55 + 90 gallon builds!

[soilentgringa]

I ordered fairly thin sheets of plexiglass off of Amazon. They were about 1/2 inch too wide to fit down into the lip of my tank, but I scored them on both sides after marking lines with a ruler and sharpie, and used pliers to break the piece away.

They sit down in the lip of my tank and have a screened lid over them. I'm planning on ordering a couple of more pieces in the dimensions that would allow me to attach them to the top of the screen lid because it is hinged in the middle.

I got the plexiglass before the lid and discovered that my fatty cats like to sit on top of the crab tank and fall in when the plexiglass wouldn't support their weight.

My tanks are constantly a work in progress.

[KDK241]

I am new to keeping hermit crabs but I have had aquariums for years and can give some advice about the weight.

The general rule of thumb when keeping fish is that it will weigh 10 lbs per gallon of water. I have had a 75 gallon tank (weighing roughly 750 lbs) on the second floor for years and have had no problems. The important thing is the placement of the tank. Place against a load bearing wall if possible and make sure that it runs across the floor beams, not with or it will start to sag the subfloor.

Also if you are at all handy you can build an inexpensive stand out of 2x4's that would be lighter in weight but strong enough to hold the tank. There are also ideas for cinder block and wood stands that don't use as many blocks.

Keep in mind this is for newer homes, if your have an older home definitely have the floor checked for structural issues.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... ?t=1567110

[TheDivineZero]

Thanks for the tips! We did actually build a stand, and it works very well! The floor has been holding great, but being cautious never hurts!

I actually have it set up now and have tenants.. sorry for the lack of pictures... I will certainly take some! I did a quick set up, as I caught wind of an adoption up north.

I'll add pictures when I get my decor settled.

[ciaraalston]

Thanks for the tips! We did actually build a stand, and it works very well! The floor has been holding great, but being cautious never hurts!

I actually have it set up now and have tenants.. sorry for the lack of pictures... I will certainly take some! I did a quick set up, as I caught wind of an adoption up north.

I'll add pictures when I get my decor settled.

i was stalking old posts for ideas and caught yours. i'd love to see pictures!