Am I crazy?

[Overmountain1]

So. I got this really large tank on LetGo for cheap. Very cheap. It is rated as an aquarium, so I know it’s tough enough to hold what I need. I have a million ideas right now, and I want opinions!!!

I cannot decide if I want to leave it as a tall, or if we should customize it, lay it on its side, and make the center front panel be the door, on hinges. My hubbs already sorted out what we think is the best way to alter it and add glass to what would have been the top... you know what I’m saying! So, my fellow crabbers, which way would you go? If I leave it tall I think I would put shelving 3-4 tiers in an overlapping spiral so nobody can fall too far!

My concern with making it tall is mainly one of access. I haven’t sorted out how I would actually reach down to the bottom if I do that. Secondly, would it be necessary for the shelves to be arranged as such, or would the crabbies be ok taking a tumble? Obviously I’d rather they didn’t, but it IS inevitable really.

Here are a few pics. I’m leaning toward the long customized, to leave plenty of space for everybody in the sand. Thanks!!






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[aussieJJDude]

Its a little hard to judge. But what are the dimensions? It will affect my answer.


(In the wild, crabs can fall out of trees, and survive... so I imagine a couple feet will barely faze them!)

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[Overmountain1]

Just glass is 28” tall, back sides are 19”, and the 2 smaller front pieces are 11”, and the possible door piece is 14”- leaving plenty of substrate depth room if I lay it down. So if I measured from back corner side and worked clockwise it goes 19-11-14-11-19. Thanks- I appreciate it!!
Oh- and I had the same thought about the falling- my only concern would be landing on something hard at the bottom but I think that’s easily avoided with the shelves!
I really do want as many opinions as possible!


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[RiNiKy506]

Nice score! Leave it tall, add some levels on opposite sides so if they fall it won’t be too far. Then maybe you could add food and water on top levels and only need a stool to get at them. Then you could use cholla and nets to get up to the levels. Someone will have awesome ideas, or try to add all the ones you like. I can’t wait to see it finished!

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Levels like that. lol!
Edit: it won’t keep the spaces where I had them! The middle one was over towards the middle of the other two.

Rod♡Salty♡Bob♡Squirt♡Crabina♡Who
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers <-♡-«

[Overmountain1]

Thank you- I really thought so too. It needs some cleaning up and some modding- no matter how I slice it there- but I expected and even welcome that!

Yes!!! I had a similar idea with the shelves. I just need a plan for when I need to reach allll the way down, and that sorta concerns me- I would have to snake my arm around or.... ooooh I could hang a net sorta like trapeze artists do, that is easily unhooked if needed! And I had the same thoughts on food and shells on upper levels- I think once I get good deep substrate it will limit me to two levels, but I’m still thinking three would be coolest!

However, there’s definitely something to be said for really easy access, still tall enough for some upper levels here and there, I can landscape the whole back side of it really.... and having a door the length of it to easily reach it all, and give them a lot of room to roam too... I am truly split on this one and having a hard time!


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[RiNiKy506]

Or just fill it with your desired amount of substrate, wouldn’t hurt to have a lot, and then put a lot of climby stuff. Maybe do what Motorcrab did with the eggcrate light diffuser so you can add some smaller corner levels to put your food and water on to make that easier to get to for you, then you don’t need to be part snake to get to the bottom. Lol! I would have a hard time with this one too, that’s a beautiful tank!


Rod♡Salty♡Bob♡Squirt♡Crabina♡Who
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers <-♡-«

[Overmountain1]

Thank you- I just saw *POTENTIAL* when I ran across it, and there was no WAY I could pass that up lol.
I’ll be honest, I only gave $35 for it! So I don’t mind investing more in it for sure.

I also was thinking of the “eggcrate solution” for additional ledges and climbs, etc. my only concern is having enough square footage in the sand area for the crabbies- ideally I would like to combine the two tanks into that one, once everyone gets past their PPS etc. so I have some time to make it happen. I doubt I’d be able
To ISO anyone, and it would probably be ok as long as they didn’t all wanna go under at once- it might get a bit crowded... I actually played with the idea of the first shelf up being made to hold sand too, and that would increase the square footage- but I don’t know if they’d use it. Probably. I’m probably overthinking it all. But still- all that potential! I just want to be sure not to waste it.


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[GotButterflies]

Well - either way you have a tough call. Personally it's hard for me to judge...what are they in now? I wouldn't like to reach in that far. (And I am tall). Yes, you have the substrate to consider, but then you will have water pools...and reaching in no matter how many levels you have will be tough. Laying it on it's side will create an issue for the side because of the weight of the sand.

[Overmountain1]

My husband is going to frame it in, and additionally it is the older style of aquarium with extra thick glass- or I wouldn’t consider it! Actually, I don’t think I could mod it that heavily without his help, because he’s the blacksmith- not I! Ha
So, either way is feasible, and while modding the glass pieces and framework to suit my needs IS more work, I just really think I’m gonna end up going that way- it’s going to be, more or less, a really large version of this but for crabs; we’ll shoot I can’t find the link now but I’ll try to add it in a few.

Ok I found what I was thinking of but it was easier to sketch out a crosssection of what I’m thinking I may do; we can laugh at my lack of drawing skill later! Ha! Hmm- hope the pic is right side up!

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[GotButterflies]

Are aquariums hard to come by where you live?
TBH, just seems like a lot of work, but that is just my opinion.

[Overmountain1]

Not necc hard to come by, but everyone seems to want a fortune for anything larger than a 10. I live in the country and a ton of people do raise a ton of various critters!

It would most def be a labor of love. But I wouldn’t neeeed to upgrade again. Maybe get a second but never ‘not use’ this one either. It is a bit labor intensive, but, since we have all the tools and skills, it honestly isn’t hard for him to do something like I want- he can likely finish it out in a day- minus cure time for the end piece etc. so, to me.... it’s not that bad really. I feel like I am going to get more out of the tank out of laying it down. Still plenty of substrate, and plenty of climbing room, and plenty of running around room- even with pools and whatever else ends up down there. A wheel. So on. And I think since it’s already plumbed I’m going to make use of that too for a bubbler.

I feel like I’d be more likely to outgrow it if I left it tall, and/or get tired of it after a while... but how cool of a hermit home it could be that way too!


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[GotButterflies]

How many crabs do you have?

[Overmountain1]

We have 6 now. 2 are teeny/small, 1 small, 2 smallish medium crabs and one larger medium. However, the last 4 listed are new, and there is a possibility of adopting the largest to another home with a similar sized crab. It’s kind of dependent on who pulls through!


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[GotButterflies]

Congratulations! Purple pinches can handle overcrowding okay - but when it comes to molting space - that is really important.
I just saw your drawing. The only thing I would wonder is substrate height minimum needs to be at least 6" or three times the height of your largest crab (whichever is deeper wins). With that in mind, how much height does that leave you to decorate?

[Overmountain1]

Up! It would accommodate up to 11” of substrate depth- which is awesome, bc we are also interested in adding a couple of Es; dependent on final clan size! If they all stay homed here I wouldn’t want to add any more. (And that’s totally ok with me of course!)
I’m only trying to be ready in case any of the 4 PetSmart crabs... well, I just worry! I’m doing all I can for them, and I know that, I’m just... ya know. JIC.

Yep, it’s molting space that concerns me the most with keeping it tall. I just think that’s way too close quarters. It might be fine for a long time- until it wasn’t! It only takes one time...

Oops, got sidetracked; it would ultimately be 19” tall, and the front piece could accommodate up to the 11”- but I’d probably go more like 8-9” for more headroom/climbing!
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