Need help with new tank and climate control please!

[Vanellope]

Hi! I'm new to this crabby thing and I'm learning. Right now I'm shopping for ideas on setting up a 30 gal. I currently have 3 crabs in a 10 gal with a broken pane of glass, so seems like a good time to make the move. It has taken me a lot of trial and error to FINALLY get the climate just right and stabilized, but what works with the 10 I'm sure won't cut it with a 30. I have a reptile fogger and thought I'd try that. Also, lighting - I've been keeping a 100 watt Zilla Night Black Heat Incandescent Bulb over one corner with a water dish directly under, which is what has solved my humidity issues. However, i heard a loud pop last night and just realized that was the bulb going out. (So the poor little guys are suddenly stuck in about 65-ish degrees rather than the 75-80 i finally got it to stay at until i can get to the store this afternoon or tomorrow. I hope they're ok!) Anyway, that means that $10 bulb lasted slightly over 2 months, and after reading reviews (i bought what the guy at petco recommended because i knew nothing about this at all in the beginning) this is a common occurance with that particular bulb. Is there a better way? Currently this is their heat source and has been working out better than anything else I've tried, but i don't see that little heat doing much good in a bigger tank. I have 2 PPs who tend to stay in a hut on the side opposite the heat. The one E likes to camp out under the lamp and next to the ZooMed UTH when he's not busy crawling around or digging elsewhere. So i feel like i do still need to provide a "hot spot" somewhere for him.

[GotButterflies]

Hello! Welcome to the HCA! You can fix your broken glass temporarily with duct tape.

I personally don't care for bulbs to heat tanks. They tend to crack glass..is that how yours happened ? As well as they make the humidity evaporate quicker. I prefer UTH (under tank heaters) Us crabbers use them to heat the air vs placing them under the tank which is what they are used for. You would purchase one that is the length of the back of your tank. The best place to buy them is online, they are better quality and can be insulated. Zoomeds are more expensive, and cannot be insulated. Here is the website: http://www.reptilebasics.com or http://www.beanfarm.com In the meantime, you can heat towels or blankets in the dryer without dryer sheets and drape them around and over your tank for heat.

Ecuadorian crabs love their heat to be mid 80s. I keep my tanks between 84-86

[Vanellope]

I have a small ZooMed UTH on the back that i bought when i initially got started because i didn't know any better. When that failed to heat anything but itself, i added the lamp at the recommendation of the petco employee. It has actually worked out really well, especially with the water dish under it to create and maintain humidity also. They glass cracked while i was cleaning the tank somehow. It is, of course, all the way across the front pane, and for now clear packing tape is working fine. I don't know how long it will hold, and I'm sure it won't survive another cleaning. But i need a bigger tank, anyway. They need more room, especially with this crazy circus E! Would a better quality UTH be enough heat? How do i decide what size i need once i get a new tank?

[GotButterflies]

You would measure the size of the tank that you are going to get. You can also insulate around your zoomed, but zoomeds don't heat much in my opinion. You can use Reflectix or aluminum foil, then cardboard or aluminum foil and then styrofoam. Just don't insulate over the zoomed.

For tanks, Petco starts the $1/gallon sale April 2, or you could do Craigslist, offerup, letgo, bookoo, varagesale.....search aquarium, tank, reptile, terrarium

[GotButterflies]

That's why I love the UTH's, you can insulate over the top of them. With the reflectix it is reusable. I bought my UTH from reptile basics. I live in Florida. Have a 100g tat and a 75 gallon tat. I personally didn't need one that covers the entire back of my crabitats. I went a little smaller. I use reflectix. It is reusable. I put it up for winter. Already took it down, and put it away for next year.

[Vanellope]

You would measure the size of the tank that you are going to get. You can also insulate around your zoomed, but zoomeds don't heat much in my opinion. You can use Reflectix or aluminum foil, then cardboard or aluminum foil and then styrofoam. Just don't insulate over the zoomed.

For tanks, Petco starts the $1/gallon sale April 2, or you could do Craigslist, offerup, letgo, bookoo, varagesale.....search aquarium, tank, reptile, terrarium

A friend of mine has a 30 gallon tank she said she'd give me (yay for free!) BUT... we have yet to meet up and I'm starting to wonder if the tank exists. I was hoping to snatch the 40 gallon breeder at petco when they told me about their sale, so if i don't score a better deal before then, I'll be there when they open that first day!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

[GotButterflies]

Great! Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Vanellope]

Great! Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thamks!

Something else I'm wondering about... how do you keep the substrate moist? Particularly in a larger tank. I like the eco earth because it seems to hold moisture longer and better, but sand is cheaper and one moldy blueberry buried in a tunnel won't infect the whole tank in 2 days.

[soilentgringa]

Great! Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thamks!

Something else I'm wondering about... how do you keep the substrate moist? Particularly in a larger tank. I like the eco earth because it seems to hold moisture longer and better, but sand is cheaper and one moldy blueberry buried in a tunnel won't infect the whole tank in 2 days.

You mix the sand and eco earth.

A 5:1 ratio of sand to EE is the typical recommendation.

I.E.: I have 250lbs of sand in my 55 gallon tank and I used 4-5 bricks of EE.

I've never had to mist or moisten the sub since the initial setup.

I place my EE bricks in the tank, pour warm/hot dechlorinated salt water in it, let them expand, then mix the sand into the wet EE.

I've done this a few times over the ladt few years while setting up new tanks and the substrate has always turned out A-OK.

I use plexiglass inserts that I ordered off Amazon for cheap under a screen lid. The tubes for my bubbler go through holes bored in the plexiglass.

No issues with humidity or substrate consistency.

Sent from my LGMS550 using Tapatalk

[GotButterflies]

I mixed my substrate the same way I have glass lids though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[soilentgringa]

I mixed my substrate the same way I have glass lids though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have 3 cats, so glass lids are a nope.

Sent from my LGMS550 using Tapatalk

[GotButterflies]

I mixed my substrate the same way I have glass lids though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have 3 cats, so glass lids are a nope.

Sent from my LGMS550 using Tapatalk

I do too, but my 3 kitties aren't allowed in that room!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk