Where to place tank? Metal bath bowls? Safe driftwood?

[KingsleyAndLudo]

New owner here, link to new owner forum wasn’t working so I decided to post here.

I just got my first two hermit crabs last night, and I’m setting up a new ten gallon for them today. I have everything I need, but I’ve got a few questions.

I have a long desk that covers the entire wall of my office that I’d like to put the tank on. It’s away from windows and has access to an outlet for heating pads. However, I’m worried that the traffic around the desk would stress the crabs out? I had a betta tank on the desk once, but the fish got stressed from all the movement around the desk. I know hermit crabs are a little hardier than fish, but I just want to make sure that it is a good idea before I set everything up. The tank wouldn’t be bumped around too much, and I’m the only one that would be around. Am I just being paranoid?
Also, I got some metal bowls for fresh and saltwater baths, but read somewhere that metal bowls weren’t a good idea… thoughts? I have sea sponges to put in them for the smaller of my crabs. They are meant for cat food bowls, so I thought it would be safe? They were super cheap so I wouldn’t be mad if I had to get new ones, just wondering.

And finally, I have some driftwood and river rocks I collected from the beach. I know certain types of wood are toxic to crabs, so I just want to make sure I use safe wood. And how do I go about cleaning the rocks and wood? How do I tell if the wood is safe? Should I collect more sticks from nature to use or just use artificial plants and wood? I have a couple artificial caves and hidey holes to put in too.

Thanks for everyone’s patience, they might be stupid questions, but I want to make sure I set up right the first time! Any other advice for a new crab owner is welcome! Thank you!

[curlysister]

Activity from one person isn't going to stress out your crabs, they will be fine. Many people have them in busy rooms of family homes, with kids and other pets.
Sponges aren't needed in the pools/ bowls, they just harbor bacteria. Most of us don't use metal bowls, there are better options. Another cheap and really popular option is Rubbermaid or Zip Loc type food containers - and they can easily be doubled up so that when the top one is taken out for cleaning/ water changing, the bottom one stays in the tank so sand around doesn't cave in (in case anyone is underneath). Rocks in the bottom or a ramp of some sort so that crabs can climb out works well.
I have collected random drift wood from inland lakes to put in my tank. Fresh pine is the only wood around here that could be harmful, and it's the fumes from sap not the actual wood, that is harmful in an enclosed tank. Any driftwood is old enough that there is no fresh sap. I have just scrubbed wood with some water and allowed it to dry before putting it in - but you can soak or boil it in salt water and let it dry, to help prevent mold.