulence that would affect small bait like cranks but I think if you had a long enough tank it would work for swimbaits... a good swimbait needs hardly any water pushing against it to make it swim so I personally think it would work with out having to much water slamming the other side of tank.. you could also have some filter material block off the far side of the tank and put your pump behind it and plumb your discharge on the other side push towards the pump that way you would be pushing and pulling the bait at the same time...I used to be a aquarium nutcase when I was younger and at one time had at least 15 tanks all over the house there were plenty of times I would watch fish get in front of the discharge and swim to there hearts delights. and the other side of the tank could be perfectly still. You could also put something behind the bait to diffuse the water flow split it so it flows to the far side and loses all turbulence ... it can be done.. on my reef tank we would have all of the discharges on one side of the front of the tank.. reef rock in the middle with space behind for water to flow, have one more discharge behind the rocks pointed towards the side with the main discharges it would create the purfect current circling in the tank.. K.C. Edited February 8, 2009 by K.C.K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 (edited) Just a quick thought..... (edit) Sorry, I didnt See birdmans last reply, which is basically the same concept. If you can find a cattle trough, those usually have rounded corners to help the flow birdman was talking about. Lapala posted some videos from Rapalas test tanks, which weren't very large, maybe look for those videos on youtube. I'm spoiled, i use the pool, but post your progress anyone. Edited February 8, 2009 by redg8r Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted February 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 I want one that doesn't work with a water current.........I want the water to be dead still so that I can can watch the lure at slow, fast, sink, pause, etc. I would love to build a custom shop and include one about 30' long in the floor that could be drained to the outside periodically. A large length of 2' diameter pvc pipe cut in half lengthwise with caps on each end would work great. jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Just tell your wife your going to put a goldfish pond in the backyard. She will think your the best ,but secretly your building a test tank, what she dont know wont hurt.Getting her to believe that a 3' wide by 30' long is the in style pond is going to be tricky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 There was a similar thread in here quite a while ago , finally someone(sorry , don't remember the name , it was supposively one of the younger guys)got to dig out a ditch in the backyard for lure testing . greetz:) , diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 If your shop has a slab floor, you can build a frame with 2X sides, and a plywood floor to hold them together, and line it with heavy plastic pool liner that you can get from a plumbing supply that has pond/pool supplies. Getting the water out of it when you're done would be the trick. I've seen setups like that in tackle shops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdman Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 For anyone interested (and that does not appear to be many) here is a photo of tank. There are two treaded plexiglas ports-one on the side and one on the bottom. I had this made so a crankbait could be rigged in the current thus allowing me to move around and examine the bait from multiple angles. The top view and side view of a crankbait in motion are two very different things. (If you've ever witnessed a crankbait from the side in a hawg trough you have to wonder 'really how stupid are these fish) It's here for the taking if anyone is intersted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdman Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 By the way, if anyone wants any of the snow seen around the tank, you are free to haul all of it away-as much as you want because I have plenty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Birdman. Very interesting solution. A vertical rotation of the water. What are you using to drive the water? I really like it. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdman Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 The original design did not produce the volume of current I had expected so it's not worth repeating that mistake. The solution is (based on a test that worked great) three jets mounted in a row on the side facing up into the curvature. The row should be as low as possible allowing the three jets have a chance to mix and produce an even flow over and across the top. (the whole objective was to create an even and smooth flow in the test area) A skimmer would be installed on the opposite side to pull the water down, through a recirculating pump and then back out the three jets. I never completed the tank as money was needed for other projects. It was easier (and cheaper) to just throw a batch of baits in the truck and take them down to the lake for testing. And if a fish hit a bait while testing, then bait was magical and it went into my tacklebox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Dave - that post by MTrods also looks interesting, scale it down a bit. There is a page on how they work here- Endless Tech specs pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Pete, I'd have to sell a lot of lures to be able to justify spending that kind of money on a test tank. It's cheaper to kiss up to a couple of neighbors who have pools, or just drive a mile to the local pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foo G Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I want one that doesn't work with a water current... You could always just turn the pumps off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Christmas present for the wife. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannabeeFishing Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 (edited) For anyone interested (and that does not appear to be many) Birdman, actually I'm very interested in seeing the result. Thanks for the post and the photo. I've been considering something similar. I was looking at a design somewhat narrower and perhaps using a couple of bilge pumps to circulate the water. Being in north Georgia, dropping by to pick yours up isn't a viable option for me. Thanks again. Gary Edited February 10, 2009 by WannabeeFishing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettD Posted February 20, 2009 Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 I work at an aquatic research station and we have these living streams for stream organism research. Here is a link to one like we have. https://secure.ns4ua.com/~wholesal/product.php?pid=123 I'm sure it's a little pricey but if anybody is serious test tanks I would say this is the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted February 20, 2009 Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 Thanks Brett, this is very interesting, but as you say they are pricey.pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
