How to do a tank upgrade in my new house

[Pumpkincrab]

Hello all,
It's time I started thinking about a tank upgrade.
My dilemma is how and where. I moved, just over a week ago, but seeing how big some of the crabs are getting (Especially Pumpkin) I don't think the 29g's going to hold them for more than a year if that. The crab tank is in the attic (Which is good for them- the attic is about 900 square feet and they have their own area next to a window.) But the stairs up there are narrow and steep, and we had to really push to get the current tank up there.
I'm also concerned on how much weight the attic can hold in one area. I mean, it's not wobbly or anything- the floor seems sturdy and is holding a good amount of weight spread through the attic.
My dream tank is a 75g but I know that it's probably not gonna happen for a while.
My questions:
1. What would be the best tank size I can probably make work in the attic?
2. Should I put the new tank in a different area of the house, with easier access?
I'd really appreciate any advice here. Thank you all!?

[HermitCrabCHICA]

Idk about the BIG tanks... You have a 29Gallon? I have a ten gallon a 29G is my Hermies dream tank! I am sure your attic can hold it as long as its not like a million pounds I don't have much experience with attics though (take my advice at your own risk )

[HermieBingo]

I would suggest a 40 - 50 gal tank. A decent upgrade, but still affordable...

Um, it really depends on your opinion, if it is working right now, then I would keep it there. Remember that hermit crabs generally like to be in an area with less activity. But if your that concerned about the floor, then...?

[Pumpkincrab]

Thank you all for your help,
I will look into it and see if I'd be able to navigate a 50g up there. And yeah, I think for now I'll keep it up there because you're right, they do like to be in an area with less activity and it's pretty quiet up there for them.

[DragonsFly]

If you are concerned about what the flooring will hold up there, you had better have somebody with actual experience evaluating that kind of thing evaluate it for you--a contractor or home inspector or somebody. It would be catastrophic if you had a large tank break through the flooring; it could not only injure or kill your crabs, but anyone on the floor beneath, not to mention being a very expensive repair to the home. And a tank with a great amount of moist substrate is a lot heavier than the empty tank (which as you know is already heavy to begin with).

That said, bigger is definitely better, as far as you can provide it to them; these are wild animals used to traveling miles in the wild, and maximizing the volume of your substrate is always best for helping them to survive molting. I wheeled and dealed my way up to a 120g high tank for my two crabs, and I still wish I could give them more room.

[HermieBingo]

Wow! 120g for two crabs! How big are they?!

But I agree they should have as much space as you can afford...

[DragonsFly]

I wheeled and dealed and traded and traded for about 5 months to get that second-hand 120g.

One is a jumbo, and one is large on her way to jumbo. But if they were still small as they were when I first took them in as a surprise rescue, I would still want to put them in this size tank--or larger. It is still a very tiny box, for wild animals that usually travel for miles every night in their natural homes. If I could safely take them back to their natural habitat and release them, I would do that. Since that is not safe, I feel my responsibility is to make sure they have the best habitat I can provide them.