Experimental crustacean and invert tank

[Jimbo]

I was recently watching a documentary on TV with my grandson about inverts, crustaceans, and various other marine animals building a thriving community using items that are not native to the marine environment. These items ranged from coconuts, to all manner of bizare items.

I've decided to recreate this environment in a spare tank to see what happens. I'll keep you posted as progress is made.

[Feivel]

I used to have a crayfish tank and I wanted a natural environement for him, so i found a heinekin beer can (caause its a cooler looking can) I opened it up on the bottom and put the air line into the can, On the airline i put a haloween straw skeleton thing.

When people would ask whats up with the beer can they would just say, "thats funny good idea,  the worst is that i can actually see that beer can in the bottom of the lake" lol ...

[Jimbo]

Not much progress to report so far. Managed to pickup a small tank and found some paint in the basement. Decided to paint the back of the tank blue. Now I'm waiting for it to dry before adding sand and water.

Will keep you posted on the progress.

[Jimbo]

Minor set back today. Last night I put in the sand and water and everything was a bit murky, so decided to let it settle overnight. Came down this morning to check on things and found the water and sand were now blue. When I read the thread about setting up the tank no one ever said that you paint the ouside back of the tank.

Poured the contents of the tank down the toilet. Thankfully, managed to save the sand and rinse off most of the paint. It looks like the blue sand you can get at the pet store - is this how they make it?

Repainted the back of the tank - the outside this time. Put the sand back in the tank and added the water.

Will go to the pet store tomorrow.

[ramblnpony]

I personaly would not take a chance on the blue sand. Some of the paint could still leach out. Best to buy new sand and start over......

[Stussi613]

I've got way more aragonite than I need James, lemme know if you want me to bring you some on Sunday.

[Jimbo]

The tank seems to have stablized quite nicely.

Got a 3" crab for the tank and stopped at the Beer Store for a can of beer to put in the tank.

Crab wasn't moving when I got home. Poked the crab with a pencil to see if it alive, didn't seem to respond. Went to pick it up and found it was definately alive and very unhappy at being poked and handled. After spending a few minutes of frantic running around the kitchen with a crab attached to my finger it finally let go. Using a spatula and wooden spoon I managed to get the crab into the tank.

Drank the beer to take my mind off the crab attack, but out of habbit put it in the can compacter. Went back to the Beer Store for a second can of beer. Got home and drank the beer. My wife found the empty can on the counter and compacted it.

Made my third trip of the day to the Beer Store. The cashier recognized me and suggested that I buy a six pack as it's cheaper than buying individual cans. Took her advice and bought six Molson Blue.

Took no chances with the beer when I got home. Drank the beer, gave it a rinse, and put the empty can in the tank.

Been 4 hours since I put the can in the tank, but the crab has not made any move to investigate it. Maybe it doesn't like Molson Blue.

By the way, after telling my wife about the crab, she has decided to name it Nipper.

[Stussi613]

You should tell your wife we need a like button on the site. I would have pressed it 3x in your post.

[Jimbo]

So the crab definately doesn't like Molson. He hasn't paid any attention to the can, instead choosing to sit in a corner until some food is put in the tank and then stalking it.

I remembered seeing a coconut used as a house in the documentary, so yesterday I went to the grocery store to pick one up.

An interesting fact for all those thinking of putting a coconut in your tank is that it naturally wants to float, no matter what you use to try and weigh it down.

Anyway, i'm going to leave it for a few days and see what happens.

[Jimbo]

After 3 days the coconut is still floating. I thought the water might have saturated it and then it would have sunk.

I've tried to get Nipper more interested in the coconut, but he seems wary. I'm trying to teach him that the coconut is a good thing and not something to fear by using positive reinforcement techniques. The technique relies on placing him on top of the coconut and getting him to stay. If he stays on the coconut I give him a shrimp.

The first time I put him on top of the coconut, the coconut rolled around and Nipper fell off. Based on this result I thought I should try the training wheels approach. For anyone not familiar with this method, you grab your crab by the side of the shell and hold it so that its feet just touch the coconut. Once your crab has become accustomed to standing on the coconut, you can let it enjoy its new perch. You may have to repeat several times to get your crab accustomed to this new - and if placed near a window - exciting viewpoint.

If your training doesn't go according to plan, you will find yourself holding a crab that is using the coconut as a treadmill as it frantically runs on the spot while you hold it. In this scenario it becomes a battle of wills to see who will give up first. In my case, Nipper won this round.

[Jimbo]

Just told my wife about my trouble getting Nipper interested in the coconut due to it floating. She suggested that I cut it in two - the coconut, not Nipper.

Will go and do that and let you know how things progress later.

[Stussi613]

Just told my wife about my trouble getting Nipper interested in the coconut due to it floating. She suggested that I cut it in two - the coconut, not Nipper.

Will go and do that and let you know how things progress later.

Wait, you mean you didn't break the coconut in half before you put it in?

I remember watching an episode of the tv show South Pacific where they said coconuts can float thousands of miles from one island to another. I think you have to smash it in half for it to have any hope of sinking...

[Jimbo]

I took my wife's advice and cut the coconut in half - yes, I did remove the inside - and the coconut now stays on the bottom of the tank. In fact The coconut actually reminds me of a tropical beach hut, all it needs are some palm trees, a few tikki lamps, and a deck chair, but I'm not intending to put those in the tank as I'm don't believe they are found naturally in reef environments.

The good news is that Nipper is actually investigating the coconut, as opposed to the various beer cans that he totally failed to show any interest in. Forgot to mention that I tried a few other beer cans, but no interest from Nipper - even in the Guinness can!

I have been doing some research and after reading the internet, I have come to the conclussion that Nipper isn't the kind of crab that would live in a beer can. He will however live under rocks or in places where he can hide, I guess that explains his interest in the coconut hut. Apparently I should get a hermit crab if I want something to live in the can. I think i'll get one tomorrow as I'm sure Nipper is getting lonely.

Anyone got any recipes for relatively fresh coconut?

[Jimbo]

Cutting a coconut became a neccesity to me after a wasted trip to Home Depot. Although it is not posted anywhere in the store, or on their website, Home Depot will not cut coconuts on their industrial saws, regardless of the sign that states you are entitled to 2 free cuts with any purchase on lumber.

To assist anyone else looking for the most appropriate and easiest method to cut a coconut I have provided the following options.

Method 1.
Place a coconut securely in a vice, or wedged between 2 heavy books and drill a large hole in the centre of the coconut - this will be the door for your coconut. Take a hacksaw and cut the coconut across the middle ensuring you cut through the hole you previously drilled until the coconut seperates into 2 halves. You now have 2 coconut huts.

Method 2.
Using a table saw, hold the coconut by the two ends farthest from the blade. Check the height of the table saw blade against the coconut. You may have to raise the blade to allow the coconut to pass unobstructed through the saw, or remove the blade guard. Ensure someone is standing on the opposite side of the table saw. Turn on the saw and gently push the coconut into the saw blade. At this point one of two things will occur.
   1. The coconut will be cut neatly in two pieces, or
   2. The saw will yank the coconut out of your hands and fire it at near supersonic speed the person standing behind the saw.

Note: It is not mandatory to have someone stand behind the table saw, but if scenario 2 occurs it can be very amusing, and it saves the coconut from being smashed to pieces on the wall/floor.

Method 3.
Place the coconut on a hard surface such as the garage floor or driveway. If you live in a condo building you might want to try this in an open space such as a hallway or lobby. Take any electric or gas powered saw, such as a circular saw, or chain saw and cut the coconut with a downwards motion. Ensure all fingers, toes, legs, etc are out of the way of the blade. For the advanced handy person, you can wow onlookers and startled neighbours by demonstrating your skill with a power tool by cutting the coconut using a left to right motion, instead of an downwards motion.

Method 4.
For those with no power tools, and/or no handy person skills this method will guarantee success. Place the coconut on the floor. Using a hammer/rock/can of beans, strike the coconut with a sharp downwards motion. The coconut should split perfectly in two. In the event the coconut splits into three or more pieces, simply glue the coconut back together and repeat.

NOTE: I take no responsibility for any injury, loss of limbs, loss of life, property damage, or loss of canned goods resulting from anyone attempting any of these methods.

[Stussi613]

Lol.

[Jimbo]

Well I took the plunge and bought a hermit crab. My wife already named it Mr Crab. Personally I think that's a bit formal for a hermit crab, as I would have probably named it Kevin, or Bruce.

So far Mr Crab hasn't shown much interest in the beer can, or Nipper. I think they are both ignoring each other at the moment, maybe I need to setup a social gathering for them.

Nipper appears to like the coconut hut as I see him sitting inside it most of the time. Yesterday, I decided to perform a minor upgrade to the coconut hut and transform it into a coconut condo. I'm assuming that if Nipper liked the coconut hut, he'll really like the coconut condo. To make the condo, I took the remaining half of the coconut that I had cut when I made the original hut and put it on top of the first coconut. I'm not sure how Nipper will get into the upper apartment, so I might have to make a ramp or staircase.

I keep you posted on my progress.

[fishmonger]

OMGoodness this is a hilarious thread!  My tummy hurts from laughing, I think you need photo evidence of these adventures in habitat building!

[akaBillyPrefect]

Best thread ever.

[Jimbo]

Hi guys, thanks for the encouragement. I will definately post some photos.

After admiring the coconut condo for a few day, I decided I really had to add a ramp if I wanted Nipper or Mr Crab to use the upper apartment.

Surprisingly, making a ramp was easier than I thought. All you need to do is take a quick trip to your local coffee shop and grab a handful of stir sticks - the flat ones that look like they could be made into lollypops - Lay out 3 of the sticks in a triangle and glue them together. Repeat this step again and you should have 2 identical triangles.

Don't do this in your coffee shop. I found out they are not keen on you doing arts and crafts in front of other customers. They don't care if you try to explain that it's because you've got crabs. In fact that seemed to make things worse.

Now back to the task at hand. Stand the 2 triangles on edge about 3 inches apart, using a couple of coffee cups, or sugar pourers to support them. Glue stir sticks across the 2 triangles until one side of the 2 triangles is covered. Sit back and admire your handywork, you have built a ramp.

Based on my success with the ramp, I'm now considering adding a table so that Nipper and Mr Crab have a place to hang out.

[Stussi613]

They don't care if you try to explain that it's because you've got crabs. In fact that seemed to make things worse.

Some people just don't get it 

[Jimbo]

Sorry for being off the forum for a while. I've been busy and didn't get a chance to update the status.

Things have continued to progress well over the last month with only one fatality. My grandson wanted a starfish for the tank, so we popped out to our local fish store and picked up a nice pink one, called Patrick. After putting it in the tank and leaving it for 20 minutes, my grandson called me over to see the crabs welcoming him to the tank - I presume it's a him since he's called Patrick. What followed next was not something any young child should ever see. All I can tell you is that Patrick is no longer with us and the crabs are a bit fatter.

On a positive note, I'm impressed at how resiliant young children can be. After some tears (his, not mine) and an ice cream (for me, not him), he's decided that the starfish wasn't very interesting anyway, and maybe we should get something better.

For our next addition we are thinking maybe seahorses would be more suitable. I've already got the design for a stable worked out.

[jon1985]

some starfish dont ship well then die in tanks and if they are aclimated to fast that contributes to their death.  Also, new tanks often dont have enough micro fauna to support a starfish.

I dont know much about sea horses but I have heard they are tricky.  Not sure how old your tank is but I would do some research first.

[Jimbo]

After the sad loss of Patrick, we decided to stay away from starfish for a while.

As so many people have expressed interest with the coconut condo, I may have gotten a bit carried away, as we are now are the proud owner of the world's first coconut "apartment building". Surprisingly, it was extremely easy to build - all you need to do is add 2 more coconut halves on top of the existing coconut condo and you have an apartment.

I told my wife that I had bought us an investment property, and that we are now landlords. For about 5 seconds she was really excited and than she realized that it was me telling her this news, and her expectations dropped instantly. Of course my wife had to rain on my parade as soon as I showed her our "apartment building". She said there was one major design flaw as the new "tenents" may have trouble getting upto the top floor. Then she pointed out that the top apartment sticks out of the tank. I told her that was two flaws.

[albertthiel]

After the sad loss of Patrick, we decided to stay away from starfish for a while.

As so many people have expressed interest with the coconut condo, I may have gotten a bit carried away, as we are now are the proud owner of the world's first coconut "apartment building". Surprisingly, it was extremely easy to build - all you need to do is add 2 more coconut halves on top of the existing coconut condo and you have an apartment.

I told my wife that I had bought us an investment property, and that we are now landlords. For about 5 seconds she was really excited and than she realized that it was me telling her this news, and her expectations dropped instantly. Of course my wife had to rain on my parade as soon as I showed her our "apartment building". She said there was one major design flaw as the new "tenents" may have trouble getting upto the top floor. Then she pointed out that the top apartment sticks out of the tank. I told her that was two flaws.

Experimenting is always fun so to speak but can certainly bring about a number of challenges ... and adding non-standard organisms to a tank has it risks for sure ...

How is that coconut house/apartment you built now doing  .. is it holding up in the SW ?

[Box Jockey]

I just found this thread. I have never laughed so hard. Thank you for sharing your crabby adventure!