With so much uncertainty around us during this crazy year, I knew now would be the perfect time for us to finally do a stock tank pool. Since pools and splash pads were closed, we had to make the fun in our own backyard for Ryder and I during the week! It’s an idea I’ve been kicking around for about 2-3 years now but for whatever reason we never went through with it! I think because they really aren’t a cheaper alternative to a regular pool. I mean of course yes, they are cheaper than an above ground and especially cheaper than an in-ground pool but compared to Intex pools, they really aren’t going to save you any money. For me, I didn’t want an Intex pool because I wanted something that looked more custom and matched our home. A bright blue pool would’ve really stuck out like a sore thumb on our patio!

So I wanted to share with you the process of how we got here and any tips I acquired along the way! Let’s dive in! (See what I did there.)

I’ll start with the basics. We got our stock tank at Tractor Supply and we purchased an 8ftx2ft tank. You’ll want to make sure you have a way to get it home because they do not deliver for you. As you’ll see it’s BIG. We were both a little nervous driving home and we only lived 5 minutes from the Tractor Supply! For those wondering this cost us $415.00. The tank was not on the website so we had to go into the store and have them order it for us. Because the stock tanks have become so popular, they are on a longer waiting list. We got lucky and only had to wait a month for ours to get in so if this is something you are interested in for next year I highly recommend getting your order in early! Because of the high demand we also had a really hard time finding the right supplies for the pump and filter as well. A lot of people have purchased the items needed and are reselling them on Amazon and Ebay for triple the price. Not cool. So luckily my husband is super handy and he was able to make our own pump/filter to keep the water clean. The first picture below shows the two hoses in the pool which go through the filter to clean the water.

We got all our information from Hey Wanderer about how to set up the filter etc. Next year we plan to actually plumb in the filter if we can find parts instead of our temporary filter we have right now that needs to be hooked up each time we use it. It’s really not a big deal but it would be more convenient to have it drilled into the pool so it’s less fuss. To help keep it clean between uses of the filter we have a flamingo chlorine floater in the pool when not in use. We also will get a liner for it to help prolong the life of the stock tank pool. Overtime chlorine can cause the galvanized metal to rust.

*2021 UPDATE: This year we were able to plumb in an Intex Krystal Clear Sand Filter Pump and it’s been great at keeping the water clean and was simple to install.

When the time came to fill the pool, we chose to fill it by attaching a hose to our kitchen sink. We have VERY rusty outdoor water. Like it’s literally orange and I did not want to dump in a huge amount of chemicals right from the start so we spent about 4 or 5 hours filling the pool that way. One perk of this is that we were able to control the temperature of the pool right away and we were able to swim immediately after.

To make our pool feel more custom, I chose to wrap bamboo around it to give it a tropical feel as well as make the pool feel more a part of our space. We purchased 3 panels and used zip ties to connect each panel which keeps the bamboo in place. You can purchase the bamboo and all the other items including the sand filter and accessories through my LIKEtoKNOW.it page at no additional cost to you here. Keep in mind that the bamboo is 3ft tall and the pool is 2ft so we did have to trim it down a little bit. I could not find any bamboo anywhere that was only 2ft tall in this darker stain that I wanted. Even with the added work I am so pleased with how it turned out! We are so obsessed with the pool and I love looking at it and I am really proud of us for finally getting it all done! It’s been a great addition to our summer fun and our son Ryder who is almost 3 loves it as well! It’s nice that he is able to stand up in the pool and feel more comfortable in water. If you are thinking of investing in a stock tank pool for you and your family, I highly recommend!

*2024 UPDATE: The bamboo has faded quite a bit since we purchased it. This is our 5th summer using it, so I suggest getting the darkest shade of bamboo available if you go that route.

If you have any questions about our pool, feel free to reach out in the comments or send me a message over on my instagram page! I’ll gladly update this post if need be to provide you all with more information. To finish off the post I thought I’d share some more pictures of my family and I using the pool!

You can screenshot the above picture to get links of the items we purchased for our stock tank including the sand filter pump, and all the accessories on the LIKEtoKNOW.it app. It’s free to download too! I do make a small commission off items purchased through my links.