Burlap for second level.

[HermitCrabCHICA]

I am making a burlap second level. I was wondering if anybody has ever tried this before? I need tips and pics! I am going to boil the burlap before using it Please don't fall apart! I want to post a pic of it but I don't know how to. does anyone know how? It won't let me copy and paste.

[Wlfwo]

I have no experience with burlap in a crabatate, but I'm thinking long term it may not hold up well. That said, the only experience I do have with it is gardening and it's lucky to last a season. Will be interesting to see how long it lasts.


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[HermitCrabCHICA]

Ok I will let you know when I put it in.

[Mayo_Girl_1]

I have done this previously for my crab tank.
It is a great and affordable second level. Just make sure you have it secured in place very well. I used dollar store suction cups, but you could also use zip-ties or other crab safe products.
~Mayo_Girl_1

[HermitCrabCHICA]

I am using suction cups.

[mavrich19]

hi there was wondering if you have any pictures of what you have done?! I was thinking about making a second level and was curious on how to start it!

[ROSIEonFIRE]

I use egg crate covered in burlap for my whole tank. Here is a picture. I think it's an excellent material for use in crabitats. It has several advantages.
1. Cheap.
2. Edible.
3. Looks more natural than plastic
4. Helps maintain humidity.
5. Crabs can eat it!

LMK if you want more info and or pics about my construction method.

[hermitcrablover2]

Wow! That looks cool, I really wanted to add another level to my hermies tank but I didn't think of using egg crate and burlap! How did you attach it to the tank?

[ROSIEonFIRE]

For my first crabitat I used suction cups and commando hooks to keep my decot up. The crabs were constantly tearing things down and I found this method to be unworkable. That's when I came up with this design, about 4 years ago, and I've stuck with it ever since.

The whole thing is held in place primarily by sand and the fact that all the pieces are sized so that they brace themselves against the tank. It holds itself up. There is nothing attaching it to the tank. The only exception is the long skinny front bridge. This piece is fragile, so I use fishing line to help reinforce it in the center of the tank. But it doesn't NEED it.

When I rebuilt this tat a few days ago I accidentally snapped the bridge (long skinny piece in front). That bridge fits the space perfectly and functions as a tension rod to support the 2 side "arms" that come off the back wall. Sometime within the next week I will rebuild this bridge so I will take a bunch of process pictures to show you. Keep your eye ok this thread

To create the pieces, I wrap the egg crate pieces in several layers of burlap, trying to keep it nice and tight. Then I fold the loose edges over to create a seam. I use various clips to help me keep the tension on while I do this. Then I attach by weaving zip ties through the whole thing, basically "sewing" it on.


I will say, the main down side to this method other than the amount of time it takes to set up, is that burlap does inevitably degrade in the tat environment. Since my set up is all secured by the weight of the sand and various zip ties, it's a huge job to take down and rebuild (worth it though, I think). However, if you are making a smaller, more temporary structure (I'm envisioning a big bridge made out of 3 large pieces of egg crate that sits on top of the sand) breaking down and rebuilding the structure wod be MUCH faster as simpler.


Although my tat layout has not changed since I came up with this design, I have had to move my tat several times. Here are some pics from a previous build. My current setup is basically the same, I just happen to have better pics already in my gallery. Hopefully these pics help give you an idea of how I have everything set up.

[loveFoof]

So cool!

[ROSIEonFIRE]

Haha this whole conversation has made me realize I could have achieved the sMe thing much more easily with a build that sits on top of the sand. I think when I get the time I'll rip all this out and redo it. Here is a sketch of some builds you could do that would sit on the sand. I envision it being the length of the tank. Because this is a front on view you cant see it but the sides would be at least a few inches long. This would give the crabs more hiding places/comfort but most importantly create a stable base for the structure.

[hermitcrablover2]

Thank you! I'll definitely try that, using egg crate is a good idea because then it seems to work pretty good, its stable and the hermies can eat it, and you can eat the eggs from the egg crate, then give the eggshells and the crate to the hermies

[ROSIEonFIRE]

Post pics of what you make! Btw u can find egg crate in the lighting section of hardware stores, it took me forever to find when I first started using it. It's used for ceiling light panels

[___TigerLily___]

Rosie, I love that! So glad I saw this. I'll be on the lookout for your thread redoing, if you end up posting it. Being a visual person, that will really help! Thanks for sharing. Love how this creates levels in a different way, but also creates climbing area underneath. My crabs are also climbing back and forth along my sealed, screened lid and would probably love climbing back and forth the underneath of these burlap levels, too!