(Belatedly) Showing off my Upgrade ... and Seeking Suggesti

[GotButterflies]

Great! Glad to hear!! Happy to help!!

[ErikRasmussen]

I suppose when they get that big buckets aren't a terrible way to go lol. Does the wood in your pool effect the ammonia levels?

[jclee]

I suppose when they get that big buckets aren't a terrible way to go lol. Does the wood in your pool effect the ammonia levels?

I've not checked ammonia levels recently, but the pool's been running for quite a while (months) with a sponge filter, so I would be surprised if it wasn't cycled already. I do regular water changes on it. I also have a few neocaridina shrimp living in the freshwater pool (culls from my blue shrimp breeding project), and they'd be dead if there were ammonia in the pool. The wood does release tannins, which I don't mind, but they are reduced with the water changes. Something like wood should not really produce ammonia. It actually increases surface area for beneficial bacteria to keep the cycle going.

[aussieJJDude]

Agree with Jclee, wood will not cause ammonia. Plants readily use ammonia, but once synthesized its converted into other compounds - like for DNA.

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[ErikRasmussen]

learn something new every day

[Hermiesguardian]

Over the summer, I upgraded my seven large crabs from a 50 gallon hexagonal tank to a 120.

Because my biggest is quite large ( photo with reference quarter is in the mix below), I wanted to have really nice, deep pools for him. I have three gallon buckets of fresh and saltwater, but their sides are not at all sloped.

As you will see in some of the photos, I started with egg crate tied to the bucket side as a climbing surface, because they were able to climb the egg crate in their old tank. I never saw anyone go in. I did put some crabs into the water, and I can verify that they can climb out on the egg crate, but the egg crate seems to slide around too much for them to climb in.

And then I adjusted the fish netting, so that they could use that to climb in and out, but I still have yet to see them do it.

When that seems to be failing I put in pieces of palm tree that were decorating the tank, but I still haven't seen anyone enter or leave the water on their own.

I have added a separate water bowl, just to make sure that they can drink, and I am seeking any further suggestions for how to modify the buckets so that they are more accessible.

I would rather not remove and replace them, as five of the seven crabs are molting right now, and replacing them would mean tearing down and rebuilding the tank.

Suggestions welcome.



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I assume that back rock wall is an aquarium backdrop? How does that work with the uth?

[jclee]

[/quote]

I assume that back rock wall is an aquarium backdrop? How does that work with the uth?[/quote]

I don't use a uth, but a heat lamp. The tank's lid is glass, and the sponge filters in the pools have done well at keeping humidity up, despite the lamp. (I also live in Southern California, where it's often warm enough that I don't need the lamp on, and I have a fan on a timer to circulate air and prevent molding from the high humidity.)

If you Google jungle Bob's aquarium backdrops, you can find the backdrop I used, if you're curious.

[jclee]

I should also follow up and announce that I have gone back to smaller Tupperware Water Pools by now. After all that trouble, I wound up adopting a couple more crabs about a week ago, and they're much smaller than the rest, so I needed to make sure that they were accommodated.

[AwesomeHermit]

I think Tupperwares as pools are a good idea.

[jclee]

I think Tupperwares as pools are a good idea.

Yes. But talk about perfect sand castle consistency! I really thought that removing the buckets and replacing them with smaller Tupperware would be far more laborious. The sand didn't shift at all, and it was a pretty easy swap that didn't disrupt the couple of molters that I still had under.

[Hermiesguardian]

I assume that back rock wall is an aquarium backdrop? How does that work with the uth?[/quote]

I don't use a uth, but a heat lamp. The tank's lid is glass, and the sponge filters in the pools have done well at keeping humidity up, despite the lamp. (I also live in Southern California, where it's often warm enough that I don't need the lamp on, and I have a fan on a timer to circulate air and prevent molding from the high humidity.)

If you Google jungle Bob's aquarium backdrops, you can find the backdrop I used, if you're curious.[/quote]

Thanks. I'll check it out.

[Hermiesguardian]

I assume that back rock wall is an aquarium backdrop? How does that work with the uth?[/quote]

I don't use a uth, but a heat lamp. The tank's lid is glass, and the sponge filters in the pools have done well at keeping humidity up, despite the lamp. (I also live in Southern California, where it's often warm enough that I don't need the lamp on, and I have a fan on a timer to circulate air and prevent molding from the high humidity.)

If you Google jungle Bob's aquarium backdrops, you can find the backdrop I used, if you're curious.[/quote]

I have a wierd question. Have you noticed if the crabs think that background is real and try to climb it?

[jclee]

They claim it all the time. The added climbing surface was part of the point of getting it. They seem to enjoy it.

[jclee]

They claim it all the time. The added climbing surface was part of the point of getting it. They seem to enjoy it.

*Climb it. Silly dictation.

[Hermiesguardian]

They claim it all the time. The added climbing surface was part of the point of getting it. They seem to enjoy it.

Lol. I'm confused. I thought it was a background that looked 3D. Flat. A picture. Not actually 3D.