Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Looking to buy a 3x2x8 stock tank for my savannah monitor. Which would be better, a heavy duty poly tank, or a galvanized steel tank? I always hear and see people using steel stock tanks, but I never see anyone using a poly tank. I was told heavy duty poly tanks work just as good, if not better because they don't rust. Is this true??? Can anyone give me any advice through their experience? Thanks.

Se7en,

I would imagine its a matter of personal taste. As both can work.

I do not like plastic troughs because of several reasons, one is they taper and lose volume. This occurs in the area of the substrate, which is where I want the most volume. They also are soft and do not hold heavy substrates well. Ever try pushing or moving a plastic trough full of dirt? They are also harder to dig up eggs in. But again, thats my own personal opinions, based on what I do.

As far as rust, I have many steel tanks that have been in continious use since 1991 and have not had a problem yet. In fact, they are most likely good for at least that long in the future. As in, I have not had to make a single repair in all that time.

My bet is, you will not keeping monitors for that long, so rust is not a problem. Cheers

I think the steel tanks are a fair amount cheaper, per equal size, than the poly tanks.

Later!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

the footprint in the metal troughs is bigger, i have never seen ours rust.

monitors scratch and climb at the sides. with the metal, it is not an issue, they can't get a grip, or do damage. with plastic, they can scratch it. that is not really an issue for the monitor getting out, but those micro abrasions (and the texture in general) make it very easy for any feeder insects to get up up and away, and escape. into your house : )

that is not an issue with the metal troughs : )
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

So everyone agrees that galavanized steel stock tanks are overall better for monitors than poly stock tanks. Thanks for your help guys.

Se7en,

What does it matter if we agree. What matters is, what your usage is. You may need to squeeze one thru a tight door, it that case a plastic trough is better(just an example)

It does bug me that people have to agree(you see that on here alot), in my opinion, we do not have to agree. What we can do is offer our experiences and you can pick whats right for you. Cheers

I wanted to know if a poly tank will work just as good as a steel tank. No one gave me any positive feedback about poly tanks, and only gave me reasons why steel tanks are better, therefore I obviously assumed you guys agree that steel tanks are overall better. It's going to sit in my garage, so I don't have to worry about moving it around or fitting it through doors. I will use the 3x2x8 tank as the base, and build another 2ft above it. Can the poly tank properly hold 2ft of dirt? It will be used to house a single savannah monitor, but who knows if I decide to introduce a mate in the future. What is the minimum size enclodure for an adult pair? How much bigger than 3x4x8 do I need to go? I doubt I have enough space to fit a HUGE enclodure and my car in the garage. I'm not considering breeding at the moment, but MAYBE in the future.

The reason I ask about the plastic or steel, is because it's VERY hard to find a stock tank at a decent price around San Francisco. I don't have many places to choose from. There is a 3x2x8 poly tank for $200, only 30min away. They sell their steel tanks that size for $250. Yes, that's expensive. If they both work just as good, why not go with the cheaper one? If the steel tank works better, then NO DOUBT I'll pay the extra $50. If I'm lucky enough to find a driver with a big truck that's willing to drive out hours away from the city, then I can find steel tanks for as cheap as $170 at tractor supply. Thanks for your advice.

Se7en,

Make that thing as mobile as you can. Things change, and when you need to move the trough, along with the 3 million pounds of dirt in it, you'll be kicking yourself big time. The Rubbermaid troughs are the best ABS trough out their. I havn't seen the ones you've reffered to, but the other ABS,Poly,etc. troughs I've seen weren't made to handle any kind of dirt or water weight and will suffer because of it.

a couple people already mentioned the taper. I didn't really think about that enough when I bought my poly stock tank, and when I first set it up it was the biggest enclosure I had used (and still is) so I was a little blinded about that fact. However, now that I've used it for a while I do notice that they not space efficient at all.

For example, the exterior dimensions of the trough are about 58" long x 40" wide, but the interior dimensions are closer to 50" long x 30" wide, and it tapers briefly in the middle of the tank to only 24" wide.

That's actually why I'm looking into building them a new enclosure this summer. I could get a TON more floor space in a cage that would fit the available nook much better.

If I were going to do it again, I would have gone with a metal stock tank.

I did the math just now to see how much floorspace area there actually is in the poly stock tank. Taking into account the rounded ends and other causes of lack of floorspace such as the taper and protrusions, I got something between 1200 and 1300 square inches. For reference, a standard 4'x2' enclosure is 1152 square inches, and a standard 6'x2' enclosure is 1728 square inches.

If I get some time, I'll have to go back and check my math, because that number seems shockingly low to me, but maybe the reason it seems so large is because of the taper. Basically it's an enclosure that, while it takes up almost 2000 square inches of area, it only gives my reptiles just over half that. I'm feeling better and better about building some new enclosures.

According to my calculations (again, they are not always correct), an 8'x3' metal trough should have almost 3200 square inches of floorspace.

Just figured I should make it clear that my measurements of floorspace in my poly stock tank are of the usable space on top of the 10-12" of dirt. I'm sure the floorspace on the absolute bottom of the tank is under 1000 square inches.

3x2x8 steel tank and poly tank, both hold 300gallons. They have the same demensions, and hold the same amount. I understand the poly tank might taper a bit, but wow, can they really WARP that much???

Se7en,

http://www.rubbermaidproducts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RCP 4247 GRA&Category_Code=Farm Tough™ Stock Tanks

the 300 gallon metal trough will have a lot more floor space than a 300 gallon rubbermaid stock tank. That is, unless you intend to fill it all the way to the top.

if you're saying the poly tank has the same dimensions, then it's not the rubbermaid one, which means my calculations aren't relevant. Who else makes poly stock tanks?

I can only find the Behlen Country Poly stock tank around my area. Farmmaster also makes poly tanks, but can't find one anywhere near my area.

Se7en,

I've only seen a picture or two of those and the taper seems to be a lot less severe, so just use your discretion.

Good luck

I use the Rubbermaid Ag. troughs and I think they function better for me. My oldest is closing on a year old and I havn't had any problems with any kind of scratches or abrasions. They stay fairly slick, so it is easy to wipe down and avoid the film that builds up on either. Their are two things that will make your life easier in the long run: 1, either add heavy duty locking casters or buy a furniture dolly or two ( attach to the bottom of the trough ) to ease moving. I havn't had a problem moving the Rubbermaid troughs, they stay ridgid and are built for a lot of weight. 2, add either weather stripping or the adhesive foam strips to the rim of the tank. This will take care of any raised areas or imperfections, and will keep any insects in. I've used these for just about all of the four legged Reptiles I've kept and havn't had any problems. They do cost a bit more, but for me they look better, and I'd rather keep any animal in a non-conductive enclosure just to be on the safe side. Yes, I'm an electrician and I've seen some nasty incidents with metal troughs and enclosures both in the Agricultural and Pet trade

if it is going in your garage, and you are buying a trough either way, get AT LEAST the 4 ft trough, if not the 6 ft.

a 3 ft shouldn't even be enough for a yearling Sav, it would be a shame to waste so much time and money only to have to upsize so soon.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

3x2x8 is the largest ROUND ENDED stock tank I can find, both poly and steel. Some sell a longer 3x2x10, but nothing any wider. I've checked Tractor Supply, Behlen Country, Farm and Fleet, Stockyard Supply, and Hutchison. The only stock tanks larger and wider is the ROUND tanks. If I stick a massive ROUND stock tank in my garage, my car won't fit. Like I said before, I live in San Francisco, and my choices to where I can buy stock tanks from is very limited. I thought a 3x4x8 enclodure would have been large enough to house a single savannah monitor. Thanks for the advice.

Se7en,

> > > I thought a 3x4x8 enclodure would have been large enough to house a single savannah monitor.

It is. Usually, measurements are given in the order of: Length x Width x Depth

That would mean that the trough you're looking at is 8 x 3 x 2, with a 2ft addition on top.

HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Thanks for pointing that out for me, now I know.

Se7en,

I wasn't tryin' to correct you on that, I was just pointing that out as I think the switched order is what made Robyn think it was a 3ft tank.

Let me correct myself; I said measurements should be written in the order of: Length x Width x Depth BUT Depth should actually be "Height", but in some cases, like this one, it is considered a depth instead of a height.

Take care!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Your right, and your order makes more sense. It's just I noticed on every internet site selling stock tanks, for some reason they ALL put Width x Height x Length. So I assumed that was the right order. Without someone CORRECTING my mistake, how would I know I'm doing something wrong? Thanks for pointing that out.

Se7en,

This was from chat week on Kingsnake.com on Dec.9,2002

AskDaniel: > how big of an enclosure does one savanah monitor require?

daniel_bennett: probably the same size as would house two or three

daniel_bennett: it needs to be at least four feet deep

daniel_bennett: in the book I wanted to stress the amount of trouble keping these lizards is, so it recommends 8 x 4 x 4 feet

daniel_bennett: in fact you could get away with less length and width

daniel_bennett: but the depth is essential

I guess I just have to settle for a 3x4x8 enclodure. Atleast I have the length and depth. Hopefully it won't be too tight for my savannah monitor.

Se7en,

7
Steel gets my vote!
Mike

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Mike's Monitors!

Thanks for the advice Mike. I noticed your trough pics were recently added to proexotics. Very nice...

Se7en,

Your welcome, and thank you.
Mike
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Mike's Monitors!

enclosure

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"Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew!" Charlie Papazian

I'd have to agree with steel. I have a 8x3x2 and it is perfect for housing my 1.5 YO Sav. I give him 1ft of dirt and he likes to dig around the edges, so a tapered edge would inhibit his burrowing. He goes all the way to the bottom with the burrow.

WHen constructing the cage, the 8x3x2 steel tank was easy to handle and easy to frame around for a visually appealing look. I built a "floor" underneath for the tank to sit on with 4 2x4s and with a stock tank and its true dimensions, I didnt have to worry about the tapered bottom and makiing sure it was sitting on the 2x4s properly, it just slid in the frame and leaves little wiggle room. The top sits flush and give good humidity control and security.

Dobry
What did you use for the upper portion?
Mike

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Mike's Monitors!

Hi Mike,
The frame is 3/4" steel square tubing and the sides are 1/16" steel sheeting. I welded it together and it just bolts to the top of the trough. The very top comes of in three pieces. The clear parts are polycarbonate and are screwed into the metal frame.

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"Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew!" Charlie Papazian

Dobry
Great Job Brother!
You are quite the Craftsman!
Mike
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Mike's Monitors!

I really like your drain construction posted above, I may incoporate that into one of my next projects. I have several of the metal troughs as well that are awaiting their next use.
Jason

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"Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew!" Charlie Papazian