Aquarium Silicone for wood? Polished Rocks? Sand baking?

[Guest]

I've noticed a few topics where people are putting second levels in their crabs' tank. I think this is a good idea and would like to try doing this myself. I went out and got a few materials from Michaels and have a pretty good idea of how I want to create this second level, though it's a bit sketchy on a few parts. Don't know if it will work but I'm going to try it out anyway....

This leads me to my first question, which, now that I think about it, is probably a really stupid question. I know people have mentioned using Silicone glue instead of hot glue because Silicone works better in wet conditions so I went out and bought a tube. I was going to use it to glue pieces two light pieces of wood together but now I'm not sure whether it will stick or not.

The other thing is, I bought some rocks that I thought I could put on the second level. They are decorative polished rocks. I didn't notice until I got home that on the package it said "Not for aquarium use". I'm assuming by this they mean fish aquariums but would it be okay to use with my hermies? I'll boil them first, of course. (The rocks, not the hermies. )

And lastly, baking sand. Because of my bug problem lately I bought some new sand and I'm going to have to bake it. It's 50 pounds worth of sand. I'm curious to know how everyone else bakes their sand. What size cookie sheet/pan do you use? How much sand do you put on said cookie sheet/pan? How long do you bake sand for? How many times do you do this process in order to bake the entire bag of sand? And what do you do with each pan of freshly baked sand? Do you put it straight into the tank or do you put it in a box until you have all the sand baked and ready and THEN put it in the tank?

Sorry for all these questions. D: I'm the kind of person who needs "How To" videos so I know how to do stuff.

[megamelfina]

I don't think I can be much help but I can try! First, aquarium sealant/silicone probably would hold wood together. Just remember that wood in your habitat is going to mold pretty quickly, so be sure before you want to use wood in any sort of permanent fashion. Also, make sure you are using pure silicone.

As for the rocks, they are probably ok. The only thing that would make them unsafe is if they are polished with chemicals or something of that nature.

Finally, baking sand. I don't know how long, but when I baked mine I spread it thin on baking sheets and baked it at 350 for awhile. I just left it and came back and it was really hot so I said, hey, that's good enough. You definitely don't want to put it back in the tank until it's fully cooled.

[Guest]

I would assume the silicone stuff would hold. Hot glue guns have their uses in a crab tank but they form a harder bond that won't flex at all. Silicone is good because it has a little give to it. Another way to go if you're a former boy scout like myself is to get some natural hemp twine and lash the wood pieces together.

megamelfina was partially right on the mold problem. Not all wood is created equal. Some woods are great to use in a crab tank and others are not. I have cholla wood, cork bark, and wooden hideys, and some dried vines that are natural and have never had problems with mold. I haven;t tried too many others, but I did have some grapevine in there once but it molded really bad so I personally won't use that anymore.

I've never baked sand. I have actually been trying to slowly eliminate all sand from my tank and go with just EE. And the rocks are fine. Just scrub them well and boil them. Hope I helped!!

[Guest]

"You definitely don't want to put it back in the tank until it's fully cooled."

Of course. For a second I forgot things that are cooked in the oven are hot. :oops

I'm not going to be attaching the second floor to the tank or anything. I would be too afraid that it would fall. If I'm successful with my plan and there is a case of mold, I can easily remove it and discard it or clean it if need be.

There's no mention that the rocks were polished with chemicals. I'll use them. ^_^

"I have cholla wood, cork bark"

Would you be able to find those in an arts and crafts store? I wish I had known about the grapevine thing. I bought one online. Oh well. If it molds badly like you said I won't buy it again.

I've never baked sand before either. When I bought it the first time I just put it in the tank. My crabs are fine in it. But everyone suggests to bake the sand before putting it in the tank. I just can't figure out how they bake enough sand to fit in the tank. o.o

You were both very helpful. If anyone else has some suggestions I'd be happy to hear it. I want to make my tank a little exciting for the crabs and not so boring. >>

[Guest]

i've seen cholla wood in wal-mart where they sell the bags of shells in the craft section and i've seen it at michael's also