HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey all,

I figured I'd make a post that would gain some smiles & happy day-dreaming. So here goes...

If you could splurge on cash & set-ups & have everything 'just perfect', what would your ideal massive dream tank be? (I'm talking 400+gal range)

The only restrictions are you have to be able to keep the tank in ONE average-sized bedroom (for scale, not actually a bedroom) & has to be maintainable under 3 hours a week. You can however 'cheat' with automated timers/dimmers, etc.

So what's it look like? What would you feel is essential for that dream tank. What would you do without if you could get away with it (such as fake vines, or ugly tubs, whatever).

Let's hear them!

(Also, I've a double interest in this in that I'm moving in a couple months & plan on turning a large area of a room into a crabitat. So I'd love to hear your crazy ideas & maybe through me, help your wild ideas come to life.)

I'd like a huge glass tank, with two decent sized crab sized pools in it for fresh and salt water. I'd want fake plants in it, like those mini trees for climbing. Some of these Greek Ancient Ruin hideaways that I've had my eye on for like, months. And a long length food dish, maybe 4 or 5 inches long. And I'd like to have an ocean sound maker (Okay, that would be for both them AND me. They are super calming) and this plastic monkey bar thing with holes in it that I saw in a bird cage once that was amazing. It would be an amazing climbing toy. And some of those hammocks I've seen in other habitats on here.

Doomsong that sounds nice, and soothing w/ that ocean thing!

I don't know what type of ancient Greek ruins thing you're referring to though. Could you find a pic online maybe?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Greek-Temple-Ru ... 0985493801

http://www.aquarist-classifieds.co.uk/s ... 32864.html

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/small-gr ... ment-92053

http://www.petsuppliesnow.com/p-3404-bl ... ament.aspx

These are a few me and my fiance have seen at the pet stores. They are basically aquarium decorations. If you go to google images and type in "Greek Ruin aquarium decoration" a bunch of stuff pops up. Some would just be good for climbing, some for hiding and some are just strictly decoration. I'd put coconut substrate in them, maybe sand or moss. Stuff to make it comfy for hiding and climbing.

Oh I see. They're basically all made from resin. That's costly but again we're day-dreaming here so you could even make your own styles if you wanted or custom order something. Fantastic.

The only thing I'd worry about is paint chipping due to crab nails or just general wear, but otherwise I'd certainly put those in my dream tank as well (not to mention, make my own!)

Thanks for linking those, doomsong. Your dream tank sounds like a wonderful crab haven, I'd love to see it a reality one day!

Well, they are a little more affordable at the petstore. Actually, they have a ruin-like looking bridge right now that was about 10 bucks. The small one they have (It was the one I got when I only had Salazar, but her big butt has gotten too big for any one else but her to fit under it) was maybe 5 bucks. No paint coming off at all. They love to sleep under it, Salazar used to kick Victor out from under it. And for whatever strange crab reason, Victor and Santiago used to sit on top of the big bridge and just stare at each other for a couple hours. No idea what that was about, lol.

They have those "Crab Shack!" and "Crab pool!" things at the petstore (I've seen a few people here have them) but I am insane and I don't wanna get any of those till I can get the whole set, haha.

Does it have to be a "tank" ?

My day dream crabiopolis is a whole room... no more tanks Real trees/plants and rain system- much like a greenhouse set up.... I could go on for pages and pages pages and pages....

I would have more then just a "tank". If it HAS to be a tank, a 2000+ gallon tank ^_^. Maybe more then JUST hermit crabs. Possibly fiddlers and other crab types. The tank would have a rainfall system, a little "lake", watefalls of all kinds, lots of live plants. I would love to have this tank, but a 180g will HAVE to do .

doomsong, I get you about the sets, it is nice to have a full on theme. And I had a good laugh at your story of the bridge & the staring contest.

Avery & Chelsea, it does NOT have to be just a simple glass tank set-up. Any size & style is acceptable so long as it fits into an average sized bedroom (so whatever that is for you). I've told others here I wanted to re-do my entire living room with the next house to be a crab area. Unfortunately I may have to hold back on that dream, depending on space/needs though the basement looks like a good alternative. Although it will end up being smaller space.

I will def have a 200+ tank, but hoping to gain more ideas from fellow members. I'd love to hear all your dreams and I'm willing to try it all if I can afford it & if it's realistic (sorry, no zero-gravity crab space station this time). I like the full rainfall scenario. With my false-bottom set-up it would make it much more possible. If I lived in a warmer climate I'd def make a greenhouse just for them, but in Canada that's a bit out of my league.

Also, I do plan on having it filmed 24/7 if possible, so I'm thinking of at least one angle that can catch most of the tank. Probably a long end.

Actually , I got an almost realistic idea ...Thats why I asked. It was inspired by a neighbor of mine. Her WHOLE back porch, which is about 9ft high and 20ft long.. (thats actually only half of it... but I was more interested in the enclosed area of the porch) it is totally encased in glass, completey sealed up from outside elements. Looking out over her back yard which was 1/4 acre of woods and then ocean. Average temp when you walk through the sliding glass door, even without sun, is 87 degrees. When ever I walked in, I had to catch my breath from the dramatic temp difference.... it was a perfect template for the Dream Room.
However, now I know your just looking for inspiration on a smaller scale
My dear friend has a custom built crab home, crabitat, I forgot the dimensions- my head only compares it to the size of a pool table, it took him a loooonnnnggggg time to finsih it, but it looks amazing. He keeps it on a table that has locking wheels, so it possible to scoot around if need be. He put his fans right into the ceiling, which is wood on the sides and the rest is all glass, he has a 3 foot water fall which takes up one whole end of the crabitat, and the other side is his "precious" mangroves that he has raised himself ... it's pretty cool.

Wow! If I would have to have something that could fit in my room... I would turn my walk-in closet into a crab tank. I would have to update my door so it swings inwards and maybe make it glass. And the have a 100 gallon attachment coming out of the wall of the closet into my room. Then have a very tall waterfall flowing through the tank from the roof. I would then have a 60 gallon salt water pool with a window into my room so I can see lots of pretty corals and shrimp! I would have a little 20 gallon tropical pool in the attachment as well. With lots of shrimp and some tiny fish.

Avery, that sounds very awesome. And no worries, I'm not thinking small scale here. I literally am thinking what could fit into an average-sized bedroom, so your friend's enclosed porch would be a pretty close fit. If I find an enclosed porch in the next house I'm sure you know what my immediate plans would be.

That pool table size sounds great, something similar to what I might end up building in the basement if it's a bit too small for a full-on massive tank area. I'd love to see his plans, or even pics if he's posted them online at all.

Also as an aside, I made a forum request for large-scale tank builders. I'd love if you could support me on it: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=92991 It's just perfect for these kinds of topics & may help members work on their dream tanks more easily. Since we'd have one place to pool in all our resources, tips, probs, etc.

Chelsea, those are some great ideas there! Esp considering where you live, that'll be a challenge but totally worth it I think. Not everyone can be so lucky to keep a mini-tropical rainforest, in the middle of snow-land. (I'm Canadian, so darn it, I'm calling it that!)

600g, 50g SW pool on one end, 50g FW on other. Fake plants to climb on... I get excited just thinking about it.

I'd like my current tank, but bigger. 250g sounds like enough. I'd do a 20g SW nano reef with marine hermits and a planted FW pool with a pleco and some snails or shrimp. I'd like to do a forest area and a beach area, with the forest area further away and the scenery turning into beach as it gets to the pools. A second tank on top of the 250g (maybe 125g) would be helpful as a climbing area in the forest. I'd also like to add some taller plants, like sunflowers and ferns, and maybe even some non-poisonous bushes. Basically, it would be great to get rid of all fake plants and just have second levels, cholla, plants and cocohuts. I'd really love to have 8 hermits of each species. Ideal substrate depth for me would be about 12 inches. I'd also love to have some live moss in the moss pits and have more second level gardens and enough shell shops to contain about 150 shells.

I'd keep my 10g iso and set up a breeder tank as well.

Really, though, I think I'm good with 115g.

flutinkat, alarm bells went off when you said 'pleco' & 'planted tank' in the same sentence. I hope you mean a dwarf variety & mostly plastic plants 'cause plecos love sandy substrate to bury in & they will rip up plants. The big ones can even thrash at them w/ their tails and cut them in two. I learned this one the hard way.

HermitMickey, 600g sounds lovely w/ double pools like that. I hope that dream comes true for you one day!