Tuesday, April 04, 2006
The new 150 gallon tank
Well the big move is over and the tank is all done. Below are some pictures. Please ignore the gauges in the tank as the pictures were taken right after set-up and the conditions had not yet returned to set point. Although I must admit that in a tank this big there will be slight differences in temp and humidity depending were a crab is. If the crab is basking under the bulbs the humidity will be less than if the crab was under the second levels. But all in all the average is at set point and they do not seem to care because I have seen them hanging out in every corner. I also am introducing two new crabs, another ruggie named Buttercup and my first Indo named Indigo (a big fella). I am currently up to 26 crabs. When I first put them in this tank they were all very active and scooting around. 3 of my 4 freshly molted crabs dug down again right away. Now almost everyone is in hiding, I guess in the weeks to come the tank will get more active again.
Pic #1 Front view. There are also hiding spots under the levels close to the far corners which you might not see. I have several gauges in the tank and one sensor with digital read on top of the tank. The white PVC houses all the bubbler tubes and the temp. sensors.
P1c #2 View from right side 2nd level I hung netting across the front of these levels so they will not just fall off the edge.
Pic #3 View from front right
I have left some shells of various sizes on the lower levels. I currently have one UTH under a small area of sand. I have one on the side of the tank by the EE. The sand and EE gets cooler as they dig down except in these spots.
Pic #4 Close-up of left side with 2nd level "used shell lot" (smaller shells) & 3rd level basking area. The basking area is the warmest currently at 85F with only 75% humidity. The lower levels currently are 81F with 81% humidity. I am going to up humidity soon by adding another DIY humidifier directly in the tank, until then I just mist regularly. I will raise the temp about 2- 3F but if the 3rd level gets too hot I might be forced to move it.
Pic #5 Close up of middle with Bathing pools and beach area. I bought small paint trays at Walmart and siliconed small stones all over so all crabs have easy access. Both pools have bubbles with airstones and are deep enough for all the crabs to fully submerge.
Pic #6 Close up of right side with 2nd level "Crabbies bar and grill" with larger shells. Under this are several hiding spots.
Pic #7 Indigo, my first Indo taking a bath in the saltwater. He is in the shallow end now but after this shot he went for the deep. He ate food and then dug down to destress. He seems a bit shy but we will see how he is when he comes up. I have heard that Indos can be a bit aggressive so I will be keeping a close eye on him.
Pic #8 Buttercup my 3rd Ruggie stuffing his face after his first bath. He has since dug down to destress.
I always bath my newcomers in dichlorinated water and then place them in the food dish in the crabatat. I iso only if I do not trust sellers crabatat.
Pic #1 Front view. There are also hiding spots under the levels close to the far corners which you might not see. I have several gauges in the tank and one sensor with digital read on top of the tank. The white PVC houses all the bubbler tubes and the temp. sensors.
P1c #2 View from right side 2nd level I hung netting across the front of these levels so they will not just fall off the edge.
Pic #3 View from front rightI have left some shells of various sizes on the lower levels. I currently have one UTH under a small area of sand. I have one on the side of the tank by the EE. The sand and EE gets cooler as they dig down except in these spots.
Pic #4 Close-up of left side with 2nd level "used shell lot" (smaller shells) & 3rd level basking area. The basking area is the warmest currently at 85F with only 75% humidity. The lower levels currently are 81F with 81% humidity. I am going to up humidity soon by adding another DIY humidifier directly in the tank, until then I just mist regularly. I will raise the temp about 2- 3F but if the 3rd level gets too hot I might be forced to move it.
Pic #5 Close up of middle with Bathing pools and beach area. I bought small paint trays at Walmart and siliconed small stones all over so all crabs have easy access. Both pools have bubbles with airstones and are deep enough for all the crabs to fully submerge.
Pic #6 Close up of right side with 2nd level "Crabbies bar and grill" with larger shells. Under this are several hiding spots.
Pic #7 Indigo, my first Indo taking a bath in the saltwater. He is in the shallow end now but after this shot he went for the deep. He ate food and then dug down to destress. He seems a bit shy but we will see how he is when he comes up. I have heard that Indos can be a bit aggressive so I will be keeping a close eye on him.
Pic #8 Buttercup my 3rd Ruggie stuffing his face after his first bath. He has since dug down to destress.I always bath my newcomers in dichlorinated water and then place them in the food dish in the crabatat. I iso only if I do not trust sellers crabatat.
# posted by Supercrab @ 12:59 PM 
