New 20 Gallon Tall Build With Egg Crate (complete)

[Motörcrab]

Thanks for all the positive responses! The best tip I can give is to try and cut the egg crate so it is pretty tight to the sides of the tank for a snug fit. Once I started attaching the coco fiber and everything else I kept pulling the in an out to make sure I didn't have clearance issues with the vines and the wheel.

The one thing I really like is how it stays pretty dark under the shelves. I think that will help the crabs feel more secure rather than having to move around in the light. There is actually a coconut hide under the shelf you can barely see it in the fourth picture.

Naturally the crabs did not want the food on the second level. They pushed the dish off all and its contents all over the substrate and into the water. I just filled it up too! Naturally they knock the ONLY thing that isn't secured over in less than 8 hours! I'm just hoping they don't destroy the coco fiber mat right away! That will be next to impossible to replace easily.

I never tried aquarium silicone to suction cups or command hooks. I would think it would work well on a clean, empty tank. I wound not use silicone in a tank with crabs since the fumes can be toxic to them.

I think used egg crate material may be reusable. It is hard to say if any chemicals may have been used in the past on them for cleaning, or possibly residue from smoking. Possibly if they are yellowed from age them may be brittle and snap easier during assembly. Especially when you need to use some pressure for a tight fit. For a 55 you would probably need two 2'X4' pieces. One piece for across the entire back, the other piece for the sides. The left over piece from the back would probably be enough for your shelves.

[RiNiKy506]

I didn’t even think about any chemicals that may have been used for cleaning, I think if I do try this I will buy new to be safe. Not sure if I want to try the silicone since I’ll have an empty tank to start and time to let it air out awhile or try this. Thank you for your answers. I can’t get over how amazing your tank turned out!


Rod♡Salty♡Bob♡Squirt♡Crabina♡Who
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers <-♡-«

[ciaraalston]

I absolutely LOVE this!!! And I can't wait to get my 80 bow front started!!!! This is so amazing!

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[Kitkat7]

Wow, this is beautiful! I'd love to see a sort of step-by-step of how you constructed it, what everything is zip-tied to and whatnot. Is there a water drip from somewhere? Is the wheel thingy just a fun way for them to get their food? This is great!

[Motörcrab]

I got a few pictures but not many. I'll try and get some better pictures without disturbing these guys too much. I worked on stuff here and there during the week then pretty much all day on Saturday. Just with zip tying everything to the egg crate I probably have a solid 8 hours invested. Then another 2 hours or so of just trying different things and trying to figure out how to make things work. Not to mention the time of cleaning the tank before starting.

I don't have a water drip anywhere. Only if I over mist the moss pit. Hermits love wheels! I viewed my crabby cams recorded video and saw some guys easily spend 12 hours just walking in the wheel with out getting out!

Here are a few pics so you can see how everything is attached. Like I said before, I must probably used almost 200 of the small zip ties to hold everything in place.


This is the side I attached the moss pit to. The zip ties on the outside edges are holding the Coco fiber in place. I counted about 28 zip ties on that one panel alone.


This is where I attached the fish net and plants to the front of the Moss pit. I attached the net ING first and made sure there was no way they could get between the pit and netting. Then I attached the plants to the top then secured them lower so they can fall off.


This is the underside of the top self. You can also see how I used the stand for the wheel to help support the shelf. In the original post I was going to keep this shelf short to cover the wheel stand. I then decided to extend it all the way across the back for a little more area and easier access to the moss pit from the other side.


More of my hand zip tie work on more plants. They aren't going anywhere!


More plants and zip ties and an apple core I will be removing shortly!


An attempt to take a picture of the shelf on the right side of the tank. It's hard to hold the camera in the tank an take a picture not seeing what your taking a picture of.


Crabby Dee found the wheel the other night!


Phil just peeking around the Cholla! I finally got a good shot showing off their eyelashes!

[Overmountain1]

I don't have a water drip anywhere. Only if I over mist the moss pit. Hermits love wheels! I viewed my crabby cams recorded video and saw some guys easily spend 12 hours just walking in the wheel with out getting out!

Oh my gosh! That’s amazing! I just added one in my 10, I had already decided the wheel plus small coconut hut won out over just one large (and admittedly cool) log. The lot was just tooooo big, and with more of them in there now... so far I have them split 2/4, but may go back to 3/3 depending how everyone gets along. Anyway- I love watching that video of your crabs playing on the wheel together. So cute! I’m glad I made the decision to ick snag the log, at least til the bigger tank is ready!


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[FSkerlak]

Looks awesome! If I wanted to try this, would I still use UTHs on the back with that kind of a set-up? is that enough space between the coconut fiber wall and UTH to not cause a fire or no?
Thank you!

[angelbearpuppy]

I wondered about that to.

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[Motörcrab]

The crate material is about 3/8" thick so the squares allow a pocket of air between the fiber mat and glass. So far I haven't had any issues with my method of insulating the UTH. Below is how do the heaters and insulate them on all my tanks.

This is Fleabags Guide To Heating A Crabitat
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 6&t=119297

[FSkerlak]

Great, thanks for everything! I may just give it a shot when I upgrade to the 55 gallon. The pics and the link really help, thanks again!

[RiNiKy506]

I wonder why that keeps showing the picture of Lee’s teeter-totter and not the picture you had for the tutorial you made? It’s such a cute picture of Fleabag and of course it goes good with his tutorial.


Rod♡Salty♡Bob♡Squirt♡Crabina♡Who
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers <-♡-«

[Motörcrab]

Fleabag is upset about it too!

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[RiNiKy506]

Maybe it picks up the last picture that was posted in that thread!? It seems like it would just keep the original that was posted with it. Can that be edited and keep it as a sticky? It really is a good tutorial and heating a tank is very important. It may already be, I can’t tell.


Rod♡Salty♡Bob♡Squirt♡Crabina♡Who
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers <-♡-«

[ChrisCrab]

This looks amazing, awesome job. I'm sure your crabs really appreciate it. I have to do this!

[Motörcrab]

Thanks Chris. I guess my guys like it. They are shy crabs in this tank. They come out late at night and hide as soon as they see a light turn on or any movement. I do see guys on the wheel, in the moss pit, and in the calcium and food dishes so I know they do explore the tank a little bit.