HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hopefully this is posted in the right area. My neighbor gave me a 55 gal tank that her sons used for reptiles. The glass looks to be 1/4" thick and in decent condition. Unfortunately, the trim (both top and bottom) are either cracked, melted or missing sections. I cleaned it up (vinegar) and have about an inch of conditioned water sitting in it to check for leaks. My question is: is this tank still usable for hermit crabs with the damaged trim? Maybe I jumped the gun cleaning the darned thing when it has the possibility of falling apart. I'm new to glass enclosures if you couldn't tell and am just super eager to set up my first crabitat. Thanks in advance!

You can buy new trim! It isn't too pricey and you can swap it out yourself.

http://www.aquariumframeswholesale.com/frames


http://www.aquariumframeswholesale.com/ ... cement.pdf]http://www.aquariumframeswholesale.com/ ... cement.pdf

There ya go!

KellyCrabbieLove wrote:You can buy new trim! It isn't too pricey and you can swap it out yourself.

http://www.aquariumframeswholesale.com/frames


http://www.aquariumframeswholesale.com/ ... cement.pdf]http://www.aquariumframeswholesale.com/ ... cement.pdf

There ya go!

Thanks a bunch for that! Unfortunately, as much as I really want to reuse this tank because it's here, it seems like more of a hassle trying to fix the thing up. I can either spend $30 plus shipping for the trim, $8 for silicone, try my hardest to remove the old trim and install the new trim properly or I can patiently wait for a dollar/gallon sale for a new tank. Seeing as how I know absolutely nothing about aquariums, I bet by the time I have the used tank "fixed" the sale will be in effect. Yup, I'm hopeless

Aw. Sorry.

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No worries! It just means I have to put this new obsession on hold for a while. It really, really sucks but I'd rather do things right than to rush in and screw things up. The convenience is for the crabs, not necessarily me

I've used tanks with bad rims for other purposes, but because of the weight of the substrate, if it's outright missing chunks I wouldn't do it with a 55 gallon. Just FYI - loose or cracked bits can be reattached with gorilla glue - works better than silicon and no need to strip anything off first. The tank you have would be fine to house a reptile, so it's not trash yet. A crab tank doesn't need to be waterproof, but it does need to be structurally sound. A reptile tank can be pretty well trashed and still work well.

wodesorel wrote:I've used tanks with bad rims for other purposes, but because of the weight of the substrate, if it's outright missing chunks I wouldn't do it with a 55 gallon. Just FYI - loose or cracked bits can be reattached with gorilla glue - works better than silicon and no need to strip anything off first. The tank you have would be fine to house a reptile, so it's not trash yet. A crab tank doesn't need to be waterproof, but it does need to be structurally sound. A reptile tank can be pretty well trashed and still work well.

Thank you I guess I'll hold onto this tank until my need for skinks kicks in. I'll just keep saving up and buying crabby things while waiting for a tank.