(Belatedly) Showing off my Upgrade ... and Seeking Suggesti

[jclee]

Over the summer, I upgraded my seven large crabs from a 50 gallon hexagonal tank to a 120.

Because my biggest is quite large ( photo with reference quarter is in the mix below), I wanted to have really nice, deep pools for him. I have three gallon buckets of fresh and saltwater, but their sides are not at all sloped.

As you will see in some of the photos, I started with egg crate tied to the bucket side as a climbing surface, because they were able to climb the egg crate in their old tank. I never saw anyone go in. I did put some crabs into the water, and I can verify that they can climb out on the egg crate, but the egg crate seems to slide around too much for them to climb in.

And then I adjusted the fish netting, so that they could use that to climb in and out, but I still have yet to see them do it.

When that seems to be failing I put in pieces of palm tree that were decorating the tank, but I still haven't seen anyone enter or leave the water on their own.

I have added a separate water bowl, just to make sure that they can drink, and I am seeking any further suggestions for how to modify the buckets so that they are more accessible.

I would rather not remove and replace them, as five of the seven crabs are molting right now, and replacing them would mean tearing down and rebuilding the tank.

Suggestions welcome.



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[GotButterflies]

Wow! What an upgrade!!! Lucky crabs! IMO, I don’t think the crabs will use those buckets, or that bowl. I think they will be too scared. Too much of a drop. I’ve also never seen anyone ever use buckets before. Fish net will not work. It will wick the water out of the bucket onto the substrate. Craft mesh would work the best- it can be bent by slightly heating it with a lighter. It can be secured with zip ties. Even then, I don’t think a crab will feel comfortable going all the way into a deep bucket like that. But, that’s my opinion.


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[jclee]

Their old tank had a false bottom, with a built-in pool that was about as deep. It was also straight down without an incline, but the pool was built with egg crate that was steadily in place, which was easy for them to climb. The eggcrate that I've put in these buckets wobbles. They can use it to climb out when I put them in, but when they try to use it to enter the pool, they kind of pull it up toward them. They can't get a steady grip.

From their past setup, I know that they will go in if they can, and I am just worried that, since I haven't yet seen them do it, they cannot. (While it looks deep, these are big guys, and the pools are only about 3x the size of the biggest, and they're not completely full). I have already seen them use the dog bowl that's in there for freshwater, so I do suspect they were thirsty.

Really, I have never had a problem with getting a crab to climb before. This is a first!

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[jclee]

* I forgot to mention that craft mesh does not work with them, because they are so big. They have a hard time gripping it but their feet because the mesh is just too small.

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[jclee]

Update:
Of course, just after I posted, the littlest of my crabs figured out the water. It used the palm frond to climb in, and the eggcrate to climb out. If the littlest one can manage, the bigger guys should be able to climb in and out.

That said, I'd still like to make it easier for them, and I'm open to suggestions.



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[GotButterflies]

Oh wow! They are big! Okay - so...can you drill a couple of holes into the bucket to zip tie the egg crate to the bucket? Since the water level isn't that high seems like that would work

[jclee]

That would do it! Thanks!

The buckets are doubled up for easy removal of the pools, and I might not be able to slide them all the way back in place after zip tied. That's just a cosmetic problem, but if you can think of something that would work as well as zip ties, but is thinner, I'm open to suggestions.

Yeah, they're big guys. Their shells do get pricier when they get big, but they become even more fun to watch.

(And thanks to all for putting up with typos. I usually dictate when on my phone, and dictation errors happen from time to time.)

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[Da_Stos208]

maybe silicone the egg crate onto the inside of the buckets. then u wouldnt have any problems getting it back in, and they wouldn't run any risk of leaking. plus u could fill em up higher if u want.

Just be sure to use aquarium safe stuff, and let it harden outside to avoid fumes!

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[jclee]

With the curve of the bucket, I worry that silicone won't hold.

I think the ties are a great idea. Maybe I'll try drilling some holes along the sodes of the eggcraye and using plastic fishing line, first, to better slide the bucket back into the bottom bucket. If that doesn't hold it steady enough, I'll go with the zip ties and accept that the buckets stick out a bit.

Dictated from my phone; thank you for your patience with dictation errors.

[aussieJJDude]

Silicone wont bond well and expect to see it come off. How handy are you? If your willing you could make a ramp that follows the side of the bucket down to the bottom using egg crate, some PVC and zipties?

~~~~~
PVC used to support the ramp and maybe make a tiny platform at the top, drill sone holes through it and zip tie the egg crate on the PVC.

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[jclee]

Yes, that has been my experience with silicone.

The ramp is a good idea, and I am handy enough to do it. I worry that it would use up too much space in the bucket, making it difficult for my biggest crab to move around in the water. I might try the simple zip ties first, and if that does not seem to help them move about, I will see what I can do with a ramp.

Now that I know that they can use it, at least (even though it looks a bit challenging for them), I can take my time playing around with modifications.

[Happyhermiehome]

Oh wow that is a big dude!
What Species are they?

[aussieJJDude]

Oh wow that is a big dude!
What Species are they?

PP, by the looks of it.

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[jclee]

Yup. They're all PPs that I've adopted over the years. 5 of the 7 even moved with me from RI to CA, and the other 2 were crabs that found me after my move.

This is my favorite shot of the biggest. He's molting, so I can't get a new shot for a while.

[jclee]

I just wanted to follow up and let GotButterflies know that the zip-tie idea worked perfectly. My husband and I finally had a day off together, so I got his help holding the (heavy and poorly designed) lid while I removed the buckets and took care of the rest. Thank you for the assist!