Hello~little update

Hi all. It's been a while since I've posted here. Not that I posted much to begin with. Thought I would post a little update.

My 3 giant danios passed away recently after 6 years. I assume from natural causes? I now have an Angel fish in my 29g tank thanks to my mother who insisted he was evil and she didn't want him anymore. Only one Platy left as well.

My 7 Purple Pinchers (C.Clypeatus) are doing awesome. I found some E's (C.compressus) at a nearby pet shop and couldn't resist. I got three of them. :grinyes: I'm slowly setting up a 150 gallon tank for my hermit crabs. My dad came down and built the stand for me. Now I just need to gather materials to make it a "crabitat". I have plans for large fresh and salt water pools.

Here are the new crabs:




The pond is doing well. We have some baby fish. They are too small to get any pics of. I'm guessing they are goldfish fry. We have four goldfish, a butterfly koi, and recently purchased a young koi. Had a bunch of toads in and out so I expect, like last spring, we'll end up with some tadpoles too.

And lastly, the RES I took from my sister is doing OK. Basically, I didn't know much about them but from what I did know she wasn't taking proper care of him. She just couldn't afford it so I took him off her hands. He's temporarily in a 40 (I think) gallon hex tank. I know he'll need bigger. It's better than the 3 inches of dirty water they had him in though. He's about 5 1/2 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide. I have no idea how old he is. When my sister's ex got him from his previous owner he never thought to ask. Would it be a bad idea to hook up a smaller pond filter for his tank? Too much? At the moment I have a crappy little turtle dock for him. I don't like it at all so I've been thinking of using aquarium sealant and "glueing" plexi-glass or something to the side of the tank to create a better basking spot. Would that work? I just think stone would take up too much room in this tank but I want something better to hold him over until I can get him a larger aquarium.

Thanks everyone. I know it probably doesn't make any sense to most of you but I'm sticking to my plan on making the 150 a crabitat. The 40 hex just doesn't have enough walking space for my jumbo. Not to mention the 9 other crabs I have will eventually be jumbos and I do plan to get more E's and thinking of Straws. I know it doesn't seem fair to the turtle but I've been planning this crabitat for quite a while.

The foam rock ledge does sound like a better idea. Could I find that at any pet store that sells reptile supplies? I am on the look out for a bigger tank for the turtle so no worries. I think I read that I could get away with a 75g tank?

Vicious_Fish said:

Wow, I just caught that. So your turtle is in the 40 hex??!!!

That is way too small of a tank for that turtle. There's almost no foot print to a hex tank. Basically all your turtle can do is bob up and down. If you think a 40 gallon hex doesn't have enough walking space for a crab how do you think the turtle feels?

If you're not going to use the 150 for him I'd at least pick up a rubbermaid tub. A 50 gallon one is under $10 bucks from Wally-World. Of course a pond would be a better choice.

Sorry if I'm coming off kind of harsh. It's just that RES are some of the most abused pets in the hobby today. Most people do not know how much work needs to go into keeping them healthy and happy. I know that you know he needs a bigger tank so I'm hoping that upgrade will come very soon.

Here's a great care sheet to help you with your RES.
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm

Click to expand...

Not harsh at all. I do have plans on a larger tank for him. I agree it's way too small. Thanks for the link, it's one I have bookmarked. Great site.

ETA: he can do a bit more than bob up and down.