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We're thinking of getting a 140 gallon fiberglass tank and were wondering if anyone had experience using them for RES or even fish. From our research it seems like fiberglass is very safe in terms of leaching, since it's used for coy ponds, fish hatchery tanks, aquarium decorations, water storage, outdoor pools -- you name it. This tank has a coating on it called gelcoat which is molecularly bonded with the fibreglass and is apparently supposed to prevent leaching.

We got interested in the fiberglass option when looking for a "once and for all" home for our RES big enough never to have to be replaced and easy to transport when we move. This is less than half the price of a similarly sized glass aquariums and a fraction of the weight, without the risk of breakage. So does anyone know anything about it?

Although I don't know of fiberglass tanks, the whole thing sounds very sweet. I'd say go for it.

I was thinking that it scratched easy, but then remembered that's acrylic tanks. They're not the same thing, right?

Let us know what you decide, and we'd love to see pics if you get the new set-up. It's been a while since we've seen your guys... everyone doing well?

They are also thin and since this intended to be used with only fish, it may not stand up to scratching like Sonja mentioned. Normally fish tanks and accessories are fine for turtles, but you want to look more into the durability of this kind of tank.

We did think of the scratching issue. This tank would be made on demand for us from an existing mold, and we're talking directly to the guy in charge. So I think we'll bring that up with him. I think it's a matter of how thick the coating is. If the coating fails, fibers can potentially get into the water and have serious effects--but that would only be if the coating were penetrated completely. We'd love to go for it, but obviously not until we're sure there aren't any risks.

Sonja, everyone's great, thanks for remembering!--but to be honest it's hard to frequent the forum since our little one died of RI. Really makes us miss her!

From http://www.tortoise.org/general/pondmak.html:

"Peggy Nichols, the turtle lady of Long Beach, has ponds made of the fiberglass picnic umbrellas that McDonald's used to use for their outdoor tables. Her husband picked them up at a swap meet; she turned them upside down and dug them in."

Sounds like a clever alternative to me.