Disclaimer/Affiliate
This project may not suite the needs of everyone. This is what worked for us and our family. Use chemicals and tools at your own risk. None of these items were gifted or sponsored and purchased by us. We trust and recommend them. If you purchase through the link we will make a small commission from this at not additional cost to you!
How do you cool down in the middle of summer in Florida without spending every last cent in your bank and then some? Build a stock tank, of course! When we first had this idea, we had to think of all the pros and cons. How will we clean it? Will we be okay with a pool that’s only two feet deep? Will it be cost-effective to maintain? Will we like this for the new baby in the house? With the rising trend of the DIY stock tank pool, we decided to give it a go.
Benefits of a Stock Tank Pool
When it comes to regular pools, the typical choice is between saltwater or chlorine, with chlorine being the preferred option for most individuals. We knew saltwater was out of the question because it would rust the steel and it is way to expensive to maintain. While chlorine is so common in almost every pool and there is nothing wrong with chlorine, but we knew it would rust quicker than the saltwater so we kept researching. Then we came across food-grade peroxide as an alternative worth considering.
The food-grade peroxide has been a great option for us financially and very easy to use. Also not harsh on our skin.
DIY Process for Creating a Stock Tank Pool
Step 1: Do. Your. Research. We researched a few different stores, and Facebook marketplace for the stock tank pool itself. We ended up finding our 8ft x 2ft tank at Tractor Supply. It was on sale, and we paid around $400 for it. There are a few different sizes of stocks tanks, the 8ft one was the one on sale and more so in our budget. Now for the pool pump. Like regular pools there are multiple types of pumps. The two main pumps for these types of pools are filter pumps and a sand pumps. We chose the sand pump, purchased off Amazon. Our main reason for this was that all we had to do was add sand. There’s no filter to clean all the time. BONUS! It was the cheaper option, and it was on sale. I love me a good deal. We purchased our pool filter sand from Amazon as well.
Step 2: Next step was the prep work. The dreaded prep work. So this will be lengthy! Drilling the holes for the pump: Make sure that the drilled hole for the intake (sucks the water/debris/dirt in) is lower, and the jet (pushes the clean water out) is higher. If you purchase this pump the instruction manual on how to set it up come inside and explain the rest. Sanding: We used an electric sander to get the job done quickly. If you don’t have one, more power to your muscles because I couldn’t do it. We used 60 grit on the inside, and 120 grit on the outside. The entire inside and around the outside (not the outside bottom) needs to be sanded followed by a wipe down with vinegar. This will ensure that the next steps will stick properly! We ended up sanding the inside, applying the primer/epoxy, and then doing the outside. There is no right or wrong on this part, it’s however you prefer to sand as long as it is all sanded down.
Step 3: After the sanding is complete, next step is coating the inside with a self-etching primer, this helps the epoxy purchased from Pond Armor to stick. After that dries, you will start to apply the Pond Shield epoxy. NOTE** Be sure to follow the instructions EXACTLY for this Pond Shield for applying the epoxy part. You can choose between a few different colors of Pond Shield. I knew that I wanted to paint the outside black so I wanted a nice crystal blue look on the inside to make that color pop. The color is called Sky Blue. Be sure to buy quality paint rollers when painting this on because the fuzzies on the rollers will come off and make the sides and bottom a little bumpy when it dries. 
Step 4: After the epoxy finished drying for a few days, we started painting the outside. This part all depends on what color, what brand, and what finish you like. I chose a semi- gloss black made for metals from Rust-oleum. We did two coats of this! NOTE** Some people choose to prime the outside, however we did not.
Step 5: Hook up your pump following the manual provided and add water. We let the pump run for a few days and then added the peroxide.
Peroxide Measurements
When purchasing the peroxide for your pool you want to make sure that you purchase 35% food grade or higher. There are no instructions on the bottle for peroxide to water ratio. Depending on your climate (this is where research comes in) is how you will add the peroxide and what levels it needs to be at. We live in central Florida, so for our area we keep our peroxide level at 50 to 100 parts per million. We purchased test strips off of Amazon to keep track.