Build Diary - The Curio Crab-inet

[Maddamay32]

Also, another crab hiding underneath the wheel...so far they all seem to prefer it as a hide. >3>

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My crabs do that too!

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[TamosClaro]

My crabs do that too!

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Haha! Well at least they're getting ~some~ use out of their wheels!

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[Maddamay32]

Tada! Went ahead and just finished the whole thing. But if anyone has any questions about how I did something or the supplies I used, let me know!

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Yay! I've been waiting for this! Looks just as lovely as I imagined it would! Great job, wish I had your skills

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[Maddamay32]

Haha! Well at least they're getting ~some~ use out of their wheels!

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Right? I have 1 crab who used it profusely he seems to have taught another friend. Hopefully the trend catches on!

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[Nessiandnoah]

Wow! Idk about the rest of us in this thread, but I’ve been waiting for this day and you did not disappoint! This is spectacular! You’ve got some very lucky and I am sure happy hermits! GREAT job!!!


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[CrabbyLover77]

Thank you! It was a lot of work to get the cabinet painted and coated in epoxy, but then everything went really quick and easier than I expected!

PA represent!

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You're welcome! Thanks for sharing your project with us all!

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[TamosClaro]

Yay! I've been waiting for this! Looks just as lovely as I imagined it would! Great job, wish I had your skills

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Thank you! It was less skill and more experimentation and resourcefulness, to be honest. But it came out great, so I'm very pleased! :}

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[TamosClaro]

Wow! Idk about the rest of us in this thread, but I’ve been waiting for this day and you did not disappoint! This is spectacular! You’ve got some very lucky and I am sure happy hermits! GREAT job!!!


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Yay, thank you! Yes, I think my crabs are really loving it! I still plan on adding more hides and maybe more fake plants, but I'm very pleased with how it's turned out. :}

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[Vjsarlo]

Hey!
First this looks amazing! What you did is inspiring!

I am actually in the process of doing something similar to this and am in the planning phase. What did you do to seal the inside of the cabinet? Did you have to cover the wood with anything special and only seal the edges with epoxy? And also, waht si this cork you are speaking of which you made the shelves out of? Do you have links to the materials you used?

[MauiMama]

Do you have a way to access the substrate level?

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[aussieJJDude]

Looks good. I think it turned out amazing!

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[TamosClaro]

Hey!
First this looks amazing! What you did is inspiring!

I am actually in the process of doing something similar to this and am in the planning phase. What did you do to seal the inside of the cabinet? Did you have to cover the wood with anything special and only seal the edges with epoxy? And also, waht si this cork you are speaking of which you made the shelves out of? Do you have links to the materials you used?

Thanks for reaching out! So yes, I used an epoxy to seal all of the inner wood and surfaces. The high humidity will make the wood swell or warp otherwise (if not rot). I still had some instances of swelling, like in the door, but as long as you do your best to minimize it, you should be good. I used Pro Marine Supplies 2 part epoxy which you can buy off their website (promarinesupplies.com), or on Amazon. In the bottom and side corner seams where the substrate layer is, I used 100% silicone (https://www.loctiteproducts.com/en/prod ... alant.html)(beware of any additives that promote mold resistance or similar) to create a watertight seal. I even poured some water in to test it. You can also buy large containers of silicone to use with a caulk gun in specialty aquarium stores and online, but as is often the case when a pet brand sells something, they charge way more for the same product.

For the cork shelves, I used Zoo Med Cork Tile (https://zoomed.com/natural-cork-tile-background/)that I cut to size. It has the natural cork bark on top and is glued to a layer of ground(?) cork, like on a cork board. As you may know, cork holds up really well in high humidity situations, so I chose that over less expensive options like plywood or composite wood., I ordered mine off of petmountain.com, but you can also find them in some pet stores. In my cabinet, the only supports for the shelves were at the short ends, and I did find that the tile started to bow down in the middle due to the weight of the water dishes. Two weekends ago I cut strips of plexiglass, used a heat gun to bend the two ends up in a right angle, and siliconed those into the middle of the cabinets so that the middle of the shelf would be supported. If you want, I can take a picture if you need help visualizing. Nevertheless, I do suggest adding in extra support anywhere where you might have a heavier element, like the water dishes, if you use heavy food dishes, etc.

Hope that helps!

[TamosClaro]

Do you have a way to access the substrate level?

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Yep! All of the levels are connected by either Reptivine or cholla branches. I've got someone down there molting right now.

[TamosClaro]

Looks good. I think it turned out amazing!

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Thanks! I know my crabs definitely love it!

[Vjsarlo]

Thanks for reaching out! So yes, I used an epoxy to seal all of the inner wood and surfaces. The high humidity will make the wood swell or warp otherwise (if not rot). I still had some instances of swelling, like in the door, but as long as you do your best to minimize it, you should be good. I used Pro Marine Supplies 2 part epoxy which you can buy off their website (promarinesupplies.com), or on Amazon. In the bottom and side corner seams where the substrate layer is, I used 100% silicone (https://www.loctiteproducts.com/en/prod ... alant.html)(beware of any additives that promote mold resistance or similar) to create a watertight seal. I even poured some water in to test it. You can also buy large containers of silicone to use with a caulk gun in specialty aquarium stores and online, but as is often the case when a pet brand sells something, they charge way more for the same product.

For the cork shelves, I used Zoo Med Cork Tile (https://zoomed.com/natural-cork-tile-background/)that I cut to size. It has the natural cork bark on top and is glued to a layer of ground(?) cork, like on a cork board. As you may know, cork holds up really well in high humidity situations, so I chose that over less expensive options like plywood or composite wood., I ordered mine off of petmountain.com, but you can also find them in some pet stores. In my cabinet, the only supports for the shelves were at the short ends, and I did find that the tile started to bow down in the middle due to the weight of the water dishes. Two weekends ago I cut strips of plexiglass, used a heat gun to bend the two ends up in a right angle, and siliconed those into the middle of the cabinets so that the middle of the shelf would be supported. If you want, I can take a picture if you need help visualizing. Nevertheless, I do suggest adding in extra support anywhere where you might have a heavier element, like the water dishes, if you use heavy food dishes, etc.

Hope that helps!

Would you have any other advice for a project similar to this that you wish you knew/ did before you created yours?
Also are you happy with the results and how it is holding up compared to a regular tank build?
My idea is to take a bookshelf and combine it with a 46 gallon bow front tank so that the substrate can mostly sit in the tank and then the bookshelf has layers for the hermit crabs to climb on. My main concerns are 1. WARPING (as you stated but I think I may line it with pond liner or!? Maybe cut glass and line the inside of the bookshelf with glass and just seal the edges. I`m gonna start doing a lot fo asking on what the best technique will be. I am not familiar with Epoxy so I`ll research it!!!!) 2. LIGHTING, HEATING, HUMIDITY 3. Making the shelves out of another material besides wood. Maybe using the spray foam like great stuff since that seems to work for others? I need to research how strong it becomes once it hardens and then is covered in the cocofiber 4. Cleaning and maintenance