I'm completely new at all this and currently have 9 PPs in a range of sizes that I impulsively bought without knowing too much about hermit crabs other than that they need warmth and sand. They were in some pretty terrible conditions when I got them, in wire cages with no sand, etc. and instantly became fascinated with them and wanted to save them and provide them a happier life. I've done my best to get them into some better conditions as quick as possible, and have been spending hours reading through these forums and planning on a big upgrade now that I know more about the conditions they need. I"m addicted to planning a much larger crabitat with lots of fun things for them. They are now housed in a 23 gallon long tank with a mix of sand/coco fibre substrate, UTH, moss pit, etc. with heat staying around 78 and humidity at around 85 now that I have bubblers in their pools. Most of them went under to destress/molt immediately, and i've seen 8 of the 9 recently, although usually only 4-5 are out at a time, some I think came out after destressing and may have went back down for a molt. Some were missing legs when I got them, and their colouring wasn't that great. A couple that came up look much brighter and healthier, which i'm ecstatic about
My plans are to get a 90 gallon tank. I've got the stand, and will be getting the tank itself as soon as I can figure out how to get one home since it definitely won't fit in my car. So now I have a few questions that I"m hoping I can get some help with so I make sure I get this right the first time:
1) I plan to do a 5:1 sand/coco fibre mix as recommended often on here. I already have two bricks of leftover coco fibre, but can easily get more as needed. I"m just hoping to get all of the sand in one trip to the store. Approximately how many 50 lb bags would I need to get 12 inches of substrate? I have two fairly large crabs and I want to do this right the first time and give them enough space, so I think I should be putting around 13 inches or so to anticipate it settling, is this correct? If anyone could give an approximate on the number of bags, that would be great. I keep reading varying things, from 250 lbs to 450 lbs!
2) I'm using playsand at the moment, but like the looks of people's tanks i've seen with pool filter sand. Are all pool filter sands safe, or is there something I should look for to avoid? I'm in Canada by the way, so brands and availability seem to be different here for many products. Also, does it need to be washed before use? If so, I guess i'll be going with the play sand again, since it would be difficult to wash that much sand in an apartment.
3) I plan to do filtered/cycled pools in this tank to keep maintenance low with partial water changes. I've read of people using 2.5 gal or 5 gal fish tanks for these, and I really like this idea. What size would you recommend for a 90 gallon tank that would leave enough molting room? I was thinking that when I put my false bottom in I could run some of the PVC up to make 'stilts' and that way most of the room under the pools can still be used and I wouldn't have to worry about the molt caves sinking in from the pools if they were to sink down or something. On the other hand, not sure I would have the height to do this, or if it would look strange. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcomed
4) And finally, any advice on the maximum number of crabs I could house in this tank without overcrowding? Most of mine are small to medium right now, with two large, but I've been reading about how fast they can grow and want to plan for their future happiness and not overcrowd them. I don't have the space to set up a second tank right now, so this will be it for awhile. But I would also love to get a couple equidorians and/or straws someday when I know my conditions are stable so if anyone can offer some advice, that would be great!
Sorry for the long list of questions, but I want to do this tank right the first time and would love to draw on all your experience since i'm still so new to all this. I would love to get your opinions on the above questions, and any other advice or suggestions based on your experience would be more than welcomed too!
Thanks in advance!
