Holes in tubs?

[thegeckoguy]

Ok so i finished my rack and i was drilling holes in the tubs today. I only got 1 done before i realized that ive never seen holes in the pictures of your racks. So, should i go through the hassle of drilling holes or will my leos be fine? Thanks,

Justan

 

[o0 Ryan 0o]

It depends on the gaps between the tubs/rows. If it's really snug, I would suggest drilling some holes to start. See how the humidity/temps hang and decide if you need more from there. If the gaps are larger, but still obviously not enough for them to escape I would wait and see how things go.

Also, is the back (and/or sides) open, screened, peg boarded, fully enclosed? You'll want some airflow and heat to escape, so keep the openness in mind before deciding.

 

[GeckoJunkie]

Ditto what Ryan said. I have mine very tight fitting cause I do not want any escapees (only ones I use racks for is juvis). Since I have them so tight I had to put in holes for ventilation and air flow.

 

[thegeckoguy]

ok well mine are pretty snug so ill just drill the holes. Thanks!!

 

[OhioGecko]

Soldering iron works very nice.

 

[Halley]

Soldering iron works very nice.

Yes they do make cleaner wholes. However it stinks, like crazy when you do it, so make sure you have good ventilation, when you do it. Soldering irons are the way to go though, in my opinion.

 

[LadyGecko]

Since I use lids on all of my tubs because of the cats I poke/melt holes in all of my tubs
I have used a 2 and a 3 prong barbecue fork and it worked great

I just heated it on the stove burner and when it got red hot-it poked through the plastic like going through butter
The key is getting the fork hot enough

yeah-it's a bit unconventional but it works-lol!

 

[liljenn]

Since I use lids on all of my tubs because of the cats I poke/melt holes in all of my tubs
I have used a 2 and a 3 prong barbecue fork and it worked great

I just heated it on the stove burner and when it got red hot-it poked through the plastic like going through butter
The key is getting the fork hot enough

yeah-it's a bit unconventional but it works-lol!

Oh, how creative! I think that's very smart!

 

[geckoluv2187]

I found that the soldering iron didn't make large enough holes. In R. Tremper's book he recommends 1/4 diameter with 18 per side in 22" long tubs (which is 30qts). We just made a few less for our 15qt tubs. We used a drill with new 1/4" drill bits (this is important because plastic can be hard to drill through). Definitely drill outside, it makes a big mess.