Would appreciate input on new crabitat setup!

[soilentgringa]

Hey all, new crab owner from Texas with some heating questions. We've had our crabs since June and have survived a couple of molts so far. Since it's been so warm, we've not needed to use any heat sources for our crabitat. The humidity is maintained at around 80% or more and the temperature is around 80 degrees as well.

We held off on setting up the larger tank because we had one crab die and the other down for molting, and we weren't sure if it was coming back up. We've since added three more and are setting up the larger tank so we can get some more buddies.

Our tank is 48" long, 12" wide and about 16" tall, glass aquarium. We're looking for tops as well, considered having a sheet of plexiglass cut specifically for it.

What are some pros and cons of heating pads vs lamps?

Also, by my calculations, to achieve a 10" substrate depth, I will need around 6 bags of play sand. How many compressed bricks of coco fiber should I mix in with that amount of sand to get the substrate consistency I'm looking for?

We are adding isopods, there are only about 5 million of them out at my mother's house and she never treats her yard with insecticides so they should be safe. I can pull up a garden gnome over there and come up with a couple hundred.

I'd appreciate any and all input regarding the lamps vs. heating pads issue. I don't want any baked crabs!

[CrabbySquirrel]

Greetings!

Many crabbers find that a mix 5:1 (play sand to eco earth) ratio is good -- I myself haven't tried that exact mix yet, but I'm in the process of getting a new 55gal ready, and that's what I'm going to try this time....so I believe I was told something like 1 compressed brick per bag.....(approximately)

As far as heating, many people have great things to say about Ultratherm UTH's (under tank heaters -- but don't put them under the tank, they go on the side). I just ordered one from a place called "The Bean Farm", and got an 11x48 one (my tank is 48 inches across) - so it will fill the entire back side of my tank. You place it above the substrate line so it can heat the air, not the substrate.....

I am also struggling as to what to do about a lid -- I have a thread in this forum called "DIY lid" that you might want to check out - there are several ideas/suggestions on there. So far, I'm going to put an acrylic sheet (cut to size, with air holes drilled into it) on one side, and on the other side I got an aquarium glass canopy from Petco yesterday....(I can provide links if necessary).

Can't help with the isopod questions -- I don't have any experience with that, but perhaps someone else will chime in.

[MuseCrazy]

What are some pros and cons of heating pads vs lamps?

Also, by my calculations, to achieve a 10" substrate depth, I will need around 6 bags of play sand. How many compressed bricks of coco fiber should I mix in with that amount of sand to get the substrate consistency I'm looking for?

We are adding isopods, there are only about 5 million of them out at my mother's house and she never treats her yard with insecticides so they should be safe. I can pull up a garden gnome over there and come up with a couple hundred.

I'd appreciate any and all input regarding the lamps vs. heating pads issue. I don't want any baked crabs!

I use both heating pads and lamps. Lamps dry out the top layer of sub throughout the day, my humidifier takes care of this issue though. I have my lamp on a screen through the tank, previously I had to mount it on the side because I had a tank that had a plastic lid and that caused the side of my tank to crack. The heating pads are great however certain brands like zoo med and all living things I find to be kind of weak. I keep my pads half on the sub and half above. It's best to keep a gradient of temperature on your tank (hot side cooler side) so the crabs can cool down/heat up when they want.

You will need about 2 bricks of EE for that amount of sand. You can do more or less. Some people do layers, some people mix it up you don't have to be too precise. I have a gradient in my tank. On one side I have 100% play sand and then on the other side I have a 50/50 mix and then it is mixed 5:1 in between. If you want to be a perfectionist about it, you could research the amount of organic matter found in the area of your species if crab. I'm assuming you have PPs, so you can really do any ratio you want and they'll be fine. However some species like Aussies come from conditions where there is almost no organic matter in their native substrate.

You are lucky with the isopods, you only need about 10-20 to start a colony but the more the better. I started a colony with 12 and they died off. Tried to start over and I only found 5 outside so maybe it is too cold here. They'll need calcium supplements just like the crabs, a good staple diet for them is leaves, carrots, spinach, and bark.

[soilentgringa]

Thanks so much for the advice!