I cant afford a tank for my Red eared slider turtle, are there any alternative ways of providing a tank?

Ive heard of putting him in a large storage bin or Rubbermaid equivalent, but im not too sure if its ok, any help?

I cant afford a tank for my Red eared slider turtle, are there any alternative ways of providing a tank?
Rubbermaid


Pro's:


1)Very light. When empty or with just a little water, they are very easy to move around. This also makes cleaning easier.


2)Cheap. They can be found everywhere for cheap. You can get a 50 gallon for 15$, versus the potential 100$ for a 50 gallon aquarium.


3)Easy to clean. They are light, therefor during cleaning, they can be turned, lifted, flipped, etc. using minimal effort.


4)More realistic for turtles, fish, etc. Whatever you have in the aquarium can't see out of the “sides” of its natural habitat. As far as I know, the “sides” of ponds and lakes are NOT see-through. In my opinion, turtles most likely feel more hidden and secure in a Rubbermaid.


5)Won't break easily. Unless you take a knife, scissors, or another sharp object, you, your turtles, AND everything else in your house will have a tough time breaking a Rubbermaid tub. They’re made of a tough plastic.


6)Pretty easy to store. If you have one, it’ll take up just about as much room as an aquarium. But if you have more than one, they are stackable, saving you lots of room.





Con's:


1)Not very aesthetically pleasing. It’s not exactly attractive seeing a big tub full of water sitting in the middle of a room. But if you can’t afford an aquarium or just don’t want one, this shouldn’t be a problem.


2)Can't view turtles through the sides. The clear Rubbermaid tubs only come in smaller sizes. I have yet to see a clear one larger than 13 gallons. Plus, even the “clear” don’t come near the transparency of glass.


3)Caves out a little bit. Since they are made of plastic, when filled with water, they can “bow” (cave out) a little, and if the water level is high enough, this can cause some to overflow. But this can be solved by doing the following (It’s explained the best I could…) :


Ø Get two wooden posts that are 2” longer than the width of the tub (Measure the tub when it is not caving out.)


Ø Cut two notches into the posts so that when you orient the posts correctly, the notches will fit right onto either side, holding the two sides together.


Ø Place the two posts on top of the tub about a foot apart, so that the notches rest on the side of the tub. They don’t have to be a foot apart, the distance between can be smaller or greater depending on the size of the tub. When you fill the tub with water, the posts should keep the sides from bowing. You can screw the posts onto the sides just in case.


4)Rubbermaid tubs don't come in sizes any bigger than about 50 gallons so this limits what kind of turtle or how long you can keep a turtle in it for. They are perfect for hatchling turtles up to 5” turtles. Any bigger than 5” would be pushing it. A full grown female RES, for example, would be way too big for a 50 gallon Rubbermaid, but a Map or Painted turtle 5” or smaller would fit just right.


5)Required accessories for turtles don’t always “work right” with Rubbermaid tubs. One problem I have had was that suction cups, such as the kind on some basking spots and thermometers, don’t stick to the plastic that Rubbermaid’s are made of. Also, aquariums can be bought in lengths such as 20”, 36”, 48”, etc., which are the sizes that fluorescent lights fixtures are sold in. So if you buy a 36” long aquarium and a 36” long light fixture, the fixture will fit perfectly on the top of the aquarium. On the other hand, even if a Rubbermaid is 36” long, the sides are typically slightly rounded, so a 36” fixture wouldn’t fit right. You’d need to experiment in order to solve this problem.





Hopefully now you can decide whether a Rubbermaid tub or an aquarium is best for you. In the case that you choose to settle with an aquarium, it is still a good idea to have a Rubbermaid or two on hand just in case. It won’t hurt





Austi's Turtle Page is one of the best with every thing you could probably need know if you go to all the articles.


These links go to basic set-up


http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Article...


http://happyturtle.ms11.net/setup.html
Reply:yea you can put them in storage bin or rubbermaid... that would be okay.. i have seen people do that.. no harm. good luck!
Reply:you can make one out of plexi glass
Reply:The Rubbermaid containers work very well and are a cheap way to give your turtle the room he needs
Reply:you might as well buy a terrarium for your Red eared slider turtle its much cheaper and easier....


http://aquadreamshop.tripod.com/miniaqur...


this site has terrariums you can see it for yourself
Reply:thats a prefect alternative,until one day you may want to display your turtle.
Reply:a large sterilite or rubbermaid container is fine just make sure that it has land or a large rock for basking as well as a water area
Reply:Yes, storage containers work great. Kids plastic wading pools work as well.





Don't buy a terrarium for a RES. They are cheaper than tanks because they are NOT watertight, and can use thinner glass, etc. They are great for land critters, but don't try to put water into them.



credot siosse