HCA: Hermit Crab Association

With the approach of my new upgrade soon, I need to find the final supplies and necessities for the tank in general. I'll need the proper decorations, dishes, and the extra substrate. My main goals are to find the best bowls of water, and with highly leaning towards square dishes, rather than rock bowls.

How much more PlaySand will I need? I am getting a 55 gallon, the dimensions are 48x12x21, and I already have 50lbs of sand, and three whole bricks of EE. I want the minimum of twelve inches eventually, but I'll start with 10 for a while, till my crabs grow to be a larger size. I want the minimum of that because I will have two Ecuadorians when completely established.

I am still partially debating whether I am ready for them, but I am pretty sure I can meet both the nutritional and the care needs of that species.

Mostly looking for a lot of vines, I found these vines for house decoration and gardens. It's got soft fabric leaves, and they come in a twelve pack, each vine being seven feet long. I will trim the plant to be six feet, as the 55 tank is six feet from the right side down the back, and to the other side. Perfect fit for a trimming of a vine!

I also would love some fishing net, where should I buy that? I cannot seem to find the right one or the type I want.
If anyone has suggestions, please feel free to post them to me, as I would like to hear from you!

stellaplusrocky wrote: I also would love some fishing net, where should I buy that? I cannot seem to find the right one or the type I want.
If anyone has suggestions, please feel free to post them to me, as I would like to hear from you!

Good luck on the upgrade! I forget who recommended this particular seller to me but I bought my fishnet here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/189204139/ ... s_search_1 It’s 5’ by 5’, and was a good purchase. The only thing I recommend is cleaning it when you get it, it’s real fishnet that’s been used before and smells like it too! Lol


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Woah, pretty sure that fishnet is overpriced. I bought the same thing at Michael's a few years back for $6!

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wodesorel wrote:Woah, pretty sure that fishnet is overpriced. I bought the same thing at Michael's a few years back for $6!

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Ohh okay, I don’t have a Michaels in my town but if you do then I’d definitely go for that first


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PinchersAndShells wrote:

stellaplusrocky wrote: I also would love some fishing net, where should I buy that? I cannot seem to find the right one or the type I want.
If anyone has suggestions, please feel free to post them to me, as I would like to hear from you!

Good luck on the upgrade! I forget who recommended this particular seller to me but I bought my fishnet here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/189204139/ ... s_search_1 It’s 5’ by 5’, and was a good purchase. The only thing I recommend is cleaning it when you get it, it’s real fishnet that’s been used before and smells like it too! Lol


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Okay, thanks!
How much more substrate do I need for ten inches?

stellaplusrocky wrote: Okay, thanks!
How much more substrate do I need for ten inches?

I’m not completely sure on this one, hopefully someone who has/has had a 55 gallon can answer!


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It is roughly 5 gallons per 50 lbs of sand and around 1 gallon per 1 brick of EE.

You'll probably need 4 to 5 bags of sand. I used 4 bags and a half bale of peat in my 55, and 6 bags of sand in my totes that are just slightly bigger.

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wodesorel wrote:It is roughly 5 gallons per 50 lbs of sand and around 1 gallon per 1 brick of EE.

You'll probably need 4 to 5 bags of sand. I used 4 bags and a half bale of peat in my 55, and 6 bags of sand in my totes that are just slightly bigger.

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I'll post a picture later, but could welded steel tables hold up a 55 gallon?

Yes

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soilentgringa wrote:Yes

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Oh, well that's great!
They are about 2x2 so a 55 fits on the width.

I really am skeptical about my choice of getting E's, whether I should or not.
Surely wouldn't enjoy a death, especially in a new upgrade.

I have 12" in my 90 gallon, and I want to say that I used 5 or 6 50lb bags of play sand and about 9 bricks of eco earth. I wanted to have an even quantity of sand and EE, but those 9 bricks ran out faster than I anticipated, and I ended up having more sand than EE in the end.

I personally recommend gardening burlap instead of fishnet, you can buy a big roll of it for 10$, cut it into any size you want, and you KNOW it's 100% crab food friendly

ROSIEonFIRE wrote:I personally recommend gardening burlap instead of fishnet, you can buy a big roll of it for 10$, cut it into any size you want, and you KNOW it's 100% crab food friendly

I actually have many feet of that, and yes my crabs enjoy it

Does anyone have an opinion on whether I should get E's, or not?

stellaplusrocky wrote: Does anyone have an opinion on whether I should get E's, or not?

I would say if you have enough room for them, and can meet their digging and dietary requirements (many suggest offering a lot of protein) then go for it! I would personally upgrade and get the tank conditions stable before adding new guys.

PinchersAndShells wrote:

stellaplusrocky wrote: Does anyone have an opinion on whether I should get E's, or not?

I would say if you have enough room for them, and can meet their digging and dietary requirements (many suggest offering a lot of protein) then go for it! I would personally upgrade and get the tank conditions stable before adding new guys.

I feed my PP's a variety of wet and dry foods currently, and I offer raw chicken thighs.
Would my E's need pork, or beef, and maybe squid? I heard that they go on protein sprees sometimes, so gotta be ready!

I buy a 55 gallon in two weeks! I then have to shop on Amazon, so this tank won't be ready for crabs for about a week or more after purchase.