Sterilite Bins, safe???

[JRechcygl]

Many people have brought up the point that Brute bins can leech PO4, does anyone know if this holds true with sterilite? I've used them before but the bins I used were only used maybe 8 months

[JRechcygl]

So no one has any idea?

[MinibowMatt]

I dont think so-- here is my sterilite prop tank... approx 20x14x6

It has been up for 6 months, and my system is super healthy.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/minibowmatt/DIY/P3060089.jpg

[BeanAnimal]

The problem with sterlite is its strenght. The material is very bittle and prone to catastrophic failure. It only gets worse over time.

[WLachnit]

Seems to get brittle with age, which is what I have learned the hard way.

[The0wn4g3]

The shallow ones are fine for holding water. I wouldn't trust them over about 10". They're so cheap, you could just buy 2 and put one in the other. I have the 13 gallon to hold RO water. I put it in a tub, so if it ever does bust it won't do anything but go down the drain. No problems at all so far.

[BIGBIRD123]

You can also make a wood frame with legs up the corners and a rim. This seems to make them work pretty good.

Steve

[MinibowMatt]

I am keeping an eye on this one. Brittleness is the only thing I was worrying about.

[coralfragger101]

I've heard that ALL plastics leach to some extent.

IF that is true and you don't cure the plastic first then the worst that could probably happen would be a bit of an algae bloom until the plastic cures and stops leaching within your system.

[BeanAnimal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12907918#post12907918 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The0wn4g3
The shallow ones are fine for holding water. I wouldn't trust them over about 10". They're so cheap, you could just buy 2 and put one in the other. I have the 13 gallon to hold RO water. I put it in a tub, so if it ever does bust it won't do anything but go down the drain. No problems at all so far.

That would appear to be a lot of trouble to go through when the no brittle "rubbermaid" tubs are only a few bucks more :)

[coralnut99]

fwiw, I have a sterilite sump that's been in use for about 4 or 5 years now. And it's a deep one too. It was meant to be temporary, and I know I've probably pushed my luck with this, but I'll be making major changes to the fishroom (again!) in the fall, and I think it'll be fine until then. Just offering a point of comparison here. The system has about 260G in water volume, and there was never any negative effects from leaching anything that I could perceive over the years.

[JRechcygl]

Yeah, my tubs were awfully brittle when I pulled them out. I just haven't found the dimesions I need in any other bin, and I'm not ordering custom tanks!

[BeanAnimal]

Yeah.. I am sure that a lot of people use them. They are certainly cheap and have a better footprint than the rubbermaid bins.

I have just seen too many crack when bumped into or twisted. We use them for storage and have noticed that most of them are broken from normal use.

I sleep much better knowing thatI don't have any in my system :)

[MinibowMatt]

well, in my installation, I never touch the actual bin itself.. just the frag rack!
Plus, im not running halides over it, so I shouldnt have as much UV damage...

[coralnut99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12909788#post12909788 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MinibowMatt
well, in my installation, I never touch the actual bin itself.. just the frag rack!
Plus, im not running halides over it, so I shouldnt have as much UV damage...

Pretty much the way I use it too. Very much out of the way, and actually supported at the corners.