Habitat - Indoor :: how sturdy are the 50 gal rubbermaid containers

[narcolepticbeesh]

gday all. i have a 50gal rubbermaid container for my res, and im wondering how sturdy those things are. will i be able to fill it with a good amount of water without it breaking on me? i tried filling it but the sides started to expand already, and it was just a little less than half.

thanks all

[turtledudee]

They wont break, as long as you use brackets and attack them to a plank of wood, when i had my rubbermaid, i found that the clear ones were weaker. I had a blue one, with 4 brackets, 2 on each plank, the bracket would fit right under the "lip" on the side and used two planks of wood about two feet long[i think]. and yea you could fill it up more than half with the brackets.

[steve]

Without any extra support, I would go half-way. With extra support, I would go about 70%. Remember, these thing have a tendency to crack over time due to the weight, so check it occasionally.

[kinetic]

i know this is an old post, but i thoughtd id hijack this one a bit before posting a new topic...

i have a 50 gal rubbermaid setup (had to separate the turtles and i cant afford the bigger tank just yet so its only temporary) ive got cider blocks pressed against the side of the tub for bracing (the other side has the wall)

i am looking for a better setup for bracing and my creativity has run out.. so im looking for a picture of what Turtledudee is talking about...

PostPosted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:52 pm
They wont break, as long as you use brackets and attack them to a plank of wood, when i had my rubbermaid, i found that the clear ones were weaker. I had a blue one, with 4 brackets, 2 on each plank, the bracket would fit right under the "lip" on the side and used two planks of wood about two feet long[i think]. and yea you could fill it up more than half with the brackets.

or pictures of other ideas...thanks

[adam85491]

This is NOT my picture, I did a search and it is at this thread: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... race#65122 it is Poker's set-up.

[marisa]

I've seen picture where holes have been drilled on each side of the container (four in all, measure half of the container across the width and drill two matching holes midway toward each end on each side). A straight piece of PVC pipe is fitted through the holes and the ends are capped to keep the pipe in place.

I've also seen pics where the container has been wrapped with rope around it (under the bottom and over the top).

It's also possible, if you're a little handy, to make a wooden frame that you could put the container into---wood would be supporting the container around the top.

[kinetic]

ahh rope... now there is an idea, ill have to play with that during the next cleaning, thanks!