500 gallon Crabitat

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EdisNiksic
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500 gallon Crabitat

Post by EdisNiksic » Sat Oct 11, 2014 1:54 pm

im in the middle of building a crabitat. it is 72" tall 45" wide and 36" deep. I need help with deciding how i am going to seal it. I was thinking of using a two part epoxy. Just need to know what brand to use. I need cheap but good. Also from the given measurements, how much do you guys think i will need. 1 gallon? 2 gallons? Also, are there any good epoxies at the hardware stores. I'd prefer to buy locally than buy online, but i will if i have no choice.
Pyre Shep Nina,GSD Balotelli,30 Purple Pinchers,1 Red Foot Tortoise,1 Russian Tortoise,7 Rabbits,4 Ruggies,3 Indos,3 Strawberries,16 Aussies,1 Reeves Turtle,one 20 gal Mollie Tank,two 5 gal nano freshwater planted tanks with Bettas,one 29 Gal Freshwater Tank,2 Guppy/Mystery Snail breeder tanks


ErikRasmussen
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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by ErikRasmussen » Sat Oct 11, 2014 4:50 pm

I have never built a tank before and i dont know if that is safe or not. All i know about this is that aquarium silicone sealant is safe for hermit crabs and i think i have heard of people using that. Or they epoxy it and seal it with the silicone. But good luck make sure to post lots of pics i cant wait to see it!

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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by aussieJJDude » Sat Oct 11, 2014 7:33 pm

Pretty much what ErikRasmussen said, silicone the joints & epoxy all the rest. Depending on how much layers you apply & thickness, 2 - 4g sounds enough IMO.
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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by EdisNiksic » Sat Oct 11, 2014 7:53 pm

Any idea what brand would be good for the tank and for my wallet?
Pyre Shep Nina,GSD Balotelli,30 Purple Pinchers,1 Red Foot Tortoise,1 Russian Tortoise,7 Rabbits,4 Ruggies,3 Indos,3 Strawberries,16 Aussies,1 Reeves Turtle,one 20 gal Mollie Tank,two 5 gal nano freshwater planted tanks with Bettas,one 29 Gal Freshwater Tank,2 Guppy/Mystery Snail breeder tanks

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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by aussieJJDude » Sat Oct 11, 2014 7:54 pm

EdisNiksic wrote:Any idea what brand would be good for the tank and for my wallet?
For that, I have no idea as I don't live in the US. :)
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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by EdisNiksic » Sat Oct 11, 2014 8:00 pm

what about a fiberglass resin? would that work and be safe?
Pyre Shep Nina,GSD Balotelli,30 Purple Pinchers,1 Red Foot Tortoise,1 Russian Tortoise,7 Rabbits,4 Ruggies,3 Indos,3 Strawberries,16 Aussies,1 Reeves Turtle,one 20 gal Mollie Tank,two 5 gal nano freshwater planted tanks with Bettas,one 29 Gal Freshwater Tank,2 Guppy/Mystery Snail breeder tanks

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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by kip.rogers357 » Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:13 pm

EdisNiksic wrote:Any idea what brand would be good for the tank and for my wallet?
I'm not sure about good for the wallet, but "Envirotex" works great!
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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by EdisNiksic » Sun Oct 12, 2014 12:14 pm

Any clue about the fiberglass resin?
Pyre Shep Nina,GSD Balotelli,30 Purple Pinchers,1 Red Foot Tortoise,1 Russian Tortoise,7 Rabbits,4 Ruggies,3 Indos,3 Strawberries,16 Aussies,1 Reeves Turtle,one 20 gal Mollie Tank,two 5 gal nano freshwater planted tanks with Bettas,one 29 Gal Freshwater Tank,2 Guppy/Mystery Snail breeder tanks

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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by EdisNiksic » Sun Oct 12, 2014 4:31 pm

Pyre Shep Nina,GSD Balotelli,30 Purple Pinchers,1 Red Foot Tortoise,1 Russian Tortoise,7 Rabbits,4 Ruggies,3 Indos,3 Strawberries,16 Aussies,1 Reeves Turtle,one 20 gal Mollie Tank,two 5 gal nano freshwater planted tanks with Bettas,one 29 Gal Freshwater Tank,2 Guppy/Mystery Snail breeder tanks

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Breeezy
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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by Breeezy » Sun Oct 12, 2014 4:49 pm

A lot of people use pond sealants! That's what I'm using for my ~230 gallon plywood tank I'm building. They use it a lot in plant/frog tanks.
4 Purple Pinchers (Hodor, Spree, Rosie, Leonardo, and Lucy), 1 Strawberry (Denver), 4 Ecuadorians (Dexter, Leeloo, Ghost, and Dr. Zoidberg)
1 Pembroke Welsh Corgi (Thorin)

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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by Breeezy » Sun Oct 12, 2014 4:51 pm

kip.rogers357 wrote: I'm not sure about good for the wallet, but "Envirotex" works great!
Is that hermit safe?
4 Purple Pinchers (Hodor, Spree, Rosie, Leonardo, and Lucy), 1 Strawberry (Denver), 4 Ecuadorians (Dexter, Leeloo, Ghost, and Dr. Zoidberg)
1 Pembroke Welsh Corgi (Thorin)

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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by EdisNiksic » Mon Oct 13, 2014 1:06 pm

bump
Pyre Shep Nina,GSD Balotelli,30 Purple Pinchers,1 Red Foot Tortoise,1 Russian Tortoise,7 Rabbits,4 Ruggies,3 Indos,3 Strawberries,16 Aussies,1 Reeves Turtle,one 20 gal Mollie Tank,two 5 gal nano freshwater planted tanks with Bettas,one 29 Gal Freshwater Tank,2 Guppy/Mystery Snail breeder tanks

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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by wodesorel » Mon Oct 13, 2014 2:40 pm

Yep, I used Envirotex Lite for my display case. You can purchase it in gallon-sizes online, or in itty bitty boxes in most craft and small hardware stores. I'm not sure how cost effective it would be for doing huge areas. You might be looking at $100-$250 on just the sealant. Any two-part epoxy is safe - the most commonly used for builds not involving hermit crabs are marine epoxies like System Three and West System, but again because of the cost it only works out if you're doing something big. I think you'd need at least 2 gallons, probably more like 3 or 4 if you do it right and do at least 2 to 3 coats. I used over a 1/2 gallon just on my base, which had three coats and is 2 feet by 4 feet. I have a gallon kit upstairs for the next project which cost me $80, free shipping.

Yes, fiberglass can work and is probably your best option, actually. It's much cheaper for doing large areas, and it will help with the structural integrity. You have to use a two-part resin for it to be crab safe. The single-part resins cure by evaporating and it can take months before it stops! The two-part cures using a chemical reaction and turns into plastic when it's done.

DON'T mix silicon with resin or epoxy. Resin and epoxy are plastic based, and silicon doesn't stick to plastic and vice versa. Use one or the other if you need a solid seal or you want it to stick permanently.

No matter what, you're most likely going to be looking at a couple hundred dollars just to make it waterproof. If you're doing something built-in or having it close to a wall, it'll grow mold on the outside wherever there is a leak from the excaping humidity/water over time. Worse, if there is a leak in the sealent and moisture gets through, it will rot the wood underneath and cause the rest of the sealant to start pulling free. You can go with cheaper options, but expect it to fail in a few years. Just depends on how permanent you want this to be!
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Breeezy
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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by Breeezy » Mon Oct 13, 2014 3:51 pm

wodesorel wrote:Yep, I used Envirotex Lite for my display case. You can purchase it in gallon-sizes online, or in itty bitty boxes in most craft and small hardware stores. I'm not sure how cost effective it would be for doing huge areas. You might be looking at $100-$250 on just the sealant. Any two-part epoxy is safe - the most commonly used for builds not involving hermit crabs are marine epoxies like System Three and West System, but again because of the cost it only works out if you're doing something big. I think you'd need at least 2 gallons, probably more like 3 or 4 if you do it right and do at least 2 to 3 coats. I used over a 1/2 gallon just on my base, which had three coats and is 2 feet by 4 feet. I have a gallon kit upstairs for the next project which cost me $80, free shipping.

Yes, fiberglass can work and is probably your best option, actually. It's much cheaper for doing large areas, and it will help with the structural integrity. You have to use a two-part resin for it to be crab safe. The single-part resins cure by evaporating and it can take months before it stops! The two-part cures using a chemical reaction and turns into plastic when it's done.

DON'T mix silicon with resin or epoxy. Resin and epoxy are plastic based, and silicon doesn't stick to plastic and vice versa. Use one or the other if you need a solid seal or you want it to stick permanently.

No matter what, you're most likely going to be looking at a couple hundred dollars just to make it waterproof. If you're doing something built-in or having it close to a wall, it'll grow mold on the outside wherever there is a leak from the excaping humidity/water over time. Worse, if there is a leak in the sealent and moisture gets through, it will rot the wood underneath and cause the rest of the sealant to start pulling free. You can go with cheaper options, but expect it to fail in a few years. Just depends on how permanent you want this to be!

Cool! I'll have to consider it when pricing the pond sealant!
4 Purple Pinchers (Hodor, Spree, Rosie, Leonardo, and Lucy), 1 Strawberry (Denver), 4 Ecuadorians (Dexter, Leeloo, Ghost, and Dr. Zoidberg)
1 Pembroke Welsh Corgi (Thorin)

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Re: 500 gallon Crabitat

Post by EdisNiksic » Mon Oct 13, 2014 3:54 pm

thank you so much everybody, especially wode. Ill go with the fiberglass resin since it is a bit cheaper. ill post pics as soon as possible. Got most of the structure done, just need to make the door, shelves for the shells, moss, and leaf litter, and i need to figure out exactly how I'm gonna do the pools.
Pyre Shep Nina,GSD Balotelli,30 Purple Pinchers,1 Red Foot Tortoise,1 Russian Tortoise,7 Rabbits,4 Ruggies,3 Indos,3 Strawberries,16 Aussies,1 Reeves Turtle,one 20 gal Mollie Tank,two 5 gal nano freshwater planted tanks with Bettas,one 29 Gal Freshwater Tank,2 Guppy/Mystery Snail breeder tanks

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