Crabitat Scaping

This is a forum dedicated to Hermit Crab Association members posting pictures of their crabs and crabitats.
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curlysister
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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by curlysister » Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:11 am

I am not even going to look at the links that AussieJJ posted - I would have way too much crabitat envy!!
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Crabby7Crabber
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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by Crabby7Crabber » Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:19 am

curlysister wrote:
Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:11 am
I am not even going to look at the links that AussieJJ posted - I would have way too much crabitat envy!!
It's too late for me- I'm already made of jelly! :crabblush:
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Love my deceased baby crabs George Washington, Zero, Domino, Billy, Eduardo, and Shelly too 🥺

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aussieJJDude
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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by aussieJJDude » Wed Jan 22, 2020 1:11 am

curlysister wrote:I am not even going to look at the links that AussieJJ posted - I would have way too much crabitat envy!!
Oh, yes. Its some serious crabitat envy. I should have put a disclaimer!

A lot of those crabbers seriously went above an beyond for their crabbos!

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Motörcrab
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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by Motörcrab » Wed Jan 22, 2020 2:00 am

The funny or ironic thing with me is.....This is going back way back before I got into hermit crabs possibly from the early Facebook era. I saw some pictures of a crazy elaborate crabitat not realizing it's function and crabs needs. I thought to myself that is very impressive for crab that just needs a wire cage, sponge, and a shell glued to Palm tree to be happy. It crossed my mind getting hermit crabs just to decorate a tank! I decided against it because I didn't want to spend the money on building something for animals that don't live more than a few weeks or months! Fast forward ten years or so and here I am! Lol!
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RiNiKy506
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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by RiNiKy506 » Wed Jan 22, 2020 3:30 am

You’ve done a great job, beautiful!

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Crabby7Crabber
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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by Crabby7Crabber » Wed Jan 22, 2020 6:52 am

Motörcrab wrote:
Wed Jan 22, 2020 2:00 am
The funny or ironic thing with me is.....This is going back way back before I got into hermit crabs possibly from the early Facebook era. I saw some pictures of a crazy elaborate crabitat not realizing it's function and crabs needs. I thought to myself that is very impressive for crab that just needs a wire cage, sponge, and a shell glued to Palm tree to be happy. It crossed my mind getting hermit crabs just to decorate a tank! I decided against it because I didn't want to spend the money on building something for animals that don't live more than a few weeks or months! Fast forward ten years or so and here I am! Lol!
I'm sure we were all here at one point... :roll: Look at us now! :lol:
Three PPs (Hoodini, Aaron Burr, and Jubali)
Love my deceased baby crabs George Washington, Zero, Domino, Billy, Eduardo, and Shelly too 🥺

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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by Links » Wed Jan 22, 2020 8:22 am

Looks like plants are going to be difficult. One of the first videos I saw on YouTube is a dude with 500 gal enclosure. It’s rad too.


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Crabitat Scaping

Post by Links » Wed Jan 22, 2020 9:54 am

Since I’m a grass guy I’ve thought about growing grasses in tat. Warm season grasses would do well with the high humidity but I need to do more research on any that can handle low light. I know cool season that handle “lowish” light. But pretty much all grasses do best in full sun. And the tat might be a Petri dish for fungi that attack the grass.

Bermuda and zoysia grass in perticular can handle the tats climate but the crabs probably cannot dig into them. Not sure.

Anyone tried grasses?

Edit: just thought about crabgrass! Lol


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Maddamay32
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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by Maddamay32 » Wed Jan 22, 2020 11:01 am

super cool, i love that piece of wood. It's like it was made for that tank. Definitely gonna watch out for the finished design :o
8 crabs at the moment "Tarzan, Kermit, Shy guy, Eduardo, Jimbo, Rosa, Diesel, Treaker"

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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by Links » Wed Jan 22, 2020 2:21 pm

Thanks @Maddamay32 , the wood in the tank is multiple pieces.

Side thought: having worries of bacteria bloom in soil. Getting some splash out after adding those rocks which I can remedy. But in the forecast of a bacteria bloom maybe activated carbon can be added to the sub to adsorb anything that can cause a bacteria bloom and keep the sub fresh. Not sure carbon would prevent a bloom, just a thought. Or if it’s nitrifying bacteria that are blooming then maybe some product that helps cycle aquariums could be added instead of removing the sub.

I may need to talk on this topic somewhere else so that more see it but it’s here for now.


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aussieJJDude
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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by aussieJJDude » Wed Jan 22, 2020 3:31 pm

Normally, blooms in our substrate occur due to oversaturation of the substrate, which decreases oxygen content in the sub, making it a breeding ground for anaerobic bactetia to multiply.

The charcoal will help things smell nice, but I dont think its going to do much for blooms. My understanding of charcoal is that it absorbs (or adsorbs.... never remember which) bad smells, medications and toxins.

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Crabitat Scaping

Post by Links » Wed Jan 22, 2020 4:36 pm

Believe it or not I just sat through a seminar and a speaker works for biochar. They use carbon to hold onto and slowly release fertilizers. But he said if you add activated carbon that hasn’t been used it will suck out all the nutrients at first but years later it makes a great exchange site for ions (including fertilizer) in the soil. He did this experiment with trees. The control tree did better than the carbon trees but now the carbon trees are kicking the control trees butt.

So I need to research what these anaerobic microbes are and if they can be dealt with antagonistically by other microbes.

Edit: think I already know the answer because when I dig up wet soil it always stinks and it usually black. So nothing there is fighting the bacteria. Sometimes there is grey soil which means 0 oxygen but I don’t think it has much a smell. Hmmmm

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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by Links » Fri Jan 24, 2020 2:00 pm

Image

Started adding moss and pothos. Took a pic while it’s green because I’m not sure if it will survive.


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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by Links » Fri Jan 24, 2020 9:08 pm

As I suspected... chowing down
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Re: Crabitat Scaping

Post by Crabby7Crabber » Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:38 pm

jrleath wrote:
Fri Jan 24, 2020 9:08 pm
As I suspected... chowing down
Image


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i is king of moss u come near and i will jump on u :lol:
Three PPs (Hoodini, Aaron Burr, and Jubali)
Love my deceased baby crabs George Washington, Zero, Domino, Billy, Eduardo, and Shelly too 🥺

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