29g Work in Progress

[Crabinski]

Thank you, Petco ! Today is the first day of their periodic $1-per-gallon tank sale so I snagged a 29g. As I also had a Petco Rewards coupon, the tank was less than $29 including tax ! Still need to order an Ultratherm and a Versa-lid. This entire upgrade is being financed courtesy of craigslist as I was able to sell quite a few items over the past two weeks!

Next stop, Home Depot. Got one bag of play sand (tank will be primarily EE), aquarium silicone and a 4' strip of 3/4" L-shaped acrylic corner guard to create "anchors" near the top of the tank to attach netting, vines, etc. The play sand was popped into my trunk by a 20-something Home Depot employee like it weighed nothing but will be removed by me in small bucketfuls .

Yesterday was Goodwill's 50% Off sale and I found several items for the new tank: a cute green flowerpot for a hide, a "Roman Column" toothbrush holder that will serve as a plant holder, a little wooden dock piling, a resin castle and two batches of cloth and plastic flowers, for less than $6 total.

29g proudly sitting on the aquarium stand acquired from craigslist and repainted.


Cute items from Goodwill


Castle with foliage

Column with ivy


Having a tank with larger footprint plus added height will finally allow me to make use of a lot of crabby items I've stockpiled over the years as there's only so much one can stuff into a 10g. This is going to be a slow process but, as three of the five crabs are currently underground, they're in no hurry to move either. Will post periodic progress pics. Wish me luck!

[CallaLily]

Awesome deals! I look forward to updates.

[hermieluv1]

Cool! I never thought of Goodwill stores...That will be my next stop!

Can't wait to see the finished tank!

[Crabinski]

Just ordered an 11X23 Ultratherm from Reptile Basics and a Marineland hinged glass lid from Drs Foster&Smith. Went with the slightly shorter 23" Ultratherm rather than the 30" as I want part of the tank to offer a cooler option. Both items should arrive around January 8th (USPS Ground). I definitely want to get the Ultratherm on the back of the tank before any substrate goes in and makes it too heavy to shift!

An FYI to anyone already owning or buying a tank from Petco and wanting a glass lid: Petco's tanks are Tetra brand and Tetra is manufactured by Marineland so an Aqueon Versa-top will not fit (off by 1/4" to 1/2"). I Googled Tetra to be sure that I correctly remembered they were the same company as Marineland, then reviewed Marineland's website to make sure that the lids would fit before placing my order with the Drs.

[YYWW]

Great job on your very level headed upgrade approach! I wish i'd sold stuff and went to Goodwill like you have. I was all "RAWR UPGRAAAADE! Spend the money! Spend ALL DA MONEHHHHH!" And now my husband hates the crabs Now that i spent all the money, i need to sell off a buncha stuff
Me kudos to you!
And btw GREAT tank stand!!!! Nice paint job!


Crabbers unite!!!

[hermilove]

I love what you've picked up and I can't wait to see more updates! The ivy looks great in the column and it's a really nice detail. I'm sure your crabs will love it

[Crabinski]

I was dragging my heels setting up the new 29g because 3 of the 5 crabs were still underground in the 10g and I didn't want to move just the 2 who were up, double tank maintenance, yada, yada, yada. Well, on Wednesday, 2 more came up and my I-almost-gave-up-on-him crab, Harry, came up on Thursday after 62 days down. With all of them up, I dove into tank prep and, after a mere 6 hours (phew!), had the 29g ready for its new tenants.

Can't post too many pics yet as my computer is still ignoring the camera card but here are the first few to give you an idea of the set-up.

The hinged glass lid lets in so much light during the day. As this pic was taken in the evening, the aquarium strip light is on.


Left side with mopani wood climb over the FW & SW pools. The fish net extends across the back.


Right side with suspended moss pit, shell shop below, grapevine wood climb and crocheted jute mesh.


There's still so much stuff to put into the tank so the crabs will be enjoying periodic remodels but at least the crabitat is up and running !

The Ultratherm is an absolute joy! I placed it so that there's a 7" wide area on the right side of the tank that will stay cooler (around 75-79 degrees). That will keep the moss pit moister, too. The temperature in the rest of the tank is a good 84 degrees so I'm pleased.

[crabmommy]

Your new setup looks amazing! How big of a drill bit did you use for the holes in the corner guard and how far apart? I don't want to reinvent the wheel.


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[CallaLily]

Looks great!

[Crabinski]

Your new setup looks amazing! How big of a drill bit did you use for the holes in the corner guard and how far apart? I don't want to reinvent the wheel.

I cut a 4' strip of 3/4" wallpaper guard into 1 28" section for the back of the tank and 2 11" sections, one for each side. The holes are set 1" apart and made with a 2.4mm (3/32") drill bit. After the holes were drilled, I ran a zip-tie through each to make sure they were big enough.

Computer and camera card were willing to communicate tonight so here are a few more pix of the setup:









Love the glass canopy: great for spying on the guys in moss pit !


The large fish net from Hobby Lobby has turned out to be the absolute bomb for the crabs! I cut off a piece large enough to cover the back wall and drape over the moss pit a bit and they just love it . Charles Paris and Marble are still small enough to fit through the mesh but Big Enzo gets frustrated because he can't wiggle through the overhang on the moss pit .

[aussieJJDude]

Beautiful tank, was worth the wait in getting it set up! Love all the pic.

[hermilove]

The tank looks great Love all the pictures and I'm glad your hermit crabs love it!


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[crabmommy]

Crabinski, thank you so much for the details!


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