Gettin 45 gallon setup, many questions.

[Highnmighty217]

Slowly but started the base tonight. Added a good inch of EE to bottom mixed in SW then added 5lb bag of play sand, its super moist, sand castle consistency so not sure I need to add any FW to it.....Also, I've had crazy humidity issues, like 100% humidity in our 10 gallon so I had to deal with major dried up substrate there tonight. My 2 big guys are up from fresh molts but our baby is still down....few questions.....
I'm feeling like I need go on n do 8inches of sub.

how much will this settle?

Do to humidity issues (though could be another story since new setup is in different room) should I do a certain amount of EE/sand? Or top it a certain way?

Also, how do y'all put the cute backgrounds on with your heating being on the back?

Also, I did measurements on tank (36x12x24) just double checking I'm goin off the right scale and I am dealing with a 45 gallon for sure?

Do I need more than one thermostat with a 45 gallon?

Goin to try the Aiicioo heating pad from Amazon another person spoke well of, would I need the 16.5x11 inch? Largest one I seen on there....

Share pic of tonight, though you can't see I got all my crab supplies organized underneath and got a lot moved out of my kitchen on off my bakers rack......



10 gallon had be stripped down a lot tonight to put some moisture in there while still trying to be careful with one under



Got 4inches in right now, would've finished tonight but hubby forgot he left other bag of sand in car n it's super cold out n was crazy compacted so letting it set tonight before adding.....


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[Just Jay]

Slowly but started the base tonight. Added a good inch of EE to bottom mixed in SW then added 5lb bag of play sand, its super moist, sand castle consistency so not sure I need to add any FW to it.....Also, I've had crazy humidity issues, like 100% humidity in our 10 gallon so I had to deal with major dried up substrate there tonight. My 2 big guys are up from fresh molts but our baby is still down....few questions.....
I'm feeling like I need go on n do 8inches of sub.
if its the right consistency you shouldnt need to add any FW.

how much will this settle?
im sure every tank is different but ive found mine settled about 3-4 inches in a 20g long.

Do to humidity issues (though could be another story since new setup is in different room) should I do a certain amount of EE/sand? Or top it a certain way?
im not sure what you mean by issues if you dont mind giving some details. my tank is usually high. high humidity isnt a problem for the crabs. can cause mold issues. i just dip most things in SW and if its wood i dip it in SW then put it in the oven until dry. also when i mist the tank with FW (not every day, just as needed or for my plants) ill mist the things prone to mold with SW. my sub is 2:1 sand to ee. i splash some sw in the ee and fw in the sand. then if needed i add one or the other.

Also, how do y'all put the cute backgrounds on with your heating being on the back?
if you mean the sheets for fish tanks i can only think of two reasons not to. then you wouldnt be able to see your crabs/happenings in your tank as easily. if its touching the uth or under the heat lamp it might cause melting or fumes. im sure they probably make safe ones since fish need heat sources as well. another member will probably know better there.

Also, I did measurements on tank (36x12x24) just double checking I'm goin off the right scale and I am dealing with a 45 gallon for sure?
according to this site pretty much. i got 44.9 (http://www.firsttankguide.net/calculator.php)

Do I need more than one thermostat with a 45 gallon?
really good question i was curious about myself since im upgrading to a 40g breeder (so its wider)

Goin to try the Aiicioo heating pad from Amazon another person spoke well of, would I need the 16.5x11 inch? Largest one I seen on there....

Share pic of tonight, though you can't see I got all my crab supplies organized underneath and got a lot moved out of my kitchen on off my bakers rack......
best feeling right!



10 gallon had be stripped down a lot tonight to put some moisture in there while still trying to be careful with one under



Got 4inches in right now, would've finished tonight but hubby forgot he left other bag of sand in car n it's super cold out n was crazy compacted so letting it set tonight before adding.....


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i replied in red, but your new setup looks really good!

[Highnmighty217]

Slowly but started the base tonight. Added a good inch of EE to bottom mixed in SW then added 5lb bag of play sand, its super moist, sand castle consistency so not sure I need to add any FW to it.....Also, I've had crazy humidity issues, like 100% humidity in our 10 gallon so I had to deal with major dried up substrate there tonight. My 2 big guys are up from fresh molts but our baby is still down....few questions.....
I'm feeling like I need go on n do 8inches of sub.
if its the right consistency you shouldnt need to add any FW.

how much will this settle?
im sure every tank is different but ive found mine settled about 3-4 inches in a 20g long.

Do to humidity issues (though could be another story since new setup is in different room) should I do a certain amount of EE/sand? Or top it a certain way?
im not sure what you mean by issues if you dont mind giving some details. my tank is usually high. high humidity isnt a problem for the crabs. can cause mold issues. i just dip most things in SW and if its wood i dip it in SW then put it in the oven until dry. also when i mist the tank with FW (not every day, just as needed or for my plants) ill mist the things prone to mold with SW. my sub is 2:1 sand to ee. i splash some sw in the ee and fw in the sand. then if needed i add one or the other.

Also, how do y'all put the cute backgrounds on with your heating being on the back?
if you mean the sheets for fish tanks i can only think of two reasons not to. then you wouldnt be able to see your crabs/happenings in your tank as easily. if its touching the uth or under the heat lamp it might cause melting or fumes. im sure they probably make safe ones since fish need heat sources as well. another member will probably know better there.

Also, I did measurements on tank (36x12x24) just double checking I'm goin off the right scale and I am dealing with a 45 gallon for sure?
according to this site pretty much. i got 44.9 (http://www.firsttankguide.net/calculator.php)

Do I need more than one thermostat with a 45 gallon?
really good question i was curious about myself since im upgrading to a 40g breeder (so its wider)

Goin to try the Aiicioo heating pad from Amazon another person spoke well of, would I need the 16.5x11 inch? Largest one I seen on there....

Share pic of tonight, though you can't see I got all my crab supplies organized underneath and got a lot moved out of my kitchen on off my bakers rack......
best feeling right!



10 gallon had be stripped down a lot tonight to put some moisture in there while still trying to be careful with one under



Got 4inches in right now, would've finished tonight but hubby forgot he left other bag of sand in car n it's super cold out n was crazy compacted so letting it set tonight before adding.....


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i replied in red, but your new setup looks really good!

Thanks so much!
I will dismiss the background idea but thinking of cork tiles! Think they will love that!

My humidity issues cause my sub the completely dry out in 10 gallon n read where EE helped with humidity so wondering if I should mix in EE with sand or try and do EE top lay, etc. does that make sense?


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[Just Jay]

Yep! Some people even do only ee. When my humidity is low ill soak and add some. [I have high humidity issues [mold] so i soak my ee in sw and sand in fw] i think for my 40g upgrade i will try layering. I like the idea of being able to see the crabs mix it. It really doesn't matter too much on how it goes in.

I like the idea of tile. Just make sure its safe to climb and eat. [they try any and everything]. Mine love my coco matting i have on the walls. Helps keep heat and humidity up as well. I treat it like my ee. [That will be hard but they make lots of safe silicones you can use]. Also not sure if weight would be a concern? Where did you happen to find corck tiles btw? It sounds like something id want to play around with!

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[Highnmighty217]

Zoo Med makes 12x12 piece around $9 a piece. Search 'natural cork tile background'


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[Just Jay]

Oooo the ideas thanks again!

Let me know if you think/find any other cool thins since ill be up grading to a 40g [breeder] as well soon!

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[kieagcarm]

Slowly but started the base tonight. Added a good inch of EE to bottom mixed in SW then added 5lb bag of play sand, its super moist, sand castle consistency so not sure I need to add any FW to it.....Also, I've had crazy humidity issues, like 100% humidity in our 10 gallon so I had to deal with major dried up substrate there tonight. My 2 big guys are up from fresh molts but our baby is still down....few questions.....
I'm feeling like I need go on n do 8inches of sub.
if its the right consistency you shouldnt need to add any FW.

how much will this settle?
im sure every tank is different but ive found mine settled about 3-4 inches in a 20g long.

Do to humidity issues (though could be another story since new setup is in different room) should I do a certain amount of EE/sand? Or top it a certain way?
im not sure what you mean by issues if you dont mind giving some details. my tank is usually high. high humidity isnt a problem for the crabs. can cause mold issues. i just dip most things in SW and if its wood i dip it in SW then put it in the oven until dry. also when i mist the tank with FW (not every day, just as needed or for my plants) ill mist the things prone to mold with SW. my sub is 2:1 sand to ee. i splash some sw in the ee and fw in the sand. then if needed i add one or the other.

Also, how do y'all put the cute backgrounds on with your heating being on the back?
if you mean the sheets for fish tanks i can only think of two reasons not to. then you wouldnt be able to see your crabs/happenings in your tank as easily. if its touching the uth or under the heat lamp it might cause melting or fumes. im sure they probably make safe ones since fish need heat sources as well. another member will probably know better there.

Also, I did measurements on tank (36x12x24) just double checking I'm goin off the right scale and I am dealing with a 45 gallon for sure?
according to this site pretty much. i got 44.9 (http://www.firsttankguide.net/calculator.php)

Do I need more than one thermostat with a 45 gallon?
really good question i was curious about myself since im upgrading to a 40g breeder (so its wider)

Goin to try the Aiicioo heating pad from Amazon another person spoke well of, would I need the 16.5x11 inch? Largest one I seen on there....

Share pic of tonight, though you can't see I got all my crab supplies organized underneath and got a lot moved out of my kitchen on off my bakers rack......
best feeling right!



10 gallon had be stripped down a lot tonight to put some moisture in there while still trying to be careful with one under



Got 4inches in right now, would've finished tonight but hubby forgot he left other bag of sand in car n it's super cold out n was crazy compacted so letting it set tonight before adding.....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

i replied in red, but your new setup looks really good!

Thanks so much!
I will dismiss the background idea but thinking of cork tiles! Think they will love that!

My humidity issues cause my sub the completely dry out in 10 gallon n read where EE helped with humidity so wondering if I should mix in EE with sand or try and do EE top lay, etc. does that make sense?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I just added more ee to my 5:1 sand/ee about a week ago, and my humidity is staying the same, but my sub is no longer drying out, and I added more to one side than the other too try an experiment(to see if they would dig more where there is more ee) and so far I was right. The only place I've noticed digging is the side where it's more 50/50. I'm going to only add ee when it settles again, it stays moist better and they seem to like it better

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[Highnmighty217]

Oooo the ideas thanks again!

Let me know if you think/find any other cool thins since ill be up grading to a 40g [breeder] as well soon!

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Will do!


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[aussieJJDude]

I've seen a few people use the fish tank backgrounds on their tanks without problems. I think I may have one spare, and do a bit of an experiment.

[PinchersAndShells]

I know of some people who've used those aquarium backgrounds successfully, I don't remember what kind of UTH they had but I think that if the UTH can be safely insulated it should be fine. As for cork wall, I personally wouldn't use it where the UTH is, so maybe you could put it on the sides?

[aussieJJDude]

I know of some people who've used those aquarium backgrounds successfully, I don't remember what kind of UTH they had but I think that if the UTH can be safely insulated it should be fine. As for cork wall, I personally wouldn't use it where the UTH is, so maybe you could put it on the sides?

Pretty sure it was ultratherm they used.

[Highnmighty217]

Hey guys! Out of the loop for sometime now, had all 3 crabs down for weeks so wasn't in a hurry but our 2 biggest ones came up for the Super Bowl so I need quit putting it off! Having a hard time with what thermo humidity device to get.....we had two of the ten dollar ones from Walmart, suggestions?


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[daws409]

AcuRite. Sorry don't know how to post links.

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[Rawrgeous]

Many prefer the acurite ones from walmart, but my fave is the one from reptilebasics.com from vivarium electronics. It's about 12 bucks, but it has a probe and the display sits outside the tank, making it last longer. The only problem I've ever had is I broke one by accidently submerging the probe in one of my pools while changing it out. Otherwise, it has a high/low function where it records fluxes so you know the range you've been in. I really like it. But really it's personal preference. Whatever one you decide to get, just make sure to callibrate it before use.

[Highnmighty217]

Would I need 2 given the size of my tank?


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