20l vampire crab paludarium build thread

[LemurLad]

Oh that's gorgeous! Can we get a couple shots from other angles? Really looks nice though, gonna look even better when it's planted.

 

[siva]

Yes I will tomorrow! I still don't know what substrate to use for the water portion. Sand? White sand? Rock?

 

[LemurLad]

I think it'd look killer with some natural looking gravel. Though, I'm biased towards that substrate. I just think it looks so nice!

 

[Welsh]

I agree. Natural gravel, just makes everything look better IMO lol, or white sand but I've noticed my crabs have made a lot of mess on their sand, so i'd go with gravel just to disguise the mess haha. Your palu looks great!!

 

[siva]

Ok sorry it took so long, finally got a few more pics! The stand I've been waiting for came so, got that all set up. It's one of my favorite stands..the dual kind that holds a tank on top and bottom..a must for the hardcore tank addict LOL The tanks had several days outside since the last silicone was used so it's good to go.

I got a natural unfinished looking aquarium gravel and something home depot calls pea pebbles, which sounds it would be pea gravel, but it's actually like a small river rock. I think I'll mix the two and see how it looks. Couldn't find pool filter sand locally, which is what I would have used if using sand, so sand is out. Definitely can't wait to order something else...so want to get this done!

Ok so here's a few more (poor) shots of it before I go any further..on the stand with the hood on.

 

[siva]

Use Great Stuff: Gaps & Cracks, it cures pretty quick and expands just enough. Great Stuff: Pond & Stone works great too because it's black, but it's kind of hard to find cheap lately.

You weren't joking about this..was going to pick up a can of the black at lowes yesterday to have on hand for my next project but it was $20

 

[siva]

Ok here's the substrate

 

[siva]

Here it is folks. I'm sure I'll look at it for a while and want to change things around a bit..but I think this looks pretty good..right?

 

[siva]

Will java moss grow out of the water? I'd like to tuck some in around the wall..will it spread?

It ended up being about 2 gals of water. Neither filters I had planned work right/look good in there. Really a filter just ruins it for me. Do you think I need one? I might just keep an eye on the water parameters and see if I can rock it without one.

 

[siva]

More pics...




The crabs seem to love it. I think they think we took them back to their homeland lol

 

[siva]

These two sat here forever

The third one even came over and joined for a bit..any idea why this ones eyes seems to have turned purple?

And I freaking forgot to sex them when I transferred them Don't I need a view of their underside?

 

[Welsh]

That looks awesome!!! I am so jealous! lol I don't think Java moss will grow out of water, well mine didn't anyway. I had some on a piece of driftwood, that survived months of darkness and no water, I put it in my crab tank at the start, with a good light and it died instantly You are right with the sexing thing too, you do have to look at their abdomens; which I found tricky but after a good few minutes of studying them, I got there in the end haha. This is what I used, The Ultimate Fishing Blog: Blue Crab Facts if you scroll down, you'll see 3 pictures

 

[siva]

Um dudes? Lemur Lad? Adeeb? Where are ya? Sheesh

I have mold on the dry side. I better get some springtails I guess. Should I try to clean the mold? Is it going to hurt the crabs?

 

[adeebm]

Haha sorry, I'm tied up with finals in school First time I've checked in a week. The tank looks awesome! What kinds of plants do you have on the land part? Java moss can grow outside of the water on dirt and stuff. As far as needing a filter, I think it depends on how much time your crabs spend in the water. If they just use it to drink then probably not, but if they are hanging out in the water you might want one. Those are the bi-color vampires right? For sexing, you look at the underside. If the abdominal flap is wide and scoop shaped, it's a female. If it's thinner and doesn't cover the entire underside then it's a male.

Mold is normal in new terrariums and shouldn't harm anything. The crabs might even eat it. If it looks ugly you can scrape it off.

--Adeeb

 

[siva]

Thanks! Ok, good to know about the mold. Plants..well..ones they sell at Petco? lol I have no idea. In my typical fashion, I threw caution to the wind and bought whatever I thought would look good and stuck it in.

Yes, I'm seeing now that they create a fair bit of waste. So far I think it's mostly going on the land side. Hopefully it will stay that way because my water is so shallow it would be hard to filter. It's not holding it as deep as I had hoped, despite all the time I took testing So what about all the poop on land..it's like I need a teeny tiny pooper scooper..

Maybe I haven't heard them called bi-color...they are purple and orange/yellow. I can't mix other types of vampires with them, can I?

 

[adeebm]

Haha well as long as the plants grow eh. I'ts hard to tell from the pics what species you have, but no, you can't mix species. As for the poop, no idea I suppose you could scoop it or hope it disappears

--Adeeb

 

[Luna112]

First off I want to tell you how amazing your tank looks!!!
Seeing this has really made me want one too, any tips or pointers on these vampire crabs? I know that they need land and water. That's about all I know. Please help!

 

[siva]

Thank you Luna!! Yeah, the crabs are awesome, and building the palu for them is really fun! I'm no expert, having had them only a short time, but I've learned a lot of great stuff, mostly from the great peeps on here.

Here's a good place to start, with Lemur Lad's build thread:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/40-gallon-coldwater-paludarium-journal-136233.html
Then also check out this one:
30 Gallon Paludarium: How to and Journal - Paludariums - Aquatic Plant Central
Here's another good one, I asked a lot of questions on here:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/vampire-crabs-138469.html
Next brianstropicals.com is a great resource for care information, ordering supplies, and awesome tank layout ideas.
And I would make sure you follow adeebs new build thread that is sure to be inspiring! http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/29g-vampire-crab-build-thread-152795.html

 

[siva]

Question: Should I stir up the dry substrate from time to time?

 

[Luna112]

Thank you Luna!! Yeah, the crabs are awesome, and building the palu for them is really fun! I'm no expert, having had them only a short time, but I've learned a lot of great stuff, mostly from the great peeps on here.

Here's a good place to start, with Lemur Lad's build thread:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/40-gallon-coldwater-paludarium-journal-136233.html
Then also check out this one:
30 Gallon Paludarium: How to and Journal - Paludariums - Aquatic Plant Central
Here's another good one, I asked a lot of questions on here:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/vampire-crabs-138469.html
Next brianstropicals.com is a great resource for care information, ordering supplies, and awesome tank layout ideas.
And I would make sure you follow adeebs new build thread that is sure to be inspiring! http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/29g-vampire-crab-build-thread-152795.html

Thank you!! After I get all of the supplies and set up, would I have to cycle my tank. Seeing as they go into the water.