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Post by tinymaze on Mar 1, 2014 14:42:52 GMT
Hello all, ok so here's my set up crabitat. the bedding on the bottom right is 6-7inches deep, i was planning on using the open shells to scatter the food around the tank and get them to search round for it? I'm running the UTH and going to mist every day to get the right conditions for Wednesday (can't wait  )  ![]()  So what do you all think? |
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Post by Rachel on Mar 2, 2014 19:40:46 GMT
Are you certain on the substrate depth hun? I have several of those hides for snakes and it doesn't look that deep in comparison. Scattering the food around is fine although you may have to hunt for the stuff that spoils a lot since these little guys have no respect for tidy.  Any idea on the humidity levels and temperature it is sitting at? If the lid is still very open with the mesh or its already at good levels you could end up flooding the tank from overspraying, sadly a common issue particularly in smaller tanks. The use of the plant is a great idea but make sure they have another more stable method to get to the water dishes if you can, hermies are often not keen on climbing much if they are very stressed and the swinging of the plants can put them off a little sometimes. Loving that ornament in front.  |
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Post by tinymaze on Mar 2, 2014 23:11:57 GMT
hi, thanks for the reply, got the measuring tape out to be safe, it measures from around 5.7inches to 6.3inches at the deeper end,
I took your advice and covered some of the mesh on the lid. I've moved the plant now, as it was blocking the heat from the heat mat. I've got pebbles in the water dish's so they can clime in and out.
my humidity is slightly high at 87ish but my temperature is too low at 67ish but this is reading from a dial one as i couldn't find a digital one that wouldn't cost the earth locally. so have ordered one on-line but I'm still waiting for it to come.
I'm getting another heat mat tomorrow as i think my old one's not up to the job on it's own, so hopefully with the rise of temp the humidity will drop slightly.
I've read some horror story's about flooding the tank so it's on my hight list alert and I am/and planning on checking regularly for a too soggy bottom.
I'm happy i decided to set up well in-advance so i can get it right! it's not as easy as you think!
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Post by Rachel on Mar 4, 2014 16:32:20 GMT
You might find that is a tad shallow if they turn out to be bigger crabs. Seems to be an influx of larger sized ones on the market lately! IF the humidity reading is from a dial gauge there is a good chance it is reading wrong so be prepared to cover the rest of the lid if needed, 87 is fine if it turns out to be accurate. Might be worth checking even with a digital so your new hermies come into perfect conditions right away. Rather than recalibrating just make note of how far it is off and factor that in, makes life easier and some can't be.  www.wikihow.com/Test-a-HygrometerThe mat might be a little weak for the tank, more insulation behind can help but if its older they do lose effectiveness over time. Always glad to see people setting up beforehand, makes life so much easier all around rather than panicked emergency changes on the day of arrival! |
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Post by tinymaze on Mar 4, 2014 22:34:38 GMT
Thanks again for the reply, decided to get a whole new heat mat that covers most of the back starting above the sand line and it's heated up the tank well. Got my digital temp/humid gage today, thanks for the link to test it. so my temp was 77.6 today during the day, looking at it now (Night time) it's 73.4 but my humidity has been reading 98%! whoops, so I've cracked open the lid and hoping by morning it will come down a bit, hopefully so fingers crossed |
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Post by Rachel on Mar 6, 2014 18:49:54 GMT
Please do let us know how things are going and post in the pics section when you get your little guys. |
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Hellooooo
