New owner of 2 crabs!

[DanPadge]

Just finished setting up my crabitat and I'm excited to share! I know its far from perfect but I was unexpectedly handed these in a plastic terrarium so I put together the best I could. I live in upstate NY and keep my house very cold so heat and humidity will be a challenge but I have a glass top and have insulated the bottom and back and can add insulation to the sides if needed.

https://imgur.com/a/9GI03zm

[Jlmills525]

Welcome! You've got a find start.. nice climbing log!

If I may offer a little advice... Your substrate should be deeper.. like 6" deep, and it's hard to tell if it is already, but it needs to be wetted down so that it's "sandcastle" consistency. because the sub needs to be deeper.. the heat can't be on the bottom, but only the back and sides.

I mean no disrespect to what you've already done.. it looks amazing.. just trying to help

[DanPadge]

Nope, appreciate it! I went by how Petco had their tank set up, which was like an inch deep of 95% coconut soil with some sand on top. After reading here, I plan to add about 2-3" of sand which should get me to about 50/50 mix and about 4" total depth. I did wet the coconut brick so it should have some good moisture. The heat pad is on the back of the tank with reflective insulation on the bottom, top and back side of the tank. As I add more substrate, the heat pad will be partially below it, but I can't unstick the pad so that'll just have to be the way it is. In the near future I'll pull the tank apart, add a bunch more sand and try to mix it a bit but for this week it'll probably have to wait. I also need to figure out how to fit a saltwater dish, but all the current decorations are "must haves" according to the kids haha

[curlysister]

Having the substrate above the level of the UTH isn't a problem - the sand can dry out a bit more there, but just keep an eye on it and add more water (turn the UTH off and allow it to cool, so you aren't putting water against a hot tank) along the edge as needed.
Also, you don't have to mix up your substrate, layered is fine. And it's fine if it's all play sand, all eco earth, or a mix of the two in any ratio. Welcome to crabbing!

[DanPadge]

Thanks! The first night they were all over exploring, the last two they have mostly stayed inside a cave burrowed in the sand. I'm hoping they're just adjusting.

[MotleyMusicana]

Hey! Welcome to crabbing! And much respect for being open to suggestion! Your tank is looking very nice so far, and your proposed improvements sound great.

I think you're doing a fantastic job, taking the time and care to give your crabs something nice, even if they weren't expected, and even if you weren't initially provided an adequate setup! I hope you are able to find a lot of helpful information here.

Yes, it's important to offer freshwater and saltwater, both treated with a dechlorinator. a lot of the people on here, including me, use seachem prime. I've been told that it's best to add it straight to the water dishes, and replace the water dishes either every other, or every 3rd day. although you can mix your saltwater in advance (I use instant ocean).

[DanPadge]

Thanks for the kind words! Ya my son was very happy to have them in a proper home as he REALLY loves them. I have both dishes of water in the tank now however the crabs seems pretty inactive, staying in their cave day and night. The small one is buried deep in the substrate, the big one is more on top. He's a little more active and will wander to the water dishes if I kick him out of the cave. I didn't want to mess with the little one and stress him but I'm concerned he's not eating or getting water. (I can make a new post about this in the crabitat section if necessary) Temp is mid to low 70s. Not sure on humidity as I don't have a gauge yet but the sides are coated in water, the air in the tank feels humid and the soil is definitely moist.

I have a well so no chlorine, fluoride or any other additives in the water. It is hard water but I figure that's probably not a bad thing for them.

[MotleyMusicana]

it'll take some time for your crabs to de-stress and adjust to their new surroundings. it's not abnormal for that process to take up to a month or more. it's also hard to see how active they're being since they're most active at night when most people are asleep. try not to worry too much if you don't see them eat. if you're concerned that they're too weak, you can try putting food and calcium within reach. offer foods high in protein, like egg (cooked or raw) (crushed egg shells can be offered as a source of calcium too), feeder insects from the petstore (like dead crickets, mealworms, brine shrimp, etc), and bits of raw or cooked meat (beef, turkey, chicken, etc). honey, bee pollen, peanut butter, and coconut oil are all great energy boosts for a crab that's not feeling great.

your crabs probably went through some pretty rough conditions to get to you. just be gentle and patient. try not to mess with them much. keep food and calcium nearby. offer high energy foods. keep the conditions as optimal as possible, and wait. they may dig underground to molt or just destress for a while. it isn't abnormal for them to go without eating for a several days while they destress, mostly staying in one spot.

you'll want the temperature to be around 80, that'll help them be more active. you might wanna add the insulation on the sides that you mentioned.

and I don't think the minerals should be a problem. has the well water been tested for heavy metals?

[DanPadge]

Cool, thanks for the info! I'll add insulation to the sides to help up the temps a little