New to HCA

[GreatVegetable]

Hello all,
My name is Brant Vegetable and I am very stoked to part of the HCA community!
I began maintaining a crabitat almost 3 years ago, after adopting a purple pincher crab a co-worker of mine had won as a prize at a carnival.
The crab, Bert, was in poor health, missing a few limbs and severely traumatized. I did my best to make him comfortable, and started reading about crab care and needs, and set him up in a 10 gallon tank.
Within a few days I had the tat set up with the basics, food, water, substrate and shelter.
I then bought 3 new purple pincher crabs, Albert, Hermie, and Ernesto, to be his companions, and to hopefully encourage him to live.
Sadly, Bert only lived a few more days.
I continued the crabitat, learning from my mistakes along the way, dealing with mold, mites and maintaining heat and humidity, all the struggles of the begginer crab owner.
Since then I have upgraded to a larger tank, and have lost a few friends along the way, and gained a few new. Albert, was the second of my crabs to pass, he was a bit larger than a golf ball, and nicknamed Fat Albert. After Alberts passing, I bought 3 new crabs, Sevro, Thistle, and Pebble. Sevro was a purple pincher and the other two were Equidorian Crabs. (At the time I was not aware of the species)
Thistle and Pebble were very small, and did not live long, both never returning after their first attempts at molt. Sevro, aka Goblin, had a successful transition into the family.
So now I own only 3 crabbies, Hermie, Ernesto, and Sevro, and their home continues to grow and change as I learn more about their needs and come up with new ideas for the tat.
I look forward to sharing pics and more stories, ideas and helpful info later!

Thanks for reading,

Brant Vegetable


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[GreatVegetable]

Current Crabitat Setup

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[Angel_crab]

Hi! Welcome to the HCA it's so good to hear that you adopted your first crabbie, and that you gave him the best life you could before his passing. I'm sure your other crabs are very happy, as your tank looks really cool! I love how deep the substrate is, and also all the climbing decor that's in it

[LadyJinglyJones]

Heya, welcome!

What's atop your tank? - is it a home made humidifier?

[aussieJJDude]

Welcome to the board. Sorry to hear about the losses along the way, but Im glad you stuck at it - its very rewarding hobby IMO.

The tank looks amazing!

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[GreatVegetable]

Heya, welcome!

What's atop your tank? - is it a home made humidifier?

I cut a hole into a plastic pet carrier and then attatched it to the tube of a habitat fogger. It's better than cutting your screen, and works great.

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[GotButterflies]

I'm late to the party...but welcome to the HCA!

Edit: What type of light is that on the side of your tank?

[GreatVegetable]

I'm late to the party...but welcome to the HCA!

Edit: What type of light is that on the side of your tank?

Thanks!

It's a moonlight heat lamp, I forget exactly what brand and what wattage, seeing as I've had it for awhile and no longer have the packaging.
However, it's supposed to be safe for 24 hr use.
It is not my primary heat source though, I have a UTH that I place along the front of the tank, and hold it up with a piece of plexiglass, and the UTH has a dial so I can keep the temp regulated.
It being placed along the front of the tank has made my crabs much more active, because they are no longer distracted by reflections and me peeping in at them all the time.