HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi friends

I'm really excited to get back into crabbing and I wanted to go ahead and start this thread to keep track of my progress.

I'm using an old chest of drawers as the base and building up from there.

I picked up an old window that I'm going to be using for the front/door of the tank & I will be picking up 2 more tomorrow for the sides. I wasn't originally sure if I wanted windows on the sides of the tank, but after doing some more measuring and beginning work, I've decided I do.

The wood is all going to be treated with an epoxy & then for extra protection I'm also going to be lining the wood with plastic sheeting. I want to put something else over the plastic sheeting that will help keep the crabs away from it in the event they can actually get that far (going to be putting up great stuff foam backgrounds and what have you).

So far all I've gotten around to doing is gutting the chest of drawers, taping up the window glass, sanding everything, and reinforcing the back of the chest of drawers (now bottom of the tank).

Suggestion Time (pictures next)!
If you guys could have anything in your dream tank what would it be?

I've seen a lot of people putting in false bottoms, should I put one in too? Never had a false bottom before, but also never had any moment in time where I wish I had one.

Last question: how do you think I should do my pools? I love a nice aesthetic and am all about a natural looking crabitat, but I'm also worried about cleaning access. In the past I've had built in pools that I loved, but were a true nightmare to really clean.

Okay okay. Picture time. Nothing exciting yet, but this is going to take some time.

We've been doing a lot of home improvement lately, so I just want to say be cautious with that window. If it's pre-1974 that flaking paint will have lead in it. I've never seen anything on what lead could possibly do to crabs, but because of the moisture it's likely to leach if not carefully sealed. Just something to keep in mind!

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This is going to be super cool!

One day I'm going to have a waterfall of sorts in my tank


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wodesorel wrote:We've been doing a lot of home improvement lately, so I just want to say be cautious with that window. If it's pre-1974 that flaking paint will have lead in it. I've never seen anything on what lead could possibly do to crabs, but because of the moisture it's likely to leach if not carefully sealed. Just something to keep in mind!

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It doesn't seem to be quite that old, but either way this entire thing is getting sealed up super tight all over. I'm taking the time to do it right from the start so I don't have to find/make another crabitat in the future.

Giner13 wrote:This is going to be super cool!

One day I'm going to have a waterfall of sorts in my tank


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I've always loved waterfalls in tanks. I've got one on my list to try to work into my decorating plans, so we'll see.

Picked up 2 more matching windows and got them taped up today.

Also got the base sanded and one coat of paint on.







Going to work on getting dinner on the table and then off to sanding my windows a million times

Looking great! Just be super careful about any fumes getting in the crabitat- could be disastrous.


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Hermiearth wrote:Looking great! Just be super careful about any fumes getting in the crabitat- could be disastrous.


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Oh, I know. This ain't my first rodeo.
It's going to have plenty of time to cure and air out.

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Just FYI, Rustoleum is also sold in pint sized cans. With cheap foam rollers or brushes it's better coverage and way less expensive then going through cans of the spray!

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Wow! Very creative! You sure have accomplished a lot in a short amount of time! Can't wait to see the finished product!

That is super cool! You should start a company of making these cool DIY crabitats, LOL.

wodesorel wrote:Just FYI, Rustoleum is also sold in pint sized cans. With cheap foam rollers or brushes it's better coverage and way less expensive then going through cans of the spray!

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I have a ton of spray paint around here so I'm just using up what I have. Will remember for the future though. I'm always working on some project or another.

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Ahhh, it feels good to be home. We have been out of town since Thursday - I've been dreaming about working on my crabitat.
The addiction is SO real.

Anyway, today is window day. Going to be working on getting those windows ready.

My nephews found a nice piece of diftwood for my crabs that I'm thinking about mounting into my foam wall as a ledge.





At it's widest points, it's about 16 inches by 13 inches. Pretty good size. Still need to clean it up, but I'm excited about adding it in.
Some point soon I need to bring all my other crab stuff up from the basement and inventory everything. That's a big job.

Nice find!

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Coolio! The crabies will love that.


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