HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I made a cave-like hidey thing for my new blues and straws to enjoy! I now have a 55 gal and 40 gal setup. Funny to think just 6 months ago I had a tiny critter keeper with gravel and pellet food. So thankful for the HCA!!

I bought this shelf thing from Walmart for a couple bucks




then I covered it in GreatStuff



then i let it expand and harden, it took a couple hours. it expanded WAY more than this
pic shows, so go easy with this stuff. it's pretty cool stuff.
note the cute kitty in the background. that's Kylie, the cat who adopted us.



then i carefully carved it so it looked more rocky and made built in ledges and caves



then i used aquarium silicone to glue ecco earth and moss everywhere. i had to let it
dry outside for 2 days until the silicone smell was completely gone.



here's my new small straw! I saw another HCA member post about a supplier that carries
exotics, so i went to segrestfarms.com and looked up aquarium stores in my area that use
them as a supplier. I contacted the store owner and begged her to order 3 blues and 2 straws
for me and she did!! I ordered them on Monday and got them on Thursday! i love them!!


here's my new medium sized straw! haven't checked genders yet so i haven't named them yet.


here's one of my 3 new blues! he's a big medium and he's so friendly.



i'm in crab heaven right now!!

The cave turned out nice. The new crabs are very cute!

First things first, LOVE your new straws and blues! Congrats on the new exotics and secondly, what section did you find the shelf in (if you remember)? I've been looking for some cheap shelving options and I've always got my two year old with me so browsing is very limited!


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moonbeam wrote:First things first, LOVE your new straws and blues! Congrats on the new exotics and secondly, what section did you find the shelf in (if you remember)? I've been looking for some cheap shelving options and I've always got my two year old with me so browsing is very limited!

Hi moonbeam, that shelf came in a 3 pack of different sizes and it was in the aisle by the tupperware in the home good section. it was the aisle between kitchen utensils and laundry/vacuum supplies.

CallaLily wrote:The cave turned out nice. The new crabs are very cute!

Thanks Calla! they're so awesome, they all have great personalities and seem to be getting along with my pp's and e's just fine.

They all look wonderful and healthy, and cool cave!
One thing, you said they are blueberries when I saw the picture, the eyes look more like viola's than a blue's. I could be wrong, I'm no expert. I can never find the picture ID thing we have somewhere, I was going to look at it but can't find it!

Love the cave! I think I will be doing that, too!

hermitcrabdc wrote:They all look wonderful and healthy, and cool cave!
One thing, you said they are blueberries when I saw the picture, the eyes look more like viola's than a blue's. I could be wrong, I'm no expert. I can never find the picture ID thing we have somewhere, I was going to look at it but can't find it!

oh man you're right dc! i found a good website that compares species: http://www.coenobitaspecies.com/violascens.htm

So, I got 3 violas, not blues. Oh well, i love them all the same!

go_skiboard wrote: oh man you're right dc! i found a good website that compares species: http://www.coenobitaspecies.com/violascens.htm

So, I got 3 violas, not blues. Oh well, i love them all the same!

Thanks for the link!

great stuff huh? Hmmm I really need to try working with this stuff. That cave turned out awesome.

go_skiboard wrote: Hi moonbeam, that shelf came in a 3 pack of different sizes and it was in the aisle by the tupperware in the home good section. it was the aisle between kitchen utensils and laundry/vacuum supplies.

Thanks go_skiboard! Appreciate the tip.


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go_skiboard wrote: Hi moonbeam, that shelf came in a 3 pack of different sizes and it was in the aisle by the tupperware in the home good section. it was the aisle between kitchen utensils and laundry/vacuum supplies.

Thanks go_skiboard! Appreciate the tip.


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Not sure why it posted twice. Sorry.


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ErikRasmussen wrote:great stuff huh? Hmmm I really need to try working with this stuff. That cave turned out awesome.

the stuff is pretty great! i under estimated how much it would expand. apparently there are two types of great stuff, one for filling big gaps and one for small gaps. I used the big gap stuff and I had to cut a lot of it off. i'm so proud of that silly cave!