Realized I need to do better, starting fresh & need advice!

[Nakkida]

Hi guys! I have made a couple of posts previously about my 12 year old crab and over the last few days I've learned a lot and I realized that I've not been taking good enough care of the little dude. So my mom and I have decided to start fresh and are redoing his whole tank! He seems to be doing fine after the loss of his claw and leg, every day I notice he's gobbled a little more of his exoskeleton and rotated in his hermie hut. Only caught him out in the open once and he looks so pathetic trying to hobble around with only one side of his body, but as long as he can regenerate them I'm thinking he'll be okay.

This is what we've done so far:

• - New 10gal aquarium (his old one is 10gal as well, but it's easier to just do the whole thing from scratch.)
  - 40 pound bag of play sand, large bag of Eco Earth coco fiber substrate mixed in
  - A new hide, Zilla corner basking platform. I'm a little concerned for this one as it was made to go in a fish tank and has dark green paint. Is that bad? It's really cool!
  - 10 new unpainted shells coming in the mail from the Hermit Crab Patch. Should I boil them when they arrive?
  - Oceanic Sea Salt 5 Gal bag for a salt water dish. We'll be using plastic tupperware (buried halfway into substrate) with aquarium gravel on the bottom. Is that safe?
  - One of these hemp ladders from Etsy. Unsure how I will attach it.
  - Re-using his cholla wood and mopani wood structures from his old tank
  - Got rid of his old commercial food, although we don't use it much anyway.
  - Getting rid of his old dirty sponges
  - Boiling his old shells, probably tossing the painted ones if the new ones are suitable.
  - Sphagnum moss will likely be added.
  - Got a small spray bottle for misting the tank
  - 2 large cuttlebones. We'll be keeping his sand dollars in as well.

This is what we're unsure about:

• - His heater is under the tank. I was told this was dangerous, but I'm not sure where I should safely arrange it. Do I need a new one? If so, any suggestions?
  - His tank lid is a screen. What is a good method for keeping humidity in without buying an entirely new lid?
  - We use bottled water as his primary water source. Does it still need to be treated? What is easiest?
  - He killed the last 2 crabs he was living with many years ago. We're afraid to adopt a friend. Is there a link I can get information on introducing new crabs? Or should that be avoided?
  - Haven't got a clue what to do about the lighting. He has never had a lamp so I'm not sure what the best option is.
  - When can he be moved into his new crabitat? He's still fresh from his molt and I don't want to bother him until he's a little more active.

I think that's everything. If there is another thing I am overlooking that needs to be done, please let me know! I'm just trying to get everything organized and learn the dos and don'ts. I appreciate any help you guys can offer.

I also want to post a before and after pic just so you guys know how big of an improvement it will be! I don't have any pictures of the new tank yet but they'll come. Here is what we have now: as you can see, it's going to need a lot of work.


I'm going for something more like this:

[megmaholm]

This is what we're unsure about:

• - His heater is under the tank. I was told this was dangerous, but I'm not sure where I should safely arrange it. Do I need a new one? If so, any suggestions?
  - His tank lid is a screen. What is a good method for keeping humidity in without buying an entirely new lid?
  - We use bottled water as his primary water source. Does it still need to be treated? What is easiest?
  - He killed the last 2 crabs he was living with many years ago. We're afraid to adopt a friend. Is there a link I can get information on introducing new crabs? Or should that be avoided?
  - Haven't got a clue what to do about the lighting. He has never had a lamp so I'm not sure what the best option is.
  - When can he be moved into his new crabitat? He's still fresh from his molt and I don't want to bother him until he's a little more active.

You've made good progress so far! Tupperware dishes are great and safe for pools. Once the new shells arrive, yes, just be safe boil them for about 10 minutes. For your ladder, the simplest and quickest method to attach it will probably be suction cups. For your other questions:

1. Move it to the back of your tank, above the substrate line. What kind of UTH is it? If it's the kind that sticks, you have to be really careful removing it. If you want to buy a new one, check out Ultratherm (http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads) and go for the biggest one that will fit across the back of your tank without going below the substrate line.
2. You can wrap the screen lid with plastic wrap, cover it with foil, etc. Just leave a corner open for airflow.
3. I understand your concern! I'm not sure we have any specific info on aggressive crabs, but what I do when I introduce a newbie is give him/her a quick dip in the tank's freshwater so he doesn't smell strange, and just keep an eye on things for a while.
4. There are a lot of options for lighting/heating. If the UTH is keeping the temp high enough by itself, you can just go with a regular lightbulb to keep things bright during the day. If you have plenty of natural light and just need heat, red heat bulbs (don't get a basking one) or a moonglow one are safe to leave on 24/7. Just be aware that any heat bulb will lower your humidity and you may need to compensate.
5. He can be moved to the new tank once he's moving around normally and eating/drinking.

[soilentgringa]

We had the same hide in our old tank. It was hard for the crabs to climb on, as their legs slipped off a lot. It also is heavy and sinks onto the sand a bit. Mine never liked it.

[wodesorel]

Once you've got the tank right, I would not worry much about prior aggression with other crabs. I've adopted many crabs where the owners said it had killed tankmates. If it really had attacked them, it was due to conditions or diet or the other crab having to surface molt. A lot of the time though when crabs die due to Post Purchase Syndrome or conditions that aren't right, they drop limbs over an area of the tank and then crawl out of their shell before finally succumbing - which will look exactly like a violent attack. I really think a lot of singleton crabs get a murder conviction for a tankmate that passed on this way. So long as the crabs are fed properly, have plenty of shells to choose from, are able to dig to molt, and are comfortable there is almost no risk in adding in new friends. The bath that meg mentioned is the best way to make them completely ignore each other as otherwise they may get defensive because they won't smell as if they're from the same location and the same colony.

[KellyCrabbieLove]

We had the same hide in our old tank. It was hard for the crabs to climb on, as their legs slipped off a lot. It also is heavy and sinks onto the sand a bit. Mine never liked it.

I found the opposite. Mine absolutely loved it and climbed it all the time. I have actually considered using it as the hid in my iso tank. Mine didn't really sink in either. Just the normal amount.

[Nakkida]

I'm back! Thank you guys so much for all of your advice, I'm glad I've got such an active and helpful community to turn to with all my questions.

So we've got everything set up now and he's being given some time to explore and adjust. We got our new shells (some are a bit large but most of them seem good!) and I am hoping he changes into one soon. The one he is in now is bright blue with pink flowers, so once he ditches it we'll be getting rid of it with the other painted shells.

BEFORE and AFTER


Questions I still have:

• - How long does it take for instant ocean salt mix to dissolve? We have a gallon of water and put 1/2 cup in as well as some drops of Amquel Plus declorinator/ammonia detoxifier but we're not sure when we should introduce it as it was just mixed today (just came in the mail with the shells).
  
  - Where should the heater be placed? Currently we have it attached to the center above substrate level. I was afraid to put it behind his hide or behind his salt water dish. Just not sure where you guys think is the best spot.
  
  - Any other thoughts/suggestions?

Bonus pics!

[KellyCrabbieLove]

I love it!

[megmaholm]

Questions I still have:

• - How long does it take for instant ocean salt mix to dissolve? We have a gallon of water and put 1/2 cup in as well as some drops of Amquel Plus declorinator/ammonia detoxifier but we're not sure when we should introduce it as it was just mixed today (just came in the mail with the shells).
  
  - Where should the heater be placed? Currently we have it attached to the center above substrate level. I was afraid to put it behind his hide or behind his salt water dish. Just not sure where you guys think is the best spot.
  
  - Any other thoughts/suggestions?

Bonus pics!

It's looking great so far! As far as your questions:

1. Instant Ocean takes a while to dissolve, at least in my experience. I try to mix it up a day ahead of when I think I'll need, give it a good shaking, and try to shake it some more before I use it. It seems to mostly dissolve it, and then I shake it every time before I use it. You're fine to go ahead and use it now, but you may have some stubborn salt on the bottom.

2. Centered above the substrate is fine. There's not really a right or wrong place, as long as it's not below your tank! Personally, mine is centered on the back with 6" on either side of it that it doesn't cover.

[Crabinski]

Very nice remodel!

[Nakkida]

Another update:

We're about a week into having the new tank set up and things are seeming to go well. He changed shells on day 3 into one of the new spotted shells but I'm keeping the blue one in for him as he has been looking back at it and moving it some. I hesitate to take it away if that's the one he is comfortable with, but I think he's satisfied with the one he took.

He dug down and buried himself yesterday underneath the mopani wood and close to the heater, so I am thinking this is when he'll get his little legs back. I was unsure when his next molt would happen because it is so soon after the last one, but I think if he does it now and his legs come back he'll have a much easier time exploring his new home.

I also noticed that he is missing all 3 legs on the left side as he was exploring the tank, not just 2 legs like I initially thought. Poor guy!

Hopefully after this next molt I'll also be able to coax him out enough to identify a gender. I haven't wanted to bother him since the tank change and leg loss, but I'm curious and I can't keep calling him a him if he's not a him! Knowing will also help me decide on a name. Any suggestions for that, by the way? (name suggestions and gender identifying suggestions)

[KellyCrabbieLove]

I vote Hank for a boy. Lol

[wodesorel]

They have two legs and a pincher on each side. Is he missing one of his pinchers, too? It will grow back.

The only way to ID gender is if they have gonopores on their back legs, so having him molt will make it easier with two legs to try and see them on, although it might be a little hard to spot with newly regrown legs. You could always go with something gender-neutral, or something that can be changed later if your guess is wrong. My Filbert became Filomena, and I had a Spike that was actually a Spikette.

[Nakkida]

He has lost his big claw leg and the two legs behind it. At first I thought he was only missing the big claw and one leg, but once he started moving around I realized it was all of them on that side. He's a trooper and is still able to get around but I'm hoping that after this molt he'll have at least a slightly easier time of it!

I'll note Hank as one of the names (we've got a big list!)

[hthecvt]

I personally use clear packing tape to cover the mesh lid and I'm able to set my 2 heat lamps directly on that. I use coconut fiber for substrate and keep it damp and my humidity is always around 80% with the temp being 75F.