HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi guys, so I'm new here. I've been researching on this site for months and I am finally in the process of setting up my new 55 gallon tank. I've bought all the materials to build my false bottom but I have a few questions (and this may be that I am over analyzing but that's just my nature ).

First, how have you guys attached your pipes to the false bottom? Do you zip tie everything together and then create hole for the pipe to go through or do you create the holes in each piece (egg crate, weed block and embroidery mesh) and then zip tie them all together? I've been watching several videos and it seems popular with other types of false bottoms to support it with pipes of equal size underneath. Will this also work for hermit crab tanks? It seems that in most of the videos I watched the false bottoms weren't meant to hold nearly as much weight as this one is going to hold. If you can use pipes to help support the weight, would you recommend creating slits in the pipes so that water can easily flow through? How many layers of weed block do you guys cover everything with? It seems that 1 layer is sufficient but would doing 2 layers somehow impede the process? I am planning on this being set up for quite a while and want it to last.

On a somewhat different note, I am also planning to create a background with great stuff to cover the pipe from the false bottom and would like to know if any of you have any advice on this. Is this something that needs to be done outside? Also, from what I have seem on here it seems that you can place a trash bag (or something plastic) between the great stuff and the tank so that the background can be removable. And lastly, I think, once sprayed onto the plastic, will I be able to remove the plastic once it has had time to cure/dry?

Thanks everyone in advance! Being that I am not too handy and am also a visual learner, this has been quite a task without being able to watch someone put one of these together for a hermit crab tank. And if you know of a video I somehow missed on this please let me know! Thanks!

I don't have any answers, but I will be following as I'm prepping to put in a false bottom on my tank also.

I'm not sure how to link here yet but if you search false bottom here on hca and check thru the threads there is so links to some helpful pictures tutorials that helped me figure out how to do it...I'm starting my build today

Stay at home mommy to 4 kids (Ana 11, Joseph 9, Alizabeth 6, and Christian 2) 8 cats, 5 hermits, 4 little molly fish, 3 ferrets, 2 parrakets, 2 Oscars, 1 red eared slider, 1 cockatiel, 1 goldfish and 1 bone headed pittbull.

With my false bottom, we used several equal sized pieces of PVC to support it. More than what was recommended at the site we used as a guide because of the heavy substrate. Yes, we put small notches at the bottom of each so water wouldn't become trapped inside. We cut a hole that just fit one longer PVC pipe to use if we ever need to suction out water - so far there hasn't been more than condensation down there. We put one layer of weed block down. I did not zip tie anything or glue anything. If I were to do it again, I would add the plastic needlepoint canvas on top of that because my crabs did go down and punch a couple small holes in the weed block and a small amount of substrate did spill through. Also a small amount at the front corner but that happened while I was adding the substrate - just make sure everything's a snug fit along the glass. We set mine up in January. There's 12 inches of moistened play sand with cocofiber mixed in all across. It's holding up well.

Hey thanks for the replies. This false bottom thing has been joke. The worst part, in my opinion has been the egg crate. I decided to use wire cutters to cute the egg crate into all the pieces I needed and holy hand cramp. For those following and wanting to also set up a false bottom I have a few suggestions based on my trails (and errors... over a hundred zip ties later...).

My first suggestion is that, if you can, don't use wire cutters to cut the egg crate. Not only did it take forever, it also hurt like the dickens. Never thought I would say my thumbs are cramping. Not sure what else you could use but there has to be an easier way. Next, if you plan to zip tie your pieces of egg crate together, as I did, don't tighten the zip ties until you have placed the false bottom in your tank and have made sure it fits the way it needs to. I didn't do this and had to start almost over with the zip ties because it was too long (by like 1/8 in). Its something you just gotta zig and zag until it fits right. I decided to use pipe and the rest of the egg crate as support underneath and that seems to be working out great. So far the false bottom seems pretty solid. My amazing father stepped in to help me cut the pipe into the sizes I needed so I guess my suggestion there is have a handy man around lol (out of me and my husband, I am the handy man haha). Instead of using sealant to glue the pipes in, we drilled holes straight through the tops of the pipes and zip tied those into the bottom of the false bottom. The great part was the lack of mess doing it that way. I am still in the process of adding the weed block and embroidery mesh but I am thinking that cutting the holes into each individual piece is the better way to go (some kind of marker is imperative for this project to help mark where you need to cut).

Unfortunately I decided to use acrylic rods as support systems rather than going the suction cup route. The unfortunate part being that I made that decision before I made the decision to do the false bottom. So my drainage pipe will actually be in the center of the tank rather than to the side. Because of this, I will not be able to seal the drainage pipe in until the false bottom is in its forever home at the bottom of the tank. For those of you wanting to add your drainage pipe in before installing the false bottom in your tank, I have no suggestions but I think I've seen a picture or two where this has been done.

I am still brainstorming about how to do the background and whether I should make it permanent or not. Anyone have a suggestion?

I'll post some pictures from my phone of the progress I've made so far for those of you who are also visual but I'm even worse with technology than I am with building stuff so bear with me.

Hopefully this works...


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I found the easy way to cut egg crate is to take one of the heavy duty metal files from the hardware store and just whack down thru the part you want to cut...I made a basking platform for my turtle and got the start of my false bottom all cut up in minutes doing it this way...I seen it one a youtube video about makeing platforms for my turtle...if I can figure out how to link it I will

Stay at home mommy to 4 kids (Ana 11, Joseph 9, Alizabeth 6, and Christian 2) 8 cats, 5 hermits, 4 little molly fish, 3 ferrets, 2 parrakets, 2 Oscars, 1 red eared slider, 1 cockatiel, 1 goldfish and 1 bone headed pittbull.

Hope this works...if it does its almost the end of the video where he shows the easy way to cut egg crate...warning it's pretty messy
http://youtu.be/sQDepqFLpF4

Stay at home mommy to 4 kids (Ana 11, Joseph 9, Alizabeth 6, and Christian 2) 8 cats, 5 hermits, 4 little molly fish, 3 ferrets, 2 parrakets, 2 Oscars, 1 red eared slider, 1 cockatiel, 1 goldfish and 1 bone headed pittbull.

Awesome vid! I never knew cutting egg rate could be so easy!' And his turtle tank is so awesome!


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I'm sooo glad that I started following this thread. That video will be so helpful!

If I ever upgrade and make another false bottom that is definitely the route I'm taking. I can't believe how hard I worked and how easy it could have been. Buuut I did love the pipe part... I'm thinking you could use the corner pipe thing into a large hide with a coco mat.


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Also maybe use craftimg thread instead of zipties. Might be easier on the fingers!
Pepperell Rexlace Plastic Craft Lace, 3/32-Inch Wide, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XZVV78/re ... nub179ZA9R


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Got some, definitely using that for the embroidery mesh. Thanks for the tip. I haven't done that part yet so I didn't know what to suggest until if actually done it. Between moving out to a farm in the past two weeks and my 2 year old my crabs have sort of had to take a back seat.


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It actually didn't work out. I ended up using it to stitch the needlepoint canvas sheets together so zip ties were kept to s minimum.

Thanks for that tip... That was the what I was leaning towards but couldn't figure out if I needed to try and stitch them to the weed block or just stitch them and then zip tie them to everything else. I'll never look at zip ties the same way again...


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