Habitat - Indoor :: rubbermaid storage bin WARNING

[kinetic]

ok.. so loki has been in his 55 gal rubbermaid roughneck storage bin home for about a month, or more now... i decided that i had enough time today to do a complete water change and clean it up for him... when i moved the tank i found the floor kind of damp, but i thought it was from the cider blocks i was using the brace the sides since i hadnt seen a change in the water level (and i brought them in from outside), other than the normal amount from evaporation and such... well i get the tank back into place and get it completely filled, filter running, heater in, basking area set, and i notice that the water level is lower than a few minutes ago... so i check the floor and sure enough, its soaked!!!

a pin hole crack had developed in the corner of the storage bin and grew when i did the water change so be very careful where you put your storage bin... loki loved the privacy it gave him since he likes to hide A LOT but i just cant see buying another for him since it may happen again...

just a general warning to watch out for it!

[DavidY]

Yikes! That stinks. Those bins arent' designed to hold water and if you hold them up to the light you can see areas where the plastic is thinner than others. I could see those as weak spots where potential leaks could occur. I have actually been using a 55gal rubbermaid tub for the sump of my saltwater system for almost 9 years now. I have it on a sheet of insulation foam which may or may not stop a pinhole leak, but I should probably think about replacing it soon.

[steve]

Most of the colored plastic tubs I've seen are thinner than the clear/translucent ones. Emerging cracks are much more visible on the translucent ones.

Have you looked into a Rubbermaid stock tank? It won't be clear either, but its designed to hold water and some come with a drain on the bottom. It'll be a bit more expensive, but won't need replacements like the house-hold varieties.

[marisa]

This is something I used to warn people about (when I used the 50-gallon Rubbermaid storage containers I went through 4 of them in nine months, two pale gray ones and two navy ones) and you're one of the few who experienced the same problems I had with them. The pale gray ones seemed to be stronger than the darker color ones, and clear 50-gallon ones weren't an option here and still aren't---I was looking for one yesterday.

The problem with those containers (besides their thinness and bowing out) is that the bottoms aren't flat, and the areas, especially near the corners, will crack from the pressure of the water. I used to even try fitting things under the areas that were raised to take up space and create a flatter bottom.

I have a 50-gallon Rubbermaid stock tank and a few 100-gallon ones. The 50-gallon stock tank is quite shallow and is good for hatchlings/small turtles. If you get a Rubbermaid stock tank, go for a 70- or 100-gallon one. A 100-gallon one isn't much more money than the 50-gallon one.

[kinetic]

thats the exact problem i had, i took a closer look at the hole and its definitely right on the "foot" of the container (i have the navy bin) im pricing out some stock tanks in the area and looking into some ebay items and craigslist for right now... but ill be moving into a new place in a couple of months and i hope to have enough space to put a pre-cut pond somewhere in the place

on a related note... got any clever ways of drying out the carpet really well?? lol

[SpotsMama]

I can help with the carpet! Been there, done that. Pull the carpet up so the underside is exposed. Spray everything with lysol disinfectant to stop the rot. Put a fan on it. Leave the fan on until it's dry - may take a couple of days. If there's a carpet pad underneath, and it's just soaked, you may need to cut it out and replace it. Those pads tend to rot. After the whole thing is dry, you can put it back down.

It's a real pain in the neck!

[musicalturtles]

but arent stock tanks huge? where would you put them? (i wouldnt want to put it on carpet cuz it just might spill... and i dont want that)

[steve]

They come in different sizes and are pretty stable. They're designed to hold water, so I wouldn't worry about it leaking.

[musicalturtles]

where can i find them?

[marisa]

A good place is Tractor Supply Company (do a search to see if there's one near you). Places that sell farm equipment, agricultural products and/or cattle and equine products would have them.