Upgrading to a more suitable home. My first real scapeing attempt.

Overmountain1 · Post by **Overmountain1** » Wed Feb 13, 2019 3:11 pm

Hi angel bear-I don’t have an answer for you, but I know I bought the 50lb playsand for like $4.—? Not much, and I could’ve gotten a 25lb but figured I can always use a lil extra!! Mine already had quite a bit of eco earth in it, it’s mixed more like 2/5, or even closer to 3/5 with the playsand, and it isn’t deep enough in portions!. I couldn’t add it all at once bc of settling concerns and needing them to get in the tank, that sort of thing! I used less than 1/3 of the bag so far, but only half of my tat is at 6”. Maybe that helps, maybe not, but to me it was a no brained to get the 50, it was only like a dollar more than 25 or something. Weird. HTH!!

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Motörcrab · Post by **Motörcrab** » Wed Feb 13, 2019 7:54 pm

angelbear122189 wrote: ↑
Wed Feb 13, 2019 12:50 pm
Does anyone know the approximate amount of sunstrate needed to provide at least six inches for a ten gallon tank?

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One 50 pound bag of playsand from Lowes around $4-$5, about 1/2 gallon of Eco Earth mixed with roughly 3/4's of a gallon of either fresh or salt dechlorinated water should get you at or above the 6" mark. I generally figure about one bag of sand for every 10 gallons of tank size. It doesn't work out perfectly but will get you pretty close.

I like mixing substrate in smaller batches. 2-1/2 quarts of sand, 1/2 quart Eco Earth, mix dry, Repeat Once to get to 5 quarts Sand, 1 quart EE. Then add water and mix to sand castle consistency. That way if you add too much water to one one batch to can mix the next batch with less water to even it out.

It works out pretty well mixing it in a 5 gallon bucket with a small gardening hand shovel. Then you can dump each batch into the tank as you go.

angelbearpuppy · Post by **angelbearpuppy** » Thu Feb 14, 2019 1:57 pm

Aright lets see.

I have the tank, screen lid and clamps coming in Friday. I am now looking at UTH options. I know that Ultratherm is the preferred brand of heat mat recommended by this site, due to the ability to be insulated. I however try to limit buying anything online unless it is impossible to do otherwise, as I have had my identity stolen this way before. It makes me a little internet shopping shy now. So for sake of argument, are there any other recommended heating methods out there that I might be able to go to a store and pick up. If there really isn't a good alternative I will brave the internet, but it does not hurt to ask.

So far from the little reading I have done/experience before I started really researching. I know the zoomed is not recommended, which is what I currently use, due to the fact you cannot insulate them safely. Are there any other brands, what about heat lights, I would really have no experience on that end. Would they harm a crab if they somehow managed to climb up to, or on the lid as they sit on the lid themselves.

Anyways I should have the bare bone basics bought this weekend regardless, and maybe a few decor items too.

So far I plan on having at least 6 inches of sand, the back wall will be made for climbing, I want to do some fish net and weave some leafy vines thought it to give them a place to climb and hide. The ground will have the two pools, and food dish, a piece of drift wood to climb all over, and a moss pit, on another wall I will have a shell shop. I was playing around with using the screen to weave or hang a few vine type plants at the top of the tank as sort of a canopy (hence the heat lamp question). These are just a few things I am kicking around. I was also considering if not a vine and fish net, maybe a rock wall, or combination of both.

Motörcrab · Post by **Motörcrab** » Thu Feb 14, 2019 6:22 pm

I have never seen the Ultratherm or Fluker heating pads at stores. Unfortunately only online. For a 10 gallon tank I would recommend an 11 X 17 Ultratherm.

Reptile Basics is currently out of stock, and they are the better price. $21.99
http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm ... uth-11-x17

The Bean Farm has them in stock. $26.99
https://beanfarm.com/collections/heatin ... 4905301385

You can always try to order over the phone that way. Possibly you could even use a preloaded Visa card. i'm not sure how they work but it may be an option.

I used a ZooMeds on my 10 G with no issues. I couldn't get the temperature above maybe 82 and it would drop to the mid 70's at night. I also had one side of the tank insulated and used a glass lid with a towel on top. That tank always seems to be my temporary tank until I can upgrade. I generally use it for a month or two and let it sit. I'm not sure how it would work for over an extended period.

With using a screen top lid and plastic wrap you won't want to use heat bulbs because it can melt the plastic wrap. The heat lamps also tend to dry out the tank quicker than the UTH's. The plastic wrap helps hold some heat and humidity in but IMO it doesn't compare to having a hinged glass top. We had screen tops at first but found them to be a pain having to pull it off, then mess with the plastic wrap every time we wanted inside the tank.

Hermiesguardian · Post by **Hermiesguardian** » Thu Feb 14, 2019 6:32 pm

I have a mesh lid and covered it with plexi glass. Works really well. But then you can't weave plants through it.

angelbearpuppy · Post by **angelbearpuppy** » Thu Feb 14, 2019 7:44 pm

That was what I orgionaly planned with plexi glass. I don't have to weave plants.....I just thought it would look neat if I did. Right now I am waying my options. You guys have really been a lot of help by the way and I thank you for it

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Motörcrab · Post by **Motörcrab** » Thu Feb 14, 2019 8:35 pm

I'm glad I can help. I did the weaving of plants into fish netting before. It was a real pain trying to poke all the leaves through the small holes in the net. I found it much easier just adding the plants on one side and using zip ties to attach them. Either way you will probably need to use zip ties to keep the plants in place. Black zip ties blend in a lot better to everything compared to the white or other colored ones.

angelbearpuppy · Post by **angelbearpuppy** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 9:29 pm

Woot woot I got the tank lid ECT in tonight

I plan on rinsing it out and letting it air dry. I am happy

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angelbearpuppy · Post by **angelbearpuppy** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 9:47 pm

Here is my largest. Nicknamed monkey because he is always climbing and almost escaped twice. One of the big pushes to get my parents to agree to am upgrade. I guess he would be a small...or medium his shell opening is a little under an inch. He is an E from what I can tell. My smallest is about quarter sized and burried under. He is shy and only comes up after lights out most nights.

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Overmountain1 · Post by **Overmountain1** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 11:21 pm

I love the name! We actually had a cat when I was growing up named Monkey. However, he was named so bc he was a polydactyl cat, and had extra toes on all four feet!
Very cute! Love when they’re popping out of their shells like that to say hi, I think they just look so darn funny!! Dave is by far the most trusting and adventurous of mine. We call him Davedave the Wonder Crab bc he is so fearless, and joke that he’s actually a superhero. Yeah, total nerd family here- and owning it!

Super exciting- looks like it’s coming together for you now, and it’s so much fun to upgrade. Enjoy! A soon as you’re finished I bet you’ll be thinking of your next one too- it’s so hard to stop! Lol GL!

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angelbearpuppy · Post by **angelbearpuppy** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 7:04 am

Most likely. This one might last a little while at lest. But yes I know I will eventually look to go bigger. I like my homes to grow with my pets then I feel as if I accomplshed something. No different than keeping their baby shells. I would love obe day when I have space and money to give breeding a try but that is in the far distant future.

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Overmountain1 · Post by **Overmountain1** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:32 am

Yes ma’am- I am right there with you! I would love to have that capability and skill level eventually. For now, I’m just soaking up all the info I can!

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angelbearpuppy · Post by **angelbearpuppy** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:33 am

Same. And maybe by the time i have the space funds knowledge to try. Things will be a bit more decoded

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angelbearpuppy · Post by **angelbearpuppy** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:10 pm

Okay. Need to get a little more sand but day was good. Collected a few natural rocks and sticks. They are currently soaking in salt water to me Ill anything overnight. Also found some hymph net at Wal-Mart. And containers for their pool. A basic picture so far.

I plan on hanging the net on the back and attaching somw greenery. I also pland on using some alternating soap dishes as ledges to climb on and need to add my moss pit. But the bare basics are in so I can begin to get a general idea. I have some larger rocks I might incoorperate as a natural hide. I am trying to keep a natural look. Most things are collected when I go on hikes, then boiled, soaked, baked where appropriate.

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rocknrolla · Post by **rocknrolla** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 2:03 pm

angelbear122189 wrote:Okay. Need to get a little more sand but day was good. Collected a few natural rocks and sticks. They are currently soaking in salt water to me Ill anything overnight. Also found some hymph net at Wal-Mart. And containers for their pool. A basic picture so far.

I plan on hanging the net on the back and attaching somw greenery. I also pland on using some alternating soap dishes as ledges to climb on and need to add my moss pit. But the bare basics are in so I can begin to get a general idea. I have some larger rocks I might incoorperate as a natural hide. I am trying to keep a natural look. Most things are collected when I go on hikes, then boiled, soaked, baked where appropriate.

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Looks good. make sure you bake the driftwood just in case. There might be a little bug or larvae snuck in there.

I wish my walmart has those kind of hemp net. do you have brand name for the net?

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HCA: Hermit Crab Association