How many buckets do you own?

[SteveG_inDC]

I haven't counted but I think I'm around 7 and just getting started. One of the more interesting challenges in reefing, especially if we live with other humans, is containing the mess. I literally bought a house (ostensibly to be closer to our kids' school) so I could have a fish room to contain everything and a garage for spillover. We don't keep a car in it. On the flip side, the more room you have, the more you will fill it up with reef junk.

I want to find people who have achieved the unattainable: an organized reef room/equipment storage solution and learn from them.

 

[montethemoster]

A lot, but somehow I always end up with only one empty one I can actually use!

 

[Joey Reef]

I have 12 buckets. I have a 1 bedroom condo with a 75 galloon display and 2 60 gallon frag tanks. I have stuff everywhere. my closet in the master bedroom is now for supplies. The scary part is that my girlfriend supports and buys stuff too. Then again she doesn't live here.

 

[Reefs and Geeks]

I'll have to try to get a whole room picture, but my fish room/laundry room is pretty organized without being OCD. At least in my eyes. You can see a few pics in my build thread, but I don't have pics of the whole room on there and need to get some more up to date pics. Bucketwise, I'm up to about 30, plus (2) 44g brute trash cans.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Too many! I have quart sized up to 6g and then 2 32g brutes. Honestly I have probably 20 containers/buckets designated for fish use. It’s a little ridiculous

 

[andrewkw]

I will say I have both too many and not enough. Not counting the ones in my shed or the 5 or so under my deck full of sand...

 

[Algaewarrior]

I have 5 five gallon jugs, 3 home depot buckets, 3 small ikea containers, 2 mediums, 20 gallon Rubbermaid, and a partridge in a pear tree. My basement needs some organization for sure. I will probably get around to it after I finish my current build.

 

[NashobaTek]

Well, if you count every bucket, including livestock....... probably close to 100! Lol

Milk buckets, grain buckets, water buckets, lambar buckets, fish buckets, salt buckets,ice cream buckets...... You get the idea.

 

[MichaelReefer]

Probably 10 Home Depot Buckets, and another like 10 Red Sea blue Buckets. lol Plus three Brutes.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

5 buckets, 3 brutes. I like Walmart buckets because they're white and it's easier to see volume markers I add and how dirty the water is in them.

 

[Connor540]

I've got at least 10 now. I live less than 10 minutes from an Ace, Lowes, and a Home Depot and routinely spend way too much time and money in all three. I get in there and never grab a cart with the intention of not buying so much. Once it gets to the point where I can't carry everything anymore I conveniently toss all of my things in "just one more extra bucket" and head for the register! I use three regularly for water changes, a couple to hold supplies and odds and ends, and have a few outside in the shed that were switched over to tomato growing last summer.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have at least a dozen. With 3 tanks especially the two bigger ones, easy to go through a bucket every other month

 

[Glass Algae]

Ordered 9 home depot bucks like an idiot before I realized my local fish store had measurement jugs for sale cheaper than the buckets ‍♂ so now 9 buckets 6 jugs...

NOOB MISTAKES 101

 

[CubsFan]

FOUR! Four five gallon buckets!!! Ah ah ah!!!

 

[DeniseAndy]

Too many and not enough. Too many laying around and when I do a move around or full clean of tanks, not enough to hold everything. Some with sand, some water, some salt, some quart size or smaller to 44g or so.
So many ice cream buckets! My kids finish the ice cream, I get a new bucket.

 

[Deschutes541]

Only one Homer bucket. Three 50 gallon brutes though.

 

[AquaDaddy]

Quite a few, but now I stopped buying my salt in a bucket because I can get a box of the same salt at Amazon cheaper than the bucket. So, now I don't have so many buckets all over the garage!

 

[Privateye]

Maybe 15 or 20, but some have rock or other things stored in them. I keep about 5-7 in the rotation, along with 3 water cooler jugs for RO. I keep about 10 tanks, fresh and salt, from 8 gallons to 125.

 

[desagon]

Ever since I started using my brute cans for water storage and new salt water, I’ve stopped using buckets. I plumbed a small return pump in my sump to a drain and All I do is flip a switch to drain water for my water changes. I have a hose that fills the tank up with a switch as well. Buckets were always a nightmare to lug around and avoid spillage.

 

[dbowman5]

SteveG,
there are some in the hobby who have 'a place for everything and everything in its place', is that truly your goal? I imagine that state and could move toward it but.... My hobby is a construction zone, there is something changing or about to change all the time. Hard hats not necessary, as long as OSHA is not on-site. I have trash accumulating, equipment staged,
odds and ends and remnants, supplies, extras, and more. if small enough, all of these are stored in buckets.
then the buckets that i am using are all over the place. next to the mixing station, next to the stairs, next to the sump, etc. i have left over buckets that are contaminated and cannot be used for 'wet work' (apologies to the spies in our midst for the appropriation of the term). i have merchant buckets that are usable for that and i recently purchased two food grade buckets. some buckets are labeled: FW, SW, waste; some i just guess at.
I have a lot of 'Stuff' that is good for life, or may be needed someday. the fact that i accumulate reefing stuff the same way is not surprising. One of my goals in retirement is to sort and store my stuff so that i can find what i need when i need it.
thank you for reminding me. I do need to get to that. At least it is something to do when i am trying to 'go slow' and 'Be patient' Happy Reefin'!