Incubation, shoe box Q?

Hey Guys,

I was at the ever-trusted local Walmart yesterday buying shoebox bins for the incubator I am making and the ones I wanted: http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProdu...=250&section=1.

But of course, they never have what I need when I got there.. They had these: http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProdu...=179&section=1

I was wondering how important the container integrity is to incubation. Is it better to have a tighter fitting lid for the incubation box? Is it worth it for me to run around and try to find the better boxes or will the basic sterilite or mainstays brand ones work fine..? I don't care about what's cheaper as I only have a 6 clutch incubator.. I just want to make sure I do it right LOL.

Cheers,
Chris.

The tighter lid probably wouldn't be a big issue if you use press-n-seal then put the lid on. This is purely my speculation, as I am no breeder (yet! :P ) But I know I've seen people using the cheaper, not locking lid ones just fine.

Chris, I have some of those and they are my least favorite boxes. One of the boxes actually split when I pressed in a light diffuser. I prefer heavier plastic than the ones in your first example. I'm not sure where I got the ones I like, it may have been Target.

I don"t even use the lids on the egg boxes until a week before they hatch. I use press n seal to completely seal the box for 49 days. On day 50 I remove the press n seal and put the top on the box. I haven't had a problem as of yet.

6qt sterilite locking lid tubs, those cheap ones are garbage in my opinion.
The locking lid tubs with egg crate and a few tiny holes for ventilation work fantastic.

12 for $38..
http://www.amazon.com/Sterilite-6-Qu...=sterilite+6qt

I saw a video on youtube of someone using a simple styrofoam cooler with a few inches of water in it and an aquarium heater. The water was heated creating humidity and ambient air temp. Just add a couple holes to maintain proper humidity and open it once a day for fresh air. I might try it in a few years.

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

I saw a video on youtube of someone using a simple styrofoam cooler with a few inches of water in it and an aquarium heater. The water was heated creating humidity and ambient air temp. Just add a couple holes to maintain proper humidity and open it once a day for fresh air. I might try it in a few years.

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There is far better ways to incubate than that, I'm sure you'll learn that as you gain more experience.

Aquarium heaters are notoriously cheap, until you spend a lot on the better quality ones, and at that point you might as well build a mini fridge inc or wine cooler, etc...
Styrofoam coolers do not keep very stable temperatures unless kept in a room that is very stable.

Substrateless incubating in a mini fridge or commercial fridge like a true cooler is IMO a much safer and more efficient way to incubate.

I got thick plastic ones from the dollar store and the lids are loose so I used press n seal with no issues

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Target has this: http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProdu...ctCategory=252

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Originally Posted by MrLang

Target has this: http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProdu...ctCategory=252

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Those are good tubs.
I love not using press n seal, these tubs do not need it :gj: