Rubbermaid stock tank for turtles!

Yellow Turtle01

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
7,710
Location (City and/or State)
OH, USA
I promised this a while ago, so thank you for being so patient! :D
How I (and some other people) built the stock I'm currently using for three adult sliders. This seems to be difficult topic to read about, since care for your large turtle, once it gets large, is harder to find.
As any turtle owner knows, they are messy, messy, messy! So a good filter and pump go a long way. ;)
Things I used-
Eggcrate (cheap at hardware stores)
PVC piping and PVC brand sealant (cheaper at hardware stores)
4 12'' bird feeder stores (hardware/tractor supply store)
Laguna 1400 Pressure Flo Filter (Amazooon has the best deal, and also come with all of the inserts. But best get extra, as well :D)
Beckett 800g Waterfall pump (Also from te Amazon. You're going to be dropping a huge amount on this pump, so just get a higher rated pressure pump)
1 1/4'' Non-Kink tubing (Amazon, of course!)
Twisties. A lot of twistes.
DUCKTAPE!

Docking bay-
Take your eggcrate (wire cutters will work alright for this) and size out what your want the platform to be. Mine is 2'x1' and a half. Cut out what you want your ramp to be. Mine is 8''x8''.
Now you can start on your PVC. I am no expert on PVC (thank you, everyone!) so, picture time!
qqqqqqqq.jpg
The PVC in this picture was sealed with your PVC brand sealant. It smells great.
It was secured with twisties to the crate, whose edges were filed down with an industrial file, because that stuff is sharp!
You can, if you so wish, make it fit snugger by shaving off the corners.
l.jpg
Set aside your docking bay and hooks until later! :D

The Laguna system-
This filter is very easy to set up.
Read the instructions, since they'll tell you mostly everything :p
vvv.jpg
Assuming you have now read the instructions, connect the quickfit caps (comes with) to the spouts. Wrap a peice of ducktape around the craps before sliding the tubing on. This is great to prevent any leaks!
The tubing is very easily cut with an handy knife. Try to keep your sections short. This is filter that works on the amount of pressure you provide it.
If you choose a different filter, check to see if it has a backwash system. This filter has a red indicator stick that lets you know how much your turtles have clogged up the sponges, and using the backwash will flush the entire system.
It's a very effective way to clean the sponges without opening the filter, and for those of you with a PythonSiphon, it empties the tank very quickly.

The light/wet test explained-
This filter uses a high-output UVB biological cleaning system to purify the water. The lightbulb may be cracked or broken, and the wet test is a necessary precaution to go through before trying to use it.
Run only your pump for 24 hours. After 24 hours, check the lightbulb and it's casing to see if any water or bubbles are visible.
You can easily slide out the bulb from inside the cannister.
Do not use the filter if any water is visible! I don't know would happen, but it's probably something bad, so listen to the instructions on this one :D
If there are none, continue use with pump filter as instructed!

Duo pump!-
You can choose many pumps to go with this filter, it is very universal, but I give the Beckett pump my glowing recommendation, it's great.
Very easy to attach, and heavy enough to weight itself on the bottom with no help.

At this point in time, you may choose to use metal bracelets (I don't know what they're called:D) on your tubing. They screw on, and just help to tighten your connections :)
Something I have discovered is that Rubbermaid does not seal their drain caps. You need to seal the inner cap with (I used some leftover silicone I had from silk plants) a sealant unless you want your tank to drip a bit!
Now would be a great time to put in your substrate, if you have one. Decomposed granite is readily available and doesn't clog my pump :D
Fill it with water. :rolleyes:
Perform the wet test, hope your light's okay!
Return to your beloved docking platform! You can either hook the platform directly over the edge, or screw holes in where you want it. The latter is studier :)
So, yeah, go on, unleash the beasts! :D Hopefully you've got everything working just fine, no leaks, and your turtles are feeling like kings and queens in their new home.
With three sliders, I find I must clean mine completely 2-3 weeks, and do a bottom scan (PythongSiphon;)) every 3-4 days.
While I tried plants, I didn't seem to have enough light (my tank is situated in a dark room) and they wilted :p
But fake is great :D
o.jpg ly.jpg iiii.jpg
My girls were out tonight... lurker over there in the weeds...
And of course, I must say, if you're housing turtle, especially large turtles, look out for bullying. While mine seem to be just chipper, it will probably not always be so. This is a small tank in the world of enclosures!
Watch out for a pond this summer ;)
Thank you to everyone who helped me out, online or not, and again, thank you for being so very patient! I'm sorry my manual is a little on the sucky side, so let me know what you think of the finished kapow :)
 

Yellow Turtle01

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
7,710
Location (City and/or State)
OH, USA
My, I'm just noticing my many errors in here. Could a mod please change 'Rubbermain?' I don't what that is, but I don't have one :p
 

parrotlady

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2011
Messages
328
I forgot to ask what size of tank did you use? I have three rescued red ear sliders I am currently caring for and they will be soon out growing their current residence.
 

bouaboua

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
11,809
Location (City and/or State)
San Jose CA
I promised this a while ago, so thank you for being so patient! :D
How I (and some other people) built the stock I'm currently using for three adult sliders. This seems to be difficult topic to read about, since care for your large turtle, once it gets large, is harder to find.
As any turtle owner knows, they are messy, messy, messy! So a good filter and pump go a long way. ;)
Things I used-
Eggcrate (cheap at hardware stores)
PVC piping and PVC brand sealant (cheaper at hardware stores)
4 12'' bird feeder stores (hardware/tractor supply store)
Laguna 1400 Pressure Flo Filter (Amazooon has the best deal, and also come with all of the inserts. But best get extra, as well :D)
Beckett 800g Waterfall pump (Also from te Amazon. You're going to be dropping a huge amount on this pump, so just get a higher rated pressure pump)
1 1/4'' Non-Kink tubing (Amazon, of course!)
Twisties. A lot of twistes.
DUCKTAPE!

Docking bay-
Take your eggcrate (wire cutters will work alright for this) and size out what your want the platform to be. Mine is 2'x1' and a half. Cut out what you want your ramp to be. Mine is 8''x8''.
Now you can start on your PVC. I am no expert on PVC (thank you, everyone!) so, picture time!
View attachment 126631
The PVC in this picture was sealed with your PVC brand sealant. It smells great.
It was secured with twisties to the crate, whose edges were filed down with an industrial file, because that stuff is sharp!
You can, if you so wish, make it fit snugger by shaving off the corners.
View attachment 126632
Set aside your docking bay and hooks until later! :D

The Laguna system-
This filter is very easy to set up.
Read the instructions, since they'll tell you mostly everything :p
View attachment 126633
Assuming you have now read the instructions, connect the quickfit caps (comes with) to the spouts. Wrap a peice of ducktape around the craps before sliding the tubing on. This is great to prevent any leaks!
The tubing is very easily cut with an handy knife. Try to keep your sections short. This is filter that works on the amount of pressure you provide it.
If you choose a different filter, check to see if it has a backwash system. This filter has a red indicator stick that lets you know how much your turtles have clogged up the sponges, and using the backwash will flush the entire system.
It's a very effective way to clean the sponges without opening the filter, and for those of you with a PythonSiphon, it empties the tank very quickly.

The light/wet test explained-
This filter uses a high-output UVB biological cleaning system to purify the water. The lightbulb may be cracked or broken, and the wet test is a necessary precaution to go through before trying to use it.
Run only your pump for 24 hours. After 24 hours, check the lightbulb and it's casing to see if any water or bubbles are visible.
You can easily slide out the bulb from inside the cannister.
Do not use the filter if any water is visible! I don't know would happen, but it's probably something bad, so listen to the instructions on this one :D
If there are none, continue use with pump filter as instructed!

Duo pump!-
You can choose many pumps to go with this filter, it is very universal, but I give the Beckett pump my glowing recommendation, it's great.
Very easy to attach, and heavy enough to weight itself on the bottom with no help.

At this point in time, you may choose to use metal bracelets (I don't know what they're called:D) on your tubing. They screw on, and just help to tighten your connections :)
Something I have discovered is that Rubbermaid does not seal their drain caps. You need to seal the inner cap with (I used some leftover silicone I had from silk plants) a sealant unless you want your tank to drip a bit!
Now would be a great time to put in your substrate, if you have one. Decomposed granite is readily available and doesn't clog my pump :D
Fill it with water. :rolleyes:
Perform the wet test, hope your light's okay!
Return to your beloved docking platform! You can either hook the platform directly over the edge, or screw holes in where you want it. The latter is studier :)
So, yeah, go on, unleash the beasts! :D Hopefully you've got everything working just fine, no leaks, and your turtles are feeling like kings and queens in their new home.
With three sliders, I find I must clean mine completely 2-3 weeks, and do a bottom scan (PythongSiphon;)) every 3-4 days.
While I tried plants, I didn't seem to have enough light (my tank is situated in a dark room) and they wilted :p
But fake is great :D
View attachment 126635 View attachment 126636 View attachment 126637
My girls were out tonight... lurker over there in the weeds...
And of course, I must say, if you're housing turtle, especially large turtles, look out for bullying. While mine seem to be just chipper, it will probably not always be so. This is a small tank in the world of enclosures!
Watch out for a pond this summer ;)
Thank you to everyone who helped me out, online or not, and again, thank you for being so very patient! I'm sorry my manual is a little on the sucky side, so let me know what you think of the finished kapow :)

I got one of those coming my way also. One of those day. I will have some turtles in it. Thank you for sharing it.
 

Yellow Turtle01

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
7,710
Location (City and/or State)
OH, USA
Safe flight, boua!
 

Attachments

  • v.jpg
    v.jpg
    200.5 KB · Views: 23
  • e.jpg
    e.jpg
    257.1 KB · Views: 23
  • iiii.jpg
    iiii.jpg
    252.9 KB · Views: 24
  • ov.jpg
    ov.jpg
    270.6 KB · Views: 22

New Posts

Top