I don't understand.

[YYWW]

O gosh i'm sorry you're going through this! The good news is that she let you know she was there
Did you have pieces of eggcrate joined together or solid pieces that ran across? Since she's against the tank i guess she nudged the egg crate aside and got herself to slip down. She wont be able to make it back up. However long it takes her to harden will be when you need to go digging for her.
Is there anything pressing her down, or does she have space down there? What holds up the eggcrate from the bottom?


Crabbers unite!!!

[wodesorel]

And don't be scared! She got down to where she wanted - the very bottom of the tank away from the other crabs. She just might need a hand getting back out again.

[hermieluv1]

A quarter inch gap around the edges equals a half inch of crab escape space! I can see it happening, amazing as it is!

A suggestion for rescuing her when she is ready, and I don't know if it will work but may be worth a try: straighten a coat hanger and put a small hook on one end. Slide it down along the glass a little ways from where she is, and hook the egg crate. Lift until you think you can get to her, get something like a wooden spoon or something under her and scoop her out.

[YYWW]

A quarter inch gap around the edges equals a half inch of crab escape space! I can see it happening, amazing as it is!

A suggestion for rescuing her when she is ready, and I don't know if it will work but may be worth a try: straighten a coat hanger and put a small hook on one end. Slide it down along the glass a little ways from where she is, and hook the egg crate. Lift until you think you can get to her, get something like a wooden spoon or something under her and scoop her out.

That's pretty crafty!


Crabbers unite!!!

[KellyCrabbieLove]

O gosh i'm sorry you're going through this! The good news is that she let you know she was there
Did you have pieces of eggcrate joined together or solid pieces that ran across? Since she's against the tank i guess she nudged the egg crate aside and got herself to slip down. She wont be able to make it back up. However long it takes her to harden will be when you need to go digging for her.
Is there anything pressing her down, or does she have space down there? What holds up the eggcrate from the bottom?


Crabbers unite!!!

I had solid pieces that ran across doubled up until I needed more length. Then I added more to each piece on the end. I had it flipped so the one on bottom had the extra on the left and the one on top had the extra on the right to make sure one side wasn't so much weaker than another because of a joint. The eggcrate is sitting on the bottom.

[KellyCrabbieLove]

A quarter inch gap around the edges equals a half inch of crab escape space! I can see it happening, amazing as it is!

A suggestion for rescuing her when she is ready, and I don't know if it will work but may be worth a try: straighten a coat hanger and put a small hook on one end. Slide it down along the glass a little ways from where she is, and hook the egg crate. Lift until you think you can get to her, get something like a wooden spoon or something under her and scoop her out.

I am going to have to take the substrate out. ugh. It was hard enough getting it in. I have a lot of crabs down so I am only going to take it out of that part if at all possible. I am going to check on her probably 30 times a day at least.

If no change in position after awhile is it safe to assume she passed? Do I need to make a new false bottom? That will be awful...I don't want to think about taking that much sand out and worrying about everyone down . I have a 125...omg the sand....where would I even put it all? Poor Godzilla. At least she showed me there was a problem.

I am so worried about her. I am trying to distract myself with the other parts of getting her out. It isn't working very well.

[CallaLily]

I don't think you'll know for sure what you'll need to do until you've pulled it all out to see how she did it. Don't be alarmed if you don't see much movement in the next few days but eventually you should be able to tell she's been munching on her exo.

[YYWW]

The only thing i can think of is that 2 layers of eggcrate left room for the top layer to bend down and the bottom layer to bend up, and she made the best use of that.
Get a big tote to put all the sand in. If you dont already have a good shovel/scoop, use something like a dustpan or a large food scoop. Or find something with a good handle.
Have multiple ISOs ready for your huge number of crabs, a main one (maybe another tote) and several smaller ones for molters (tupperwares and cups) that go into the big ISO tote.
Just put all your stuff in the main ISO, and add a lot of plastic cup moss pits. Make sure its plenty warm.
You can do this! Get everything ready and i think you can complete the whole thing, start to finish, in 2 days. But you will need help shoveling sub back in.
Oh, and seal the sub after you get it out to keep it moist!


Crabbers unite!!!

[KellyCrabbieLove]

Megmaholm offered to help me. I only have the 1 10gal iso and a kk for iso. Problem

[KellyCrabbieLove]

Looks like I am going to have to hit target. How to set up so many and keep them heated is a problem.

[YYWW]

Maybe home depot/lowe's would be better.
Your ISO tote doesnt need to be superhuge. Just make it really cluttered so the crabs have a bunch of places to scramble in and out of, especially around the edges. I would try something crazy like lining the whole bottom with styrofoam cups, and sticking a crab in each cup. That'll slow crabbies down from reaching each other. Then put your decorations all over the top so theres stuff to climb and explore. Your pools or food dont need to go in the tote.
If the tote isn't too big you can put it over or against an air duct, assuming your heat is running. An electric blanket can help you bring more heat, but being at 72-75 for a little while should be ok. Wet a towel real warm and lay it over the tote before you cover it lightly with the lid.
You can use lamps for your 10g and KK, or just stick them inside the tote before you start loading it up.
Don't rush to start. Hopefully Godzilla will finish molting and start ambling about. That will prob be the best time to start.
Megmaholm is a godsend A local fellow crabber. Lucky!
Things you can do ahead:
Get pvc couplings. They are $0.28 each and already uniform in size. Drill a hole near 1 edge. Make sure you have a bunch of them. Like your footprint (L x W) divided by 5, should do it. If they dont have enough i recommend subbing with pvc pipes that is the same in diameter as the couplings are in height, but ask the people, in case there's more stock in hiding. Rinse them after you drill them, there will be fluffy plastic crap all over. These couplings will most likely help you prevent a repeat, because the egg crate can't be pushed down against it.
I had more on my mind but now it's gone blank


Crabbers unite!!!

[megmaholm]

Megmaholm is a godsend A local fellow crabber. Lucky!

Nah, my ulterior motive is I'm going to steal her pretty crab Athena to be my crab Biggie's girlfriend.

J/K. Kelly, don't panic! I'll bring cookies!

[YYWW]

Nah, my ulterior motive is I'm going to steal her pretty crab Athena to be my crab Biggie's girlfriend.

J/K. Kelly, don't panic! I'll bring cookies!

LOL If i was nearby, i'd come, too! And bring cake!


Crabbers unite!!!

[KellyCrabbieLove]

You guys are so sweet.

[wodesorel]

If one got down, more will follow. It's better to save her and fix the problem at the same time, then give up and wait for it to happen again!