Sterilite tubs without a traditional rack system?

[PeanutButler]

Reading through a lot of the threads here on rack setups and alternatives, would it be just as effective as a traditional rack system to just buy sterilite tubs in the appropriate sizing, melt holes in the top for air circulation, put uths on the bottoms, and then snap the lids on and just put them on shelves? That's obviously a quick and simple way of saying it, but I'm genuinely curious about this. As long as the uths are run through to a thermostat and the overall wattage doesn't exceed its capacity, it seems like in theory this would work -- and be considerably easier to set up. Am I missing something?

I'm guessing that ambient temps would still need some tweaking as my house is usually pretty cold in the winter, but this can also be an issue with traditional rack systems from my understanding.

[chrid16371]

I think the thing with racks is you can buy them for the size of the tub your using where as using a premade shelf wouldn't be the correct size depending on the size of the tubs. Premade shelves or book shelves tend to be not that deep. Buying a couple sheets of half inch PVC or 3/4 melamine and building a rack for the size tubs you need would be cheaper even with the cost of flex watt or thg tape.

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[Andera33]

I'm curious about this as well. Following.

[bcr229]

I actually did just that this past week to make a QT rack for two boas. The tubs are the 52-qt under-bed style from Hefty. They have handles that come up and hold the lids down securely, and they have a few extra inches of length & width over the 41-qt tubs so they're an ideal size for young adult boas.

If you want to stick to using Sterilite tubs get the latch boxes rather than the tubs with the lids that lift off easily.

[stickyalvinroll]

No because I hate dealing with lids. I used to do that when I just started, but after 8+ snakes I decided to ask one of my dad's employees to make a rack for me. The lidless life is so much better

[JodanOrNoDan]

I actually did this for about a year until I decided exactly how to go about putting in a new rack and I still do it for overflow. I use the hefty brand bins. They are a little more expensive but they latch well and the lids are stiff. I have yet to see a ball python even budge the lids on one of those tubs. I use individually wired heat tape running into a power strip plugged into a thermostat for those tubs.

[LittleTreeGuy]

Simple answer for the OP - Yes. As long as you are monitoring and maintaining heat and humidity and your heat source is being regulated, you can put the tubs anywhere you want. You could put one under your bed, one on the dining room table, one on the couch... wherever. Of course, these aren't idea locations, but yea, you could put it on a stand of your own liking, or on a shelf of your liking.