HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have three crabs in a 20-gallon tank. Since I don't have the room or money for the 50-gallon tank that I really want, I would like to try adding more space to my current tank by going upward--in other words, add another entire story to the top of the tank! I could then put multiple levels inside the tank, maybe even a small potted tree, to give the crabs more climbing space. How could I go about doing this? Has anyone ever tried it? The front of it would need to open for easy access. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

My first thought was shower caddies but I'm pretty sure I just read that you already have one or more of those. I have 3 at the moment, one for extra shells and two as moss pits. I also have a sea grass basket hanging as a shell shop in mine.



I also have this cute little hanging pot that I sometimes put moss in. The crabs love it with or without moss though. I often find crabby piles in it.



As for trees, My crabs just love the fake bonsai. There's almost always someone in it. I found it a Petsmart. They have three different sizes to choose from.

Wow, great post above me. I love the hanging pot! Did you make that yourself? If so, could you explain how!?

Likewise, I have four shower caddies in all four corners of the 'tat in my 55G to make more space. I also have another caddy that goes on the back of the 'tat.

In addition to the caddies, I have a large fake wooden plant and a vine that goes across the 'tat. It creates a good place for the crabs to go if they want off the ground, and many of my crabs spend their days suspended in one of the various nooks and crannies.

Kilimanjaro wrote:Wow, great post above me. I love the hanging pot! Did you make that yourself? If so, could you explain how!?

Thank you. I found it, new in package, at an auction actually. I bought two but the hanging thing for one of them was broken by one of my children. Oops that's right, it was broken by "Not Me". Sadly, Not Me spends a lot of time in this house.

"Not Me"...








My parents say that same thing all the time... :roll:

Yeah, I do have an extra level, a shower caddy for a moss pit (LOVE the hanging clay pot!), but what I want to do is make the entire aquarium bigger by adding something to the top, like this:



The blue area is what I would like to do. Hope that made things a bit clearer. I'm just not sure what to make it out of, or how to go about doing it. I was thinking it could be a box made from sheets of Plexiglas glued together with aquarium sealer, but I don't know how well that would hold up.

Yeah, I know, my Photoshop skillz0rz leave something to be desired.

Silver Buttons wrote:Yeah, I do have an extra level, a shower caddy for a moss pit (LOVE the hanging clay pot!), but what I want to do is make the entire aquarium bigger by adding something to the top, like this:



The blue area is what I would like to do. Hope that made things a bit clearer. I'm just not sure what to make it out of, or how to go about doing it. I was thinking it could be a box made from sheets of Plexiglas glued together with aquarium sealer, but I don't know how well that would hold up.

Yeah, I know, my Photoshop skillz0rz leave something to be desired.

I have thought about this myself. Only way to safely do it it use plexi glass or get some glass cut. Plexi is easy to work with, but it can be expensive.

The best bet would to save the money that you would customizing to make it taller and check out craigslist. I just picked up a 75gal for $40.

You are looking at $50- 140 alone to do custom plexi or getting glass cut.

CL would be the best choice...

Unfortunately, I don't have room for a larger tank at the moment--gotta wait till I get a bigger place to live. Maybe I can get some Plexiglas sheets cheap somewhere. I was even think of turning a second aquarium upside-down over the top of the crabitat, but that would make access really difficult unless I could somehow cut an access door in it. I don't think aquarium glass can be cut without special equipment. Has anyone here ever tried it? Seems like it would shatter easily.

I saw something like this at a Reptile Show. The panels of the cage hold together with magnets.

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/29431 ... _cage.html


Or you might try to find something like this:

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/438/product.web

You could try to remove the bottom and attach it to your current tank. If you could find a used one on Craig's list or a yard sale, it'd be cheaper.

Oooooo, I like the acrylic atriums! Thanks for those links.

Silver Buttons wrote:like this:

Ooooooohh Sorry for misunderstanding.

you could try adding a layer of netting to your tank instead of another story

Ooooooohh Sorry for misunderstanding.

No worries! I probably just didn't make it clear, as it was kinda hard to explain.

Herbie, I'm thinking of doing that, actually. Some hemp netting would look really cool.

CallaLily wrote: I also have a sea grass basket hanging as a shell shop in mine.

Where did you find the sea grass basket? I'm looking for something just like that to use for a shell shop in my new bigger tat.

I've seen similar baskets in JoAnns (fabric/craft store) and Michaels (craft store).