HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Fill out Template.

Do you have a tupperware container as a pool for your hermie? If not what do you use?

Is it plastic or glass?

Do you have a filter in it or not?

Do you have a bubble maker? Dose it work well? Do your crabs like it?

What do you use a way for your smallest crabs to get out of it by?

Do you crab s enjoy it?

*OFF TOPIC QUESTION . . . WELL KINDA*

If you have exotics do they have to be able to be completly submerged in the fresh water pool?

Thanks all
MaC

Haha, you love templates. They're good for finding information, though.

Big MaC wrote:Fill out Template.

Okay.

Big MaC wrote:Do you have a tupperware container as a pool for your hermie? If not what do you use?

Yep, I use two Rubbermaid tupperware containers for my pools.

Big MaC wrote:Is it plastic or glass?

It is glass.

Big MaC wrote:Do you have a filter in it or not?

Yes, I have one filter in each. They are Hagen Elite Minis. Works like a charm.

Big MaC wrote:Do you have a bubble maker? Dose it work well? Do your crabs like it?

I don't have bubblers in them, but I've considered adding them. Although, the filter does a nice job at making bubles.

Big MaC wrote:What do you use a way for your smallest crabs to get out of it by?

I have decorations in each pool. There is a coral decoration that they can escape out of in the saltwater (check out my thread on my 55G pictures), and a plastic plant in the fresh.

Big MaC wrote:Do you crab s enjoy it?

I've only seen two crabs swimming so far, but there may have been more in the night. I like to think that they like them.

Big MaC wrote:If you have exotics do they have to be able to be completly submerged in the fresh water pool?

Any crab should be able to completely submerge in both pools, not just the saltwater. They need to do this to regulate their water in the shell.

Big MaC wrote:Thanks all
MaC

You're welcome.

To add, I just made a post on my blog about pools. It may help you some.

Okay thanks Kili and yea I do LOVE templates it is so fun reading peoples answers and now, drawing my new tat that I will buy. I am thinking I am gonna have 2 pools of fresh water and one of salt.
1 pool would be one of those repti-rock waterfalls
1 pool would be a rubbermade with filter like you have with barnicles for them to perch on and get out of by.
1 pool would be a salt water pool with a bubble maker in the middle. Sound good?

KEEP THE TEMPLATES COMIN' IN THEY ARE GIVING ME IDEAS!!!

(this is an AMAZING stride twords good for a blonde like me)

The only thing to remember is to maintain your water. Pools are nice and fun, but they aren't fun to clean up. They require getting all of the water out of the pools, rinsing the gravel (and EE is so stubborn and likes to stick to the gravel), and then cleaning out the filter.

It's a lot of maintenance, but I think it's worth it.

Do you have a tupperware container as a pool for your hermie? If not what do you use?

No. I have built in pools. 3 gallon fresh and almost 5 gallon salt.

Is it plastic or glass?

plexi-glass

Do you have a filter in it or not?

Yes. Whisper Internal Power Filter. I don't care for them. Planning on replacing them. Would love to hear what others recommend.

Do you have a bubble maker? Dose it work well? Do your crabs like it?

No.

What do you use a way for your smallest crabs to get out of it by?

glued on stones and shells. (using aquarium sealant)

Do you crab s enjoy it?

I believe they do. I've seen them in the fresh water pool a few times and they leave little crabby footprints in the sand in the salt water pool.

If you have exotics do they have to be able to be completly submerged in the fresh water pool?

All LHC should be able to submerge in both types of water.

Big MaC wrote: Do you have a tupperware container as a pool for your hermie? If not what do you use?

2 tanks, plexi pools in 65 gallon, Tupperware in the 40B. $80 cost for the plexi, $2 cost for the Tupperware and a lot less time and headaches.

Is it plastic or glass?

Acrylic and plastic

Do you have a filter in it or not?

Filters in plexi, not in Tupperware. They're Duetto 50's they work really well (when they're not clogged with substrate).

Do you have a bubble maker? Dose it work well? Do your crabs like it?

Yes, but only in one pool. It works as it was intended to. I had it from an older tank when I needed the humidity boost. Now it's in there because I like the way it looks. So I like it and I don't think the crabs care either way.

What do you use a way for your smallest crabs to get out of it by?

I use rocks, gravel, plastic vines, barnacle clusters, or a combination of these. One nice big rock with gravel seems to work the best. I'm using two pyramid shaped pieces of red jasper, propped up with gravel, so it's a nice ramp. The others work well too, but they concerned me at first (until I watched the 2 tiny crabs using them).

Do you crab s enjoy it?

I suppose, yes. They don't go crazy and throw beach parties, but I do catch them hanging out on the bottom.

*OFF TOPIC QUESTION . . . WELL KINDA*
If you have exotics do they have to be able to be completly submerged in the fresh water pool?

Absolutely. It's necessary to submerge in both for them to balance their shell water.

In hindsight, I'd have gone Tupperware all the way, minus the filters. I'll admit the 65 gallon is nicer looking, but I'm still debating on whether it is/was worth all the work. I built the 40B in a few hours, and that was spent mostly preparing substrate. The 65 gallon took weeks of mostly waiting (for the mail and for things to dry).

Scary Clam wrote:I suppose, yes. They don't go crazy and throw beach parties, but I do catch them hanging out on the bottom.

Your crabs don't throw parties? Maybe you should bring them over here because mine know how to party!





It gets pretty wild sometimes. Throwing Eco-Earth into pools, knocking down cholla branches that flood the pools... oh yeah.

Kilimanjaro wrote: Your crabs don't throw parties? Maybe you should bring them over here because mine know how to party!





It gets pretty wild sometimes. :lol: Throwing Eco-Earth into pools, knocking down cholla branches that flood the pools... oh yeah. :glasses2:

They party a lot less in the 65 gallon than they did in the 20L. My PP's are still getting down with moss in the pool every night. ;)

90gallon dementions= 342litters 48 x 18 x 24inches 122 x 46 x 61 cm

I think I will get that it isn't all that much bigger than a

55gallon dementions= 209litters 48 x 13 x 20inches 122 x 33 x 51 cm

So If I can fit a 90 in my room I think that is what I will buy for my 3 babies . . . is it possible to have TOO big of a tank?

NEVER!!!! lol

hmmmmm than maby the 135 wouldn't be [i]THAT [/i] bad . . . . I will start with a 90 and then go up from there LOLZ I thought the KK would be fine 12 months ago a 5.5gallon 9 months ago a 10 2 months ago and now a 29 is just too small for 3 crabs I guess I am gonna have to upgrade again with bubble pools and water falls. Is it bad to have more than one pool?

Do you have a tupperware container as a pool for your hermie? If not what do you use?

Yes, but in my 55 I plan on using mini 2.5 gallon aquariums.

Is it plastic or glass?

Plastic, but the mini aquariums for my 55 will be glass.

Do you have a filter in it or not?

No, but I will in the 55.

Do you have a bubble maker? Dose it work well? Do your crabs like it?

Used to have it in my 20.
It broke.
Not sure if that was the crabs doing, since the airstone was broken off from the tube, lol!

What do you use a way for your smallest crabs to get out of it by?

I use some fossilized coral, r its something like that that I found at petsmart. Came in a bag for 12$.

Do you crab s enjoy it?

I never really see my crabs swim in the pools, I find them drinking all the time, but rarely swimming.

If you have exotics do they have to be able to be completly submerged in the fresh water pool?

I would say yes, but thats just cause I love to pimp out anything I do for my crabs! I do think it is important for a crab to be able to bathe themselves in their choice of salt or freshwater though.

Big MaC wrote:Do you have a tupperware container as a pool for your hermie? If not what do you use?

I have built-in pools with inserts so I can completely remove them when necessary. I think I have the best of both worlds.

Is it plastic or glass?

plexiglass, silicone sealant, gravel

Do you have a filter in it or not?

Each pool has a Tom dive clean mini filter (filters and replacement cartridges bought from Pet Discounters). I'm happy with them. The filters work well and they can be used totally submerged if you, like me, prefer not to have the nozzle raised out of the water for that waterfall effect.

Do you have a bubble maker? Dose it work well? Do your crabs like it?

No bubbler

What do you use a way for your smallest crabs to get out of it by?

Aquarium ornaments. Currently one large, heavy resin anchor in each pool.

Do you crabs enjoy it?

My crabs absolutely love the pools and so do I. Building them was the best thing for me and all the crabs. I see various species and sizes of crabs "swimming" completely submerged in both of the pools every day. Even my Indos, who I've always read are supposed to be more terrestrial, love the pools (although they seem to like the "beach" better than being submerged. See attached pic of Bali in one of his favorite spots.) I prefer the maintenance required of the built-in filtered pools to the work I used to have to do with regular water dishes even though I have to spend more time caring for the pools than I ever did for dishes.

Forgot to mention... I have a 90 gallon and it's so heavy that if it ever needs to be moved from its current location one of the following will have to happen:

1. Hire movers

2. Break the tank up with a sledgehammer and carry it out in pieces

I cannot stress enough how heavy a glass 90 gallon tank is. It's huge, plus the glass used is about twice as thick as smaller aquariums. I could physically carry my old 55 gallon by myself but the 90 gallon is pretty much completely unmanageable even with two very strong people. We barely got it up a flight of stairs. I permanently injured my back moving it.

If I ever have to get another large tank for some reason, it would have to be acrylic.