Just thought i'd give a quick update!
Unfortunately I have not been able to finish the crab room, it all actually came to a stop when I became the Assistant Manager at work. I also have not put the 1,020gl back together, i'm a slacker.
Just yesterday, I (temporarily) moved the crabs into the 217gl which I was afraid might be overcrowded, but with the 4 additional substrate bins, all the crabs appear to be doing just fine. Of course it's only been one day and I really don't recommend that anyone keep so many crabs in such a small space but due to my current situation, it's what I had to do and they'll only be in there for a month at the most.
I had originally split them up into totes but I was worried that they would be stressed from the lack of deep substrate and climbing toys that they are accustomed to. Plus the water bowls were becoming a hassle trying to keep them clean without my usual setup.
I stripped the 1,020gl and found that the majority of the crabs were out and about. I only found 10 that were buried, 6 of which were molting, three which had finished molting (based on their color and exo found with them) and one E who was just digging around (which she loves to do and spends 80% of the time doing).
I found 13 empty shells that were buried and packed with sand, which unfortunately may have been crabs that didn't make it because after the headcount I only had 83 crabs.
I hate to admit it but I'm afraid that my burrowing E may be the cause of that as she had previously attacked a molter (who luckily managed to live, with only a mangled big pincher).
I lost all but one of my violas, 1 ruggie, and several PP's (all on the small side except for one). I'm still short one crab though and I cannot figure out what happened, unless I miscounted.
Once my work schedule clears up (i'm working on becoming general manager for the hotel I work for), sometime in late Feb/early March, I will be setting up the 1,020gl, i'm working on fixing the few issues that I had with it. I figured it'd just be easier than going through the hassle of working on the perfect crab room. I already know how to maintain the proper heat and humidity so no worries there. I still plan on adding the elevated substrate shelf around the side and back walls (discussed in an earlier post) and will be making the moss pits permanent to prevent them from falling or becoming lob-sided when the crabs pinch through the twine.
I'll post a picture of the 217gl before the end of the week, i promise! And I'll keep you all posted when I get the 1,020gl all set up.
Thank you all again for the support! and thanks to those who nominated me for the admin stuff here at HCA, unfortunately I read the email a little late and missed the deadline :-/ I really appreciate it though! I would've loved to be a part of that, especially after being here for over 10 years!