DIY Stock Tank Pool Ideas — Mid Modern Mama (2024)

What is a stock tank pool?

Stock tanks are just what the name implies — a large tank, metal or plastic — used for holding drinking water for stock on a farm or ranch. But they also make great pools! They are sturdy, designed for holding water, and they are designed to last a long time. Most of the time people who make a stock tank pool use it above ground, but some people excavate their yards and bury them. Personally, I think burying it makes maintenance more difficult, so ours is above ground.

Stock tanks come in a range of sizes and shapes. We ended up with a round tank that is 7’ in diameter. But they come smaller, larger, and in oblong shapes, too. For reference, our tank easily holds two adults and a child with room to play. Our tank is 2’ deep — that’s pretty standard — and we can sit comfortably with our heads out of the water. But the water is absolutely deep enough for fun play!

Depending on where you live, ordering the stock tank might be the biggest challenge. Check your local ranch supply or garden supply center. We found ours at Jax, but they are available at lots of national and local stores. Ask if the store will deliver for you, too. Ours did which made the whole process even easier!

The list isn’t long:

• a stock tank

• a drill

• a hole saw bit (size depends on the size of the tubes with your filter pump kit)

• a filter pump kit

Depending on the filter pump kit that you buy, you may need a few fittings to connect the filter to the pool wall. Each kit’s contents seem to be slightly different. As of this writing, too, filter pumps are somewhat hard to find. If you can’t find one online, check with your local pool and spa supply store.

don’t do it.

There are some fabulous pictures on Pinterest of stock tank pools that have been painted pink or black or blue. They look super-cute! BUT… evidently almost everyone who paints their stock tank pool lives to regret it. Most paint isn’t designed to be submerged for long periods of time. Some paints will leech chemicals into the water. Others will simply peel off — within weeks. If your pool is galvanized, it isn’t intended to be painted. The finish on galvanized metal doesn’t take paint well. These people painted their pool and now regret it. And here’s another regretful painter’s story.

So to paint a stock tank well is a LOT of work. And it still may not stick long-term.

There are several stock tankers who recommend lining a pool with a vinyl pool liner. We investigated this, but we couldn’t find the right size pool liner. So if we have problems in the future, this may be a next step, but at this point I don’t see that as being necessary.

Having read all kinds of accounts about painting pools, it became very clear that painting a stock tank pool is a BAD idea.

However, if you want to paint the exterior like @barleyflowers did, that is less risky, perhaps. And Stock Tank Pools has a good guide to doing it well. But as cute as those paint jobs tend to be… I’m still not sure it would be worth the work and expense. We decided to skip the paint in the end, and I don’t regret it at all!

How do you keep a stock tank pool clean?

We have opted for chlorine for our pool, but you can use salt water or bromide — all will work. If you are going to keep your pool full for more than a day or two, however, you will want to treat the water. I consulted our local spa store, and they put together a great kit of pool chemicals to get us started. I have a whole list of what we use and how we keep the pool clean. You’ll find it here:

How do you keep a stock tank pool safe?

Drowning is the #1 cause of unintentional death for children ages 1-4 in the US.

An average of 356 children ages 0-14 die due to drowning each year — 77% of which involve children younger than age 5.

ALL pools pose a drowning risk to children and animals — even if they don’t live at your home. If you are putting a pool — temporary or permanent — in your yard, please make sure you take all safety precautions and educate yourself on your local swimming pool regulations and laws. A fence around your pool with self-locking closures is especially important if you have small children in your home — or children who visit regularly. And ALWAYS designate a pool watcher.

For more on pool safety precautions and to take the Pool Safely Pledge, check out poolsafely.gov.