What To Do With An Old Hermit Crab Tank?

[thatoneguy99]

I recently got into this hobby. I have a planted 8 gallon tank that is cycling at the moment, with no fish in it. I do plan on having a betta and some shrimp.
I don't think that MTS has set in just yet but I do happen to have a very small 3.3 gallon hermit crab tank. I think I want to mod this tank to add a filter and a better light. Then just have it as a planted tank that will never have fish. Maybe I can put baby shrimps over in the small 3.3? I don't want my future betta to eat them, IF I end up wanting to keep a few.

So any suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated. I also have a 10 gallon tank but have no where to put it at the moment and am saving that for a future project, when MTS definitely gets a hold of me.
Thanks for the look!

 

[Fanatic]

Well, it looks like it is molded plastic, so I would first start off by making sure it doesn't have leaks by filling it up and letting it sit for a while.
You can do shrimp, most bettas will eat brightly colored ones, but there are a few instances where they could care less, mine gobbled shrimp up whole.
That tank looks to be fine for a betta, as long as you can get filtration and a heater in it without taking up too much room, it should be fine.

 

[Sunflower]

I don’t know much about refurbishing tanks, but I must say, I love your avatar haha. It makes me laugh every time I see your posts

You could turn your 10 gallon into another betta tank when you feel like setting it up. Or you could move your betta and shrimp from the 8 gal into the 10 and have a shrimp colony in the 8? Not sure what’s good to go in the 3.3... maybe some shrimp or a snail? I know 2.5 gallons is the minimum for a betta so technically you could have one in there, but IMO that’s still just too small.

 

[thatoneguy99]

Yeah I don't plan to put any fish in the 3.3. I think I made up my mind that it will be plants only, and maybe an emergency QT center for one fish. Snails maybe and shrimps are an even bigger maybe. I have read that their bioload is pretty high and with such a small tank the parameters are a nightmare to keep right.

I think the 10 gallon may end up being a saltwater tank. Even then I need to do more research on all of that. I just LOVE the colors of a saltwater tank. If not saltwater I may not even set it up.

I REALLY want more fish, obv, and if I end up doing anything it will probably a 29 gallon at a minimum. A 10 gallon would only really be good for a betta and if not a betta then maybe some endlers. Even still not enough fish, or big enough fish, for what I would want to do when the time comes to upgrade.

 

[bettaf1sh 7789]

I would definitely test it to make sure it doesn’t leak first. You could set it up as a planted tank (I’d use trimmings of plants from other tanks). You *could* keep a betta in it, but 5+ gallons is definitely better for a betta. If you’re interested in saltwater, this could be a cool nano tank for corals or inverts, but I wouldn’t try to do something so small without some experience first. Lighting would be quite expensive for corals though. I like the idea of a planted shrimp tank.

 

[wodesorel]

Was it made to be used as an aquarium? I worry about the weight when it comes to thin plexiglass. The way a commercially recommended hermit set up is, it would weight only a few pounds. (That's not the correct way to care for land crabs though!) Filled with water and substrate an aquarium of this size would be around 25 pounds. That's a lot, and the plastic may not be formed or reinforced for that much.

 

[Momgoose56]

I recently got into this hobby. I have a planted 8 gallon tank that is cycling at the moment, with no fish in it. I do plan on having a betta and some shrimp.
I don't think that MTS has set in just yet but I do happen to have a very small 3.3 gallon hermit crab tank. I think I want to mod this tank to add a filter and a better light. Then just have it as a planted tank that will never have fish. Maybe I can put baby shrimps over in the small 3.3? I don't want my future betta to eat them, IF I end up wanting to keep a few.

So any suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated. I also have a 10 gallon tank but have no where to put it at the moment and am saving that for a future project, when MTS definitely gets a hold of me.
Thanks for the look!
View attachment 517575

Nice little tank! Is it a single molded piece of acrylic with the black skirt/rim around the bottom? No problem with leaking then!

 

[Momgoose56]

I recently got into this hobby. I have a planted 8 gallon tank that is cycling at the moment, with no fish in it. I do plan on having a betta and some shrimp.
I don't think that MTS has set in just yet but I do happen to have a very small 3.3 gallon hermit crab tank. I think I want to mod this tank to add a filter and a better light. Then just have it as a planted tank that will never have fish. Maybe I can put baby shrimps over in the small 3.3? I don't want my future betta to eat them, IF I end up wanting to keep a few.

So any suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated. I also have a 10 gallon tank but have no where to put it at the moment and am saving that for a future project, when MTS definitely gets a hold of me.
Thanks for the look!
View attachment 517575

Was it made to be used as an aquarium? I worry about the weight when it comes to thin plexiglass. The way a commercially recommended hermit set up is, it would weight only a few pounds. (That's not the correct way to care for land crabs though!) Filled with water and substrate an aquarium of this size would be around 25 pounds. That's a lot, and the plastic may not be formed or reinforced for that much.

I recently got into this hobby. I have a planted 8 gallon tank that is cycling at the moment, with no fish in it. I do plan on having a betta and some shrimp.
I don't think that MTS has set in just yet but I do happen to have a very small 3.3 gallon hermit crab tank. I think I want to mod this tank to add a filter and a better light. Then just have it as a planted tank that will never have fish. Maybe I can put baby shrimps over in the small 3.3? I don't want my future betta to eat them, IF I end up wanting to keep a few.

So any suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated. I also have a 10 gallon tank but have no where to put it at the moment and am saving that for a future project, when MTS definitely gets a hold of me.
Thanks for the look!
View attachment 517575

What do you mean by MTS?

 

[thatoneguy99]

Multi tank syndrome. A condition in the hobby that you will want more and more tanks as you go on.