Anyone regret getting a big tank?

[stinkyfeet]

It seems my 4 E's have molted and are doing well. They are currently housed in a 20 gallon Long tank. They really utilize their play space by spending a lot of time crawling upside down on the screen lid!

I have been looking (almost obsessively! ) into used larger tanks for a good deal. (I was too slow last weekend and lost out on a 120 gallon tank and stand for $100 )

I was looking into getting a 90-150 gallon tank if I can find another good deal. I noticed the E's liked dig and tunnel-- and thought they'd have more fun.

Does anyone regret getting such a big tank?

I like my current tank set up--it's sitting on an old desk and being 5' tall, I can easily reach in and change food, clean poops, etc very easily w/o a step stool.

TIA!


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[wodesorel]

I had my crabs in a back opening tank and then ones on the floor so it wasn't too bad getting in and out. Currently i have several of my snakes in larger tanks off the floor and it can be a real pain getting into them on a regular basis. I am 5'3" and I have to stand on a step stool and hang into the tanks to do anything. If you are a lady like me and have any sort of assets in the front, they will get in the way even more because of how deep the tanks are. I make liberal use of long tongs and a snake hook for adjusting things from the ground, but for water and food there is no escaping having to dive in. Crabs would be a little easier since the tank would be shallower with all the sub, but setting it up might be an adventure.

Adjusting the stand or having it set up on the floor would make a huge difference. Not all of the larger tanks are super tall either, some are long or wide instead. I think the big tanks are totally worth it but they do take some planning and some adjustments.

[LadyJinglyJones]

Ive recently aquired a 90 gal... it's the same footprint as a 75, but a lot deeper. I'm making a low table for it, like a short coffee table. I think a standard, higher aquarium stand would be a pain to get into, even with a foot or so of sand.

That said, I'm SUPER excited to get the bigger tank set up. (If only so I can consolidate my crab colonies & not have to mix three of every diner item, plus the gross washing up.

[karlys]

I have a 75 gallon with a 40 gallon topper on a stand. I'm a taller girl at 5'8" and can easily access the small 12" that isn't covered by the topper but definitely have a small ladder for accessing anything else. Like wode, I use tongs but also one of those arm extender trash picking up pinchy things (lol) for anything that needs moving on that side. This morning a sick crab died on the topper side so I had to unfortunately pick it up with tongs which made me realize how screwed I'd be if I had an emergency situation over there that needed gentler handling. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about that. Maybe nothing because the benefits of the increased climbing space outweigh the smaller chance of such an emergency.
Overall, do In regret my big tank? Not at all. Makes my crabs happy and, so, I'm happy!

[GotButterflies]

Never

Edit: Is there really such a thing as too big of a tank?

[wodesorel]

Okay, I can think of one tank I regret totally, it's an ancient 55 gallon made with over half inch thick glass. We got it well before my back went out and my hubby turned 50, and we nearly killed ourselves moving it then. We cannot get the tank out of the house now. I had to work my critter room around having that tank in there because we can't get it down the steps. I am thankful we set it up originally on a wheeled base as we could slide it around at least, but he is going to have to take a sledge hammer to it to remove it. I don't even want to have someone come in to move it for us as when (when) they hurt themselves doing so it would be on us to pay for the medical bills. The thing has to weigh close to 200 pounds, possibly more, and being a four foot long piece of glass he doesn't stand a chance of lifting it safely by himself.

tl;dr big tanks weigh a lot, make sure you plan for that.

[wolfnipplechips]

I don't regret it at all!!!! So much more space. Still not nearly enough in my opinion though of course. It's great for the crabs to have more space, but there are challenges. Moved mine into a 120, more on the tall than long side. It's on a stand. I am short, 5'2"-ish, and I had a heck of a time setting it up. Even standing on a chair, I can't reach the bottom of the tank. Even with a foot of substrate, I have issues reaching in.

Second, like wodes said, it's so freakishly heavy! Mine is old and home-made from VERY thick glass and solid wood. Getting it out of somebody's house, into the truck, out of the truck, and then up several steps into my house was a terrible challenge I never want to repeat, even with my 270lb muscly fiance helping! And I'm no weakling myself... It was also raining hard for all of this, so the tank was slippery. I was convinced we were going to break it before we even got it into the living room. We joke that now we can never move because we can't move the tank again...

We bought a 500lb gun safe after a burglary last year, and THAT WAS SO MUCH EASIER to move into the house than the tank.

And then there are the pools. Mine are about 2 gallons each, and I can't physically lift them out of the tank because of the awkward position I am in reaching that far in. I have to have the fiance do it.

And then there is the matter of all that weight on the floor. The house I live in was built in 1938 by my great grandpa, who was not a construction worker. The floor is doing ok where the 120 is, but I had my 55 in a different part of the living room and the floor is permanently a little saggy there from it. Make sure your floors can take the weight and you turn your tank to be perpendicular with the joists.

Big tanks have their problems, but the crabs are much happier! Totally worth it. Keep looking for a big one!

[LadyJinglyJones]

Okay, I can think of one tank I regret totally, it's an ancient 55 gallon made with over half inch thick glass. We got it well before my back went out and my hubby turned 50, and we nearly killed ourselves moving it then. We cannot get the tank out of the house now. I had to work my critter room around having that tank in there because we can't get it down the steps. I am thankful we set it up originally on a wheeled base as we could slide it around at least, but he is going to have to take a sledge hammer to it to remove it. I don't even want to have someone come in to move it for us as when (when) they hurt themselves doing so it would be on us to pay for the medical bills. The thing has to weigh close to 200 pounds, possibly more, and being a four foot long piece of glass he doesn't stand a chance of lifting it safely by himself.

tl;dr big tanks weigh a lot, make sure you plan for that.

You know, I nearly bought one just like that.... so glad I decided not to, hearing your story!

I will admit, the 90 gal is annoyingly heavy to move on my own... but I loves it!!!!

@GotButterflies. ... no, there is no such thing in all the world.... however, my partner says you are an enabler & I'm not to talk to you any more.

[crazypeachs]

We went from a 10 gal with one or two crabs to a 40B with 4, recently adopted a 5th, and have NEVER regretted it! They're so much happier in the larger space and with more friends.

We're actually considering going a bit bigger - if we can find a good deal on a 75 or 90 with a stand we could be swayed.

I kind of want to go bigger to have more decoration/activity options for them. I think they're bored right now, and I'm ashamed of what we have so I will not be posting pictures. Suffice to say, they've been relatively happy for the last 4-5 years (we've had purring on repeated occasions), but I want better for them. We're working on it.

Before anyone freaks out about our 40 gal with 5 crabbies, they're currently small-medium sized, and most of them are purple pinchers.

[Happyhermiehome]

We went from a 10 gal with one or two crabs to a 40B with 4, recently adopted a 5th, and have NEVER regretted it! They're so much happier in the larger space and with more friends.

We're actually considering going a bit bigger - if we can find a good deal on a 75 or 90 with a stand we could be swayed.

I kind of want to go bigger to have more decoration/activity options for them. I think they're bored right now, and I'm ashamed of what we have so I will not be posting pictures. Suffice to say, they've been relatively happy for the last 4-5 years (we've had purring on repeated occasions), but I want better for them. We're working on it.

Before anyone freaks out about our 40 gal with 5 crabbies, they're currently small-medium sized, and most of them are purple pinchers.

I think 5 in a 40b is okay

[wodesorel]

I think it is totally fine as well, although YOU are going to enjoy having more space to decorate.

[daws409]

I have a 125G with a 40B topper and 120G bamboo tank with extra 60-75G topper space. I also have a 90G but it's no longer setup... Love, love, love my tanks. You can definitely do a lot more decorating with a bigger tank.

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