Tall vs. Long Tanks

[Pisces]

Hi, I became a crabber in the beginning of August last year and thanks to this forum I have learned alot and my crabs have been doing great. They currently are living in a 10 gal and have no trouble molting. I would like to upgrade them in a bigger tank eventually and was wondering if I should go for a 20 or 30 gal? My main question though is should I get taller or longer? Is taller better or longer?

[agentcrabby]

I prefer taller. Hermies are climbers so they live the height. Also a taller tat will allow you to place the proper depth of substrate of at least 6 inches, and you will still have plenty of room

Good luck!

Sent from The South Florida Kingdom of Hermies

[Kermie16]

I have learned to aim for the larger and taller one


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[GotButterflies]

Lol, I disagree with them. Although taller is great, footprints are more important in crabbing. Substrate is more important in crabbing. Hermies love to dig and climb. Molting is extremely important in crabbing. If you factor in pools, (They need to be able to submerge, and lots of digging room, crabs need a minimum of 6" substrate or three times the depth of the largest crab (whichever is deeper trumps). More important to have more sand. Yes, hermits love to climb also, however, they spend more time walking. I put modified hamster wheels in my tanks, and my crabs are very happy. I have a 100g and and 75g tank. I would opt for a longer tank personally, but to each's own! If a crab runs into another crab that is molting, molting crabs are tasty! (So I hear)

[mool]

I have a 20L and a 20T. I use the long as an iso and the tall is sitting empty in my garage because I don't like it.

[CRAIGARRR]

I prefer longer to taller, The crabbies have at least 3X their hight to dig and molt and that leaves them enough space for climbing, mine will reach up to the top screen cover and climb upside down for hours. I figure height is kind of wasted but length gives them more space to wander and still have enough room for climbing. I even put a couple dowels in the substrate which they use to climb up the "pole" ,and sit right on top of it.

[NinjaPurgs]

Ideally you will want to go with a tank that is both tall and long. Tall so that you can have deep sub for them to bury in, and long so that they can have ample amount of room to move around. Plus, you'll be able to put more decor in the tank without overcrowding the crabs. I started with a 40 gal breeder tank with 6 mediums, then I also had 2 mediums in a 20 tall, and now I have them all in a 90 gallon, which is good because they are now large/extra large with the exception of 2. The 90 gallon has good length and depth. I would love to go even bigger than that someday, but so far the 90 seems to be doing well for them.

[Crabnado]

Bigger is better! If you have room for a 30g, go for it!

As for depth and width... You need a good balance. Crabs need to be able to dig and tunnel but they also need some open space to scuttle around where their shells won't hit things. They need to be able to climb and cling. In the wild they travel miles and miles daily so the more space you can give them, the better off they'll be.

[GotButterflies]

Bigger is better! If you have room for a 30g, go for it!

As for depth and width... You need a good balance. Crabs need to be able to dig and tunnel but they also need some open space to scuttle around where their shells won't hit things. They need to be able to climb and cling. In the wild they travel miles and miles daily so the more space you can give them, the better off they'll be.

So get a hamster wheel and modify it so they can get their exercise too Happy to provide pictures and video upon request! I have three wheels in my two crabitats!

[Rawrgeous]

I would say that depends on your crabbing situation. Everyone will have their own opionions. However, when it comes to larger crabs, and larger tanks- that's where I would say the floor space matters. For example, my 55 doesn't have the 18 inch width, so when/if any of my crabs reach jumbo size I will need to get a 40 breeder, and add a topper, or get a 90+ gallon tank. (I actually think I would top a 40 breeder with an xl exo terra as a topper ideally. One day...haha!) Basically what I'm saying is with larger tanks with large/jumbo crabs the width can tend to be more of a priority as it's already deep enough for lots of sub to begin with. But as far as space goes, both have their benefits and downsides. At this time I really wish I would have opted for a 50 gallon tank simply because it would have the larger width for Mrs. Robinson. Chester and Strawberry are both mediums now, and Robinson is a large... She isn't out of space yet, but in the next few years I won't have a choice, because she deserves to move more than a few inches in each direction. It truly depends on the number of crabs you have, their sizes, and also the room you, yourself have to work with. Everyone is going to have different preferences. I do think that having floor space and molting space is a priority, however, climbing space is important to. It's kind of fine juggling act.

[soilentgringa]

Large crabs need a wider tank, so it really depends on what size your crabs are, since XL/Jumbos need a minimum width of 18".

If you have the ability to get a wider tank and place a topper on it, that would be ideal.

I found forever homes for most of my adoptees so have gone from having multiple tanks in my home to the 55g I started with. I have an empty 20 gallon I plan on turning in to a topper, but since we are moving in three months, I am debating making any major tat changes at this time.