I once used a brand new 5
gal paint bucket as an emergency hospital tank because my 10
gal quarrantine tank was occupied with some new acquisitions. It worked fine. When I'm not using it for fish, I store my Python in it. Likewise, I think the sterilite tub is a great idea because you can use it to store your fish stuff (food, dechlor, nets, etc) when it's not being used as an extra tank.
Here are some recommendations I would suggest...
1 NEVER use the tub for ANTYHING, other than storing your fish stuff - no detergents, no cleaners, no exceptions!
2 Rinse the plastic tub out thoroughly before using it for fish.
3 Have an extra 25 W or 50 W submersible heater on hand, so you can use it in the tub. Don't let it touch the sides or bottom of the tub because it may melt the plastic.
4 Plan ahead and have a cycled filter ready to go into the tub at a moment's notice. I keep an extra sponge filter running in my 15
gal all the time, so I can pull it out and use it to filter my emergency 5
gal bucket. I also have an extra biowheel floating in one of my tanks, so I can pop it into the Penguin Mini filter on my 10
gal quarrantine tank when needed.
