Divided substrate and water dish

This is where you discuss the conditions of your crabitat -- temperature, humidity, substrate, decorating, etc.
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robertvan20
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Divided substrate and water dish

Post by robertvan20 » Sat Feb 11, 2017 8:20 am

Hello guys. I wonder if its okay to have our crabitat with half part sand : ee and the other part with only ee ? When i mix my sand with ee, it could only fill the half of the tank. I dont want to mix too much ee and ruin my sand. Is it okay ?

And one more. every crabitat pics i saw , got 2 water dish that they put next to each other, is it a must ? Or can i put the fresh water not so close to my salt water dish ? Thank you.

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daws409
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Re: Divided substrate and water dish

Post by daws409 » Sat Feb 11, 2017 8:52 am

It's okay to have sub on one side mixed and the other side not. Doing this lets your crabbies pick which side they want to burrow/dig in. Keep in mind that the crabbies will eventually mix the two sides together.... Also, most crabbers use a 5:1 (sand:ee) ratio. Some have used straight sand, straight ee, or anything in between.

The water dishes don't have to be side by side. I have mine side by side because it's easier to access. And it causes less disturbance in the tank. I try to be "hands off" as much as possible.

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35 Crabbies - 28 PP's, 2 E's, 2 Straw's, 1 Viola, & 2 Indo's

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Rawrgeous
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Re: Divided substrate and water dish

Post by Rawrgeous » Sat Feb 11, 2017 9:41 am

I think the reason most people have their water dishes together is because of bubbler pool tubing. It's easier to maintain humidity with just 1 slot cut for the airline tube, and like daws said, half and half is totally fine. Be warned that the crabs will mix it up over time though. :)

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daws409
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Re: Divided substrate and water dish

Post by daws409 » Sat Feb 11, 2017 10:11 am

Rawrgeous wrote:I think the reason most people have their water dishes together is because of bubbler pool tubing. It's easier to maintain humidity with just 1 slot cut for the airline tube, and like daws said, half and half is totally fine. Be warned that the crabs will mix it up over time though. :)

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Forgot to mention the bubble tubing. :)

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35 Crabbies - 28 PP's, 2 E's, 2 Straw's, 1 Viola, & 2 Indo's

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GotButterflies
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Re: Divided substrate and water dish

Post by GotButterflies » Sat Feb 11, 2017 11:56 am

When I first started crabbing, I originally set up a forest side eco earth/freshwater and a beach side sand/marine salt water. The crabs mixed all of the substrate together within a month. The reason I have my pools together is because I use a dual pump for the lines, and I don't want a long line of tubing. I always used to love the way it looked before though! Make sure you give us pictures!! :)
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Crabnado
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Re: Divided substrate and water dish

Post by Crabnado » Wed Feb 15, 2017 10:29 am

I tried to divide my tank's substrate and my crabs mixed it up. I've got moss, coconut dirt, and two kinds of sand. I had a section of mixed, then a section of sand, and a section with coconut dirt and moss mixed in a pit.

The moss pit is still the same but the rest they've tailored. They've dragged coconut dirt everywhere in the tank and have raked all the surface moss up next to their biggest log. I saw one gardening yesterday, carefully using her shell to push the moss into a very tidy line. They also use their shells to water areas of the sand to their liking. All the sites say to make it sand castle consistency but they have their own plans.

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