Which are better metal or plastic stock tanks?

[Alex Z]

Going crazy searching for the right one for my turtles. All the plastic ones seem to leak at the drain. Metal ones afraid of them conducting electricity cause of the heater and would corrode over time. Please help for those thst have bought any type of stock tanks. I will be housing a res, ybs, and 2 maps.

 

[Yvonne G]

It's probably not true, but I don't like to put the turtles directly into the metal tanks, so I line them with pond liner then add the water. My thinking is that the metal might give off some sort of chemical reaction, like when you bite down on a piece of aluminum foil. Also, when they weld the metal, the fumes are toxic. It's just a phobia of mine. Many people use metal tanks with no problems. Also, you can find plastic tanks with no drain holes.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tuff-stuff-products-heavy-duty-oval-tank-110-gal

 

[leigti]

I would definitely go with plastic. Or the rubber/plastic types that are out there.

 

[Len B]

The only thing I don't like about the rubber stock tanks is, they are black. makes it hard to see your animals. I have some old metal tanks that are almost 50 years old and still hold water. So I'd have to say they hold up well. But the last 2 that I bought, one is a plastic type and the other is thick hard rubber and both seem to be ageing well also.

 

[Alex Z]

Ty all for the help. Will sit with the lady and see which we feel more comfortable with. I really like your idea yvonne with the metal tank and pond liner.

 

[Markw84]

I still think these are your best choices:

http://www.redewald.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Aquaculture-Price-List-as-of-May-30-2014.pdf

Going to run about $700 - $800 for a nice 200 gal, but would be so much better with your concerns.

You can get almost any size to fit your space.
The height to sq ft raito is so much better for turtles as you can choose the dimensions.
No worries what so ever about any leaking.
A true rectangular shape will fit your area much better than a stock tank
You could build a simple stand to look attractive with a hole that the whole tank can slip into as it is built to be hung from the lip as an optional installation.

 

[Yvonne G]

Ty all for the help. Will sit with the lady and see which we feel more comfortable with. I really like your idea yvonne with the metal tank and pond liner.

Here's my snapper tank. It's a 600 gallon metal stock tank lined with pond liner:

 

[mike taylor]

The first one is a metal stock tank dug into the ground . The second one is a 100 gallon pond from home depot . The metal one is 1200 gallons .They work great outside .

 

[leigti]

You can also get the plastic/rubber types in light gray or blue and I've even seen them in green. So they don't all have to be black.

 

[Tom]

I've used metal, plastic and rubber. No problems to report with any of them. I had some baby alligators in a large metal one for over a year with no issues. I've kept fish and amphibians in them too, and if there were any problem, fish or frogs would not survive. My large hoof stock animals also get their water from large galvanized stock tubs. My camel is getting old and arthritic, but she's lived her whole life drinking from metal troughs.

My point is that I think the metal ones are safe to use based on all my years of using them with a large variety of animals that should be more sensitive to water quality than a turtle. Nothing wrong with the plastic or rubber ones either.

 

[Alex Z]

Great insight as always from everyone.

 

[Alex Z]

The first one is a metal stock tank dug into the ground . The second one is a 100 gallon pond from home depot . The metal one is 1200 gallons .They work great outside .

View attachment 213715 View attachment 213716

Beautiful your enclosures are...

 

[tglazie]

The metal ones are fine. I've used them as hatchling rearing tanks for close to two decades. I mean, it makes sense that there would be no problems, given that their main purpose is as stock tanks for horses, cattle, goats and sheep. The main thing I would watch out for regarding the metal tanks is that none of the seams on the bottom are sharp. I've gotten some in the past where the seams on the bottom stuck out from the seal, and these were sharp. In the one case I got one delivered that was like this, I requested a replacement, and it was provided to me no questions asked. Tractor Supply is good for that sort of thing, in my experience.

Basically, these companies would be out of business fairly quickly if they poisoned the thoroughbreds. I don't tend to like the black plastic ones for the fact that they make it hard to see most species of turtle. I reared baby southern paints for years, and I switched to the metal tanks so that I could quickly see and count the babies, to make sure nothing was making it through my mesh covers. From what I understand, they have blue and grey tubs now. Hopefully the trend of customization continues.

T.G.

 

[mike taylor]

Beautiful your enclosures are...

Thanks ! I'm always doing something to them .

 

[Alex Z]

The metal ones are fine. I've used them as hatchling rearing tanks for close to two decades. I mean, it makes sense that there would be no problems, given that their main purpose is as stock tanks for horses, cattle, goats and sheep. The main thing I would watch out for regarding the metal tanks is that none of the seams on the bottom are sharp. I've gotten some in the past where the seams on the bottom stuck out from the seal, and these were sharp. In the one case I got one delivered that was like this, I requested a replacement, and it was provided to me no questions asked. Tractor Supply is good for that sort of thing, in my experience.

Basically, these companies would be out of business fairly quickly if they poisoned the thoroughbreds. I don't tend to like the black plastic ones for the fact that they make it hard to see most species of turtle. I reared baby southern paints for years, and I switched to the metal tanks so that I could quickly see and count the babies, to make sure nothing was making it through my mesh covers. From what I understand, they have blue and grey tubs now. Hopefully the trend of customization continues.

T.G.

I have been researching all of them. Since we have 10 turtles, we need as much space as possible. The 300g stock tank is looking like the best option.

 

[leigti]

Here you go. Just Google stock tank and you'll come up with all kinds.

 

[leigti]

They also come in blue and green and gray.

 

[Alex Z]

Ty, I been doing so for the past month..going to go with 300g rubbermaid.