So I am sloooowly putting together a 37g tat...

[LadyJinglyJones]

Last of the shells (for a while) arrived today from Naples!!


So pretty.... now I just need crabs to fill them!


I don't know if I"ll ever end up with super-teeny crabs, so I picked up some very inexpensive small shells:


All but the very tiniest in two shops:

[Kermie16]

Wow!! Everything looks like it's coming together nicely! LOVE the dinosaur in the pool!ROAR!! From the looks of it your hermits will have a happy, healthy home

[LadyJinglyJones]

Right? Everything's better with dinosaurs. This is my mantra.

And thanks, man! It feels good to be getting closer to crabbie-ground-zero, as it were!

[PinchersAndShells]

I'm absolutely loving watching the progress on this thread right now. I plan on upgrading to a 37 gallon sometime in the next year because...
1.) More climbing room than my 20 gallon long
2.) Same length and width as my 20 gallon long, so that means it will fit on the stand I have
3.) After I get everything set up and stable I could potentially add one or two more small hermies (always a bonus!)

[PinchersAndShells]

Also - what kinds of woods did you get? I hope to eventually switch out my current plastic hide to real wood.

[LadyJinglyJones]

The climbing hight was the deciding factor for me, too. These are a climbing species after all! I settled on 37 as a compromise between size & cost. Wish I could go bigger.
The woods are:

1) Cork (the two crabs I made the 10g tat for LOVE cork.)
2) Manzanita, which is darker, and dense as all get out. Do not try to drill it without the best clamps ever. (I suffered a badly sprained thumb once for trying.)
3) Roots. Cant recall what kind. They're the most costly of the three, I get them from the aquarium section. They are the pale, knarly looking ones.

I also want to get some awesome mopany bits - love the look, just haven't found the perfect piece yet.

[PinchersAndShells]

I understand that feeling, I hope when I'm older and have my own house I can either get a really big tank or build my own. For now I'm limited to what will fit in a certain corner of our house since I'm just 15 and have to acknowledge the space of 7 people, 3 dogs, a cat, and my hermits all living together. I'm thinking when I go to college I can get a clear storage tote to keep the hermits in in the meantime.

[LadyJinglyJones]

I understand that feeling, I hope when I'm older and have my own house I can either get a really big tank or build my own. For now I'm limited to what will fit in a certain corner of our house since I'm just 15 and have to acknowledge the space of 7 people, 3 dogs, a cat, and my hermits all living together. I'm thinking when I go to college I can get a clear storage tote to keep the hermits in in the meantime.

Even with your own place, sometimes there are compromises to be made - with roommates, space, furniture, and other pets (all of which def. take up space!) Not to mention income. (Also, I am totally amazed that with 7 people, 3 dogs & a cat, there is any room for hermies! Way to make it happen!)

Also, I mixed up my woods - the root is Manzanita, I think, and the dark brown is Malaysian hardwood?

I'm looking at cork tunnels now, because they're big enough even for a fair sized hermit, and I love how they look. I was thinking of piling sub up against one side to get different levels on the ground floor. Also, I may have the entrance of the mossy clear vase tunnel come out at right angles just next to the cork tunnel so the crabs don't feel exposed upon exiting it, but I can still see them.
I'm trying to create a lot of hiding places where I can sort of still catch a glimpse of the little dudes, and know how many are up by doing a count.

[ErikRasmussen]

Keep Posting Pictures!

[Highnmighty217]

Love this, n love the time you are putting in to get everything together!


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[Kermie16]

Love the dinosaur accents!


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[Kermie16]

And ur whole supply of hermie stuff look great!!! Ur hermies will have such a beautiful, loving home


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[LadyJinglyJones]

Unfortunately I had to put the project on hold in October because I was unwell & missed a bunch of work, which meant I couldn't aford to purchase the key element - the tank itself! :roll:

For now, me and the crabs have to muddle along with the crummy ten gal I started out with. I have to content myself that in the mean time, the crabbies will have as many kinds of interesting noms, shells, and as ideal conditions as I can wrangle for them.

C'est la vie!