Matt's new crabitat build. Pictures with updates.

[Matt]

Substrate for the rest of the tank being humidified. 1:1 ratio Eco earth to sand. For Purple pincers I have found that they like to have a higher concentration of Eco earth in their substrate than the 1:5 ratio. 1:1 provides nearly identical tunneling properties and also really helps keep humidity up. I used old castle playsand, it is a good sized granule and is standard silica sand.

[soilentgringa]

Air stones in place and covered. Plastic stone slabs placed into beach to prohibit crabs from digging down (must be monitored daily to ensure slabs are not relocated by crabs). Salt water tank floor added (10mm of play sand). Check valve placed into air pump line.

If anyone has a suggestion on how to make the slope easier to climb down and more grippable for the crabs that would be appreciated.

I love the idea of this but feel that there is a huge risk of bacterial bloom due to water seeping down and collecting in the sand. Possibly fishtank gravel may be better? You also have to take the "footprint" of the tank into consideration because of the loss of valuable molting space per crab. I do love the idea of a "beach" for them, though.

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[Matt]

I love the idea of this but feel that there is a huge risk of bacterial bloom due to water seeping down and collecting in the sand. Possibly fishtank gravel may be better? You also have to take the "footprint" of the tank into consideration because of the loss of valuable molting space per crab. I do love the idea of a "beach" for them, though.

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I will monitor the the seal from below the tank on a regular basis. I feel good with it though, I used one of Curlz early designs for the water portion and she told me the seal lasted for 3+ years until a problem. At the first sight of a leak I will just rip that piece out, remove sand and water, fill with substrate and add a normal sw dish. Also I will be upgrading in the coming year.

I do regret the misuse of the space below the beach. But with only 2 crabs currently, I feel that the back up seal makes up for it in terms of peace of mind. I'm going to add especially deep substrate in the other portion to try to compensate for my lack of planning.

[Matt]

Just did a lot of additions at once so I will add pictures for the things that were added.

[Matt]

Above view of nearly completed tank. Major additions are the large cork flat (it's really kind of round. And the substrate.

[Matt]

Rear view of tank. You can see the cave that the cork flat has created. This is both a shell area and a hiding spot as it will shade crabs from light during the day. It also functions as a great climbing area for the crabs.

[Matt]

View from the other side.

[Matt]

Silicone squiggles covered in sand were placed into the ramp that goes into water. Hopefully this works but soon I may build a ramp down or a bridge.

Now all that is left is some more plants, salt water, the bridge, and maybe some new crabs! I won't exceed 4 for this tank though!

[Matt]

Here is a picture of the salt water pool completed. In a couple days I will be buildinga bridge for them to walk across the area above the water.

[Matt]

Picture of tank, done for now. The crabs are loving it. Especially the cork cave/climbing thing.

-I would like some opinions, I may go back to the pet store I purchased the cork from tomorrow. I saw some small e's that were very sweet and active seeming. I'm thinking about getting 2 small e's. This would bring my total to 4 crabs, 2 pp's 2 e's. They Would all be small with the exception of one being barely medium. Is this doable in my tank? Thoughts appreciated?? Thanks

-One more thing I learned today, very cruel. I asked the employee tending to the hermit crabs why the substrate wasn't deep (it barely covered the glass floor). He told me that it was because if the crabs dug down they weren't sellable. I never realized that this is the reason that so many pet stores do this. They can't sell a molting crab. Shocking.

[CallaLily]

I love that big chunk of cork!

How deep is the substrate? What is the length and width of the substrate area? (molting space is more important than overall tank size)

Even smaller Es need a lot of space. They need very deep substrate with a lot of room to climb too. I don't recommend them for smaller tanks because they do not do well being too crowded. Keep in mind that many crabbers (even very experienced ones) have had aggression issues with Es.

[Matt]

I love that big chunk of cork!

How deep is the substrate? What is the length and width of the substrate area? (molting space is more important than overall tank size)

Even smaller Es need a lot of space. They need very deep substrate with a lot of room to climb too. I don't recommend them for smaller tanks because they do not do well being too crowded. Keep in mind that many crabbers (even very experienced ones) have had aggression issues with Es.

About 5 inches of substrate. I'll get it to 7 or 8 if you think 4 crabs would work in this tank.
Substrate area measures 18x12.

Also I'm quite surprised by how much my pp's swim!

[Kleinerhejhog]

I am not sure 5 inches of substrate is enough for E's.

[Matt]

I am not sure 5 inches of substrate is enough for E's.

I'm going to make it 8 inches if people think this tank can hold 4 crabs for the next year.

[Matt]

I have decided that I am going to remove the back acrylic piece and remove and replace the sand with substrate. This will give more substrate and digging room.