HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I really want to upgrade the crabbies to a bigger crabitat! I found out about crabitats made out of plastic totes and I think the idea is cool. But I'm not completely sure that's what I want to do. So I was wondering if anyone can give me the pros and cons of both tanks and totes? Thanks so much

Well, I can answer this one now. I just switched back to a tank from the two-tote crabitat I'd set up. I did really like the totes with one main problem - the room I'm staying in right now is 66F and I couldn't keep the crabs warm enough without thick quilts on top of the totes (which really limits airflow). The plastic of the totes isn't thick enough to really hold heat in very well.

Tote pros
- light & easy to move (I could slide them around the floor even once they had 8-9 inches of substrate in them)
- cheap
- hold humidity well
- easy to modify & add things like second levels since you can drill holes in the walls for attaching things

Tote cons
- don't hold heat well
- false bottom doesn't fit in very well, I had sand going through because the egg crate wasn't flush against the side since plastic can move more than glass
- silicone doesn't stick to (if you want to silicone anything, anyway)
- must modify lid if you plan to use a heating lamp instead of mats
- also had more difficulty than expected with getting tape to adhere to the plastic as well as it does with glass (for taping on the heating mats)
- unless you do what I did & use extra totes to add on height, totes are usually fairly short

Honestly, I like tanks better even though they're more expensive & very heavy. Those are their two main drawbacks, in my opinion. But they hold heat better, they hold humidity just as well, and you can use other methods to attach second levels and other things. Even though I liked my totes, I can see why they're typically considered a shorter-term option. I'll probably stick with the 40B tank I have now, and I'd like to add an Exo-Terra topper to give my crabs more height for climbing.

Thanks, fantasybookworm!

The heating issues shouldn't be a problem for me since the upgraded crabitat will be going in my heated aquarium room. The room is where most of my many tropical fish tanks are so I have the entire room heated to a stable 78 degrees. My current crabitat is in the kitchen so I use a heating mat (the kitchen is only 68F) but there's no space there for a bigger tank plus the thought of not spending money on more heating supplies is pleasing

I like how cheap totes are, but I like the look of tanks better. Maybe I'll find a super cheap tank on Craigslist.

I actually have one for a crabitat They're cheap and are easy to keep humidity, one con is that it might be a problem getting the temprature high.

Thank you for your input, TheHermitCrabber Do you have any pictures of your tote crabitat? I've seen some photos of others', but they're always top shots. I want to see what the tote 'tats look like from the side. Thanks!

Here is an overview (sorry about the plastic wrap)
But I still need to add another water dish.
https://instagram.com/p/5BJCvBgtYN/
I can't get a good side shot right now sorry.

Looks nice! Good job.

CrabbyEmerson wrote: I want to see what the tote 'tats look like from the side. Thanks!

Here's a side shot
https://instagram.com/p/5VRZ6kgtee/