Outdoor tank project

This is the low-budget version of Mark's project !

I want to keep my Tarichas outside for part of the summer, and wanted a large, durable tank that would be safe from predators yet still admit light.

I purchased a large plastic rubbermaid container, "XL" size. The lid I used is the top for a 20 low, so you can see the "tank" is plenty large.

Picture 1. First I cut out the inside of the top. There is a large lip which I cut inside, which would make it impossible for the animals to crawl out of, even without the top.

Picture 2. Next, I made holes with an awl and used zip ties to attach the lid. Unfortunately, the lid hung down inside the tank, and was too large to fit in the container. I had to start over. Oh well.

So I took that 20 gallon low lid and mashed it flat with a sledgehammer.

Picture 3. These are the items I used for the project, except for the sledgehammer.

Picture 4. I poked all these holes with the awl, and used the pliers to pull the zip ties through (they didn't go through easily, they had to be pulled). These are views from the inside of the top.

Picture 5. And the finished product, view from the top. Now all I have to do is wait for spring! I'll probably make it a marshy tank and keep it in mostly shade.

Brilliant! I know you spent some energy with that sledgehammer. It was quite a chore when I wanted to just bend a screen lid slightly. They are stronger than one would imagine.

Yeah, I pretended it was Grumpet's and I was mad at him.

That's a nice one.

I was reading something on cage construction the other night and they mentioned 'car grate?' or 'car mesh?' Anyway it's basically fine metal screen, they would cut the lids of the plastic tubs the way you did, heat the metal mesh in the oven, and then place the hot mesh onto the lid and it would melt into the plastic elliminating the need for glue or zip ties and the like.