Attaching Exo Terra to normal tank

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hermitcrablover2
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Attaching Exo Terra to normal tank

Post by hermitcrablover2 » Mon Aug 15, 2022 10:53 am

Yesterday I got an 8x8x12 (L x W x H) exo terra tank, it was free so it didn't come with most of decorations it normally has, but it still has a few fake plants and a wall background. My hermit crabs current crabitat is a 20 gal long tank. I was hoping to attach the exo terra to the top somehow but since the exo terra is not as long as the tank it would be kind of tricky. Is there any way I could attach the exo terra to the lid of the 20 gal? (The lid is mesh, but I put plastic wrap over it. I thought of getting a plastic lid, but the hermies, especially Boba, like climbing the underside of the lid :D )
2 PP's (Boba and Blue), 1 Dog (Coco)

"Eateth. Thy. WORDS." - Donatello, ROTTMNT

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MusicalRose
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Re: Attaching Exo Terra to normal tank

Post by MusicalRose » Mon Aug 15, 2022 1:03 pm

The Exo Terra tank inverts and sits upside down on the lip of the crabitat tank. For my set up, I have a 12x12 cube on the one side of my 30 gallon tank measuring 12x30. I then had two custom pieces of glass cut for the remaining tank lid. One piece at ~12x12 & another at ~12x8. The 12 x 12 is snug against the upturned Exo Terra and stays put for the most part. The 12x8 piece also has one corner cut out to allow for tubing for my bubblers, hygrometer probe and thermostat as well as a knob glued to the center so I can lift straight up and remove it to do water changes, food & simple tank maintenance. I know a set up like that removes Boba's mesh climbing fun, but hopefully the addition of the topper will give him a new found climbing space he loves even more. I also found switching to glass made it much easier to manage my humidity. That being said, I know glass can be pricey. I had Plexiglass in a similar setup for a while prior to switching, so that' s a slightly more cost effective answer too. I hope this description makes sense and is somewhat helpful.
4 PPs Hermits (Marley, Manu, Pip & Squeak) 2 Siamese cats (Roku & Yondu) & 1 Betta (Finnigan)
Mom of two kids - wife to another - shell collector

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hermitcrablover2
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Re: Attaching Exo Terra to normal tank

Post by hermitcrablover2 » Mon Aug 15, 2022 1:20 pm

Okay, thank you! I'll try that, I'm probably going to experiment with the exo terra a lot to figure out how it works :lol:
2 PP's (Boba and Blue), 1 Dog (Coco)

"Eateth. Thy. WORDS." - Donatello, ROTTMNT

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MusicalRose
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Location: Belleville, Ontario

Re: Attaching Exo Terra to normal tank

Post by MusicalRose » Mon Aug 15, 2022 1:33 pm

Crab Central Station has a video about adding a topper on their YouTube channel. I found it super helpful when adding mine. https://youtu.be/_XLcvprxMj0
4 PPs Hermits (Marley, Manu, Pip & Squeak) 2 Siamese cats (Roku & Yondu) & 1 Betta (Finnigan)
Mom of two kids - wife to another - shell collector

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hermitcrablover2
Posts: 312
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2022 4:01 pm
Location: Why do you want to know?... Ok fine SOMEWHERE in California.

Re: Attaching Exo Terra to normal tank

Post by hermitcrablover2 » Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:02 pm

Thank you!
2 PP's (Boba and Blue), 1 Dog (Coco)

"Eateth. Thy. WORDS." - Donatello, ROTTMNT

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