I do not think you should go with the 41 qt. box. Not because I think it's a bad box (ie too small) per se, but because I don't think you'll be happy with it in the long run. It's clear you want to provide a lot of space and that you want this to be the perfect rack.



So for your own piece of mind I think you should find a bigger box.



As far as this 74 qt. box you found, I'd avoid it too. I believe it's a discontinued product for Sterilite and I don't think it's built sturdily enough to withstand use in a lidless rack.



Regarding the bottom, very few boxes have a perfectly flat outside bottom. Many have 4 little feet which are a bad idea in rack systems. Others tend to have ridge that runs around the outside perimeter of the box. These slide much better than the ones with feet and don't have a significant effect on heat distribution.



They do create a small groove on the inside bottom of the box, and yes, these can be difficult to clean. But given how easy rack systems are to clean in the first place this is not my primary concern. If all else is equal, though, get a box with as few grooves etc. on the inside floor/bottom.



The Iris boxes are unique. They have a pattern of raised squares distributed throughout the outside bottom to provide a lot of strength and rigidity. However, the inside floor/bottom is nice and flat. (Good point, Joan. I had totally forgotten about that.)



What city/state do you live in? Check and see if there is a container store within reasonable driving distance. They often carry the Iris CB-70. Call and check first. You can see how it's constructed and then decide if you want more space. If you do, you'll have to order them from Reptiletubs.com or Habitat Systems.



I do not have the CB-70 measurements with me. I do believe it's slightly larger than the Sterilite 41 qt.



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Yeah Chris, I was like wow that's a big tub I like that one. The floor's not totally flush though it has areas that are raised and areas that are flush, I wondered if this would effect how the heat was dispersed in the tub. Although now that you mention it I didn't think about how flimsy it my be being so big. It was made by Sterilite too. It was called an underbed box. You think I should just go with the 41 qts?

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