2016-06-15T05:57:06+00:00

So here I go again! New tank! I was browsing on craigslist looking for a new tank that I could use as a crabitat as I am getting more and more crabs. I have 30 crabs as of the moment, so I thought I need a bigger crabitat.

The tank posted on Craigslist: Dimensions: 63″ L x 31″ H x 18.5″ W

So we settled to $300 (I know expensive you may say), which for me is still cheaper than getting a brand new Exo-Terra Large and X-tall tank, which is first I thought of buying.

It took me two weeks to construct the crabitat, that includes installing inside pools and waterfalls, waiting for the silicon to cure and installing the foam and cork bark background.

For this crabitat, I spent a lot! I bought driftwood, 7 lbs of cork bark from amazon, silicone, Great Stuff insulation foam, coco fiber bricks and the piece of glass for which I made the pools from.

0 (1) — First, I installed the inside pools. I let the silicone cure for a day first and then put water on both pools and waited for another day just to make sure there would be no leaks.

Then, I installed the driftwood on the back wall of the tank. I let it cure for another day. 🙂

Then came my cork bark tubes which I ordered from amazon. This one I have to register for a US address in Point Roberts in WA coz they don’t ship to Canada

This is the filter I used for the waterfalls. I got this one when we had our aquarium. It hasn’t been used since I got an external filter.

Using Great Stuff insulating foam I started to create the waterfalls. Honestly, I didn’t really know what I wanted my waterfall to look like at this time. haha!

Then I started installing some of the cork barks and coco hideys. The space on the bottom would be where the substrate be and the space at the top would be for the heat mat which is installed at the back.

Then comes cork bark installations on the side of the tank. I started with the left side as seen in the pictures.

Then the right side. 😀 I’m telling you, this tank is heavy!

Not in the picture is when I applied silicone first before spread on the coco fiber. Again, I waited for a day before I clean this one up. Also did the same for the sides.

I used my heat lamp and a portable heater to make the curing process faster. Neat eh? 😀

Heat lamp to make silicone + coco fiber curing faster.

I also started attaching live moss on the cork barks hoping that it would thrive and grow.

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DIY waterfalls testing.

It was so heavy!!! Took us 3 men in the house to bring it upstairs! I had to take off work the next morning coz I had backache!

The crabs! Unfortunately I have one dug-up molter, a PP. But I am pretty sure it would be fine.

Setting them free, just kidding. Now they have a very huge tank to explore!

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These are the tools I used.

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Crabs galore!

Human nature, never contented; or maybe it’s just me? Haha!

So here I am again, making a new crabitat. I got this tank from craigslist. The tank is 61″ L x 18.5″ W x 31″ L.

I am taking things slow now, so building each component slowly. Today, I had the first feature installed. The saltwater and freshwater pools! Yahoo!

I’ll let this one cure and sit for a while with water on it as this is very crucial. Have to be 101% sure there would be no leaks.

Still waiting for my 7lbs cork bark i bought from amazon. They don’t ship to Canada that’s why I had it shipped to Point Roberts in Washington State. I had to register for a US address so I could ship it to myself. Apparently this is how Canadians near the border do it for items that doesn’t ship to Canada. 😀