# Carnivore Cove - Geosesarma Crab Viv Build ***PIC HEAVY***



## lamiskool (Jul 1, 2011)

Beautiful build, thanks for the detailed pick of the build. I hope to make a viv like this someday.


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## zetvi (Jun 12, 2013)

Beautiful and very detailed! Please keep updating with plant growth, crab behavior/feeding!


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## Aquatic Delight (Mar 2, 2012)

what did you use on the great foam that is under the water fall? doesn't the dirt just wash away over time?


very cool build though!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Wow man this an amazing tank!!!


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

Aquatic Delight said:


> what did you use on the great foam that is under the water fall? doesn't the dirt just wash away over time?
> 
> 
> very cool build though!



I used silicone and a soil substrate to cover the foam. And I have that screen mesh and a weed blocker material so no dirt falls through. It is separate from the water.
And directly under the waterfall I used a concrete mix and polyester resin to seal it.


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## skanderson (Jul 25, 2010)

very nicely done. love the layout.


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## JoshBA (Aug 21, 2013)

Wow that's a great looking tank. Where did you purchase your geosesarma crabs?


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

JoshBA said:


> Wow that's a great looking tank. Where did you purchase your geosesarma crabs?



I actually work at a pet shop. But the distributor is segrest farms.


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## NanoDave (Feb 25, 2013)

Awesome build! nice job on the egg create. Where did you find the fiberglass screen material?


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

NanoDave said:


> Awesome build! nice job on the egg create. Where did you find the fiberglass screen material?



Walmart or lowes should have it.


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## Hobbes1911 (Mar 2, 2009)

Very nice looking tank! Brings back memories of my build. What microfauna did/will you add pre-crabs? Also, how does one get bicolor nowadays? I cannot find them really anywhere and it's sad. 
What are you feeding the crabs? and what is your humidity like? Are you planning to cover the background with moss/orchids/broms. etc?

Keep up the good work and keep the thread updated!


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

I need to get some springtails from my other red devil crab tank. Because I will be getting the crabs in there soon.

And I get them from segrest farms. So if you have a LFS that gets fish from them. You can get some more.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

I clicked on this purely because I saw the crab name and went 'geo-sa-whatnow?'
Very pretty little crabs! I assume that the first one shown is a female and the second is a male? They're interesting....
Can they swim, or do they walk around underwater? I assume that they would go in the water in some fashion, seeing as how there's a definite water area and not just a bowl...


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

Well typically that could be a female or a young one and yes the second is a male. And they do need fresh water or just a simple bowl of water, but I made a really nice watering hole or them plus a small pool uptop to hang out in as well.


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

Update! I have crabs in the viv! I have 2 pair so far and will get more soon. They arrived to their new home with a good culture of springtails and a dozen crickets, so they should be happy while they are settling in.

I have planted some more plants and mosses just to get things going, but nothing is final at this point. Especially the bacopa, it will be leaving as soon as I can get some Uticularia to carpet the ground and a good light. I'm planning on getting a 4 bulb t5ho for this setup to accommodate for all the carnivorous plants (which i have NO experience with) so with a good light I will at least have a good chance. Anyways...

I have also put the pitcher in it's final spot, planted a few N.ampullaria 'giant bloody red speckle' seeds on the sphagnum moss nearby, as well as in their own dedicated pots in another tank. So hopefully I will have so many N. ampullaria I won't know what to do with them all. I have also successfully germinated a few drosera to be transplanted when they are a bit bigger. So far I have some D. sessifolilia and some D. spatulata 'fraser island'. Can't wait to put them in!


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## parrottbay (May 14, 2012)

To cool!


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## HX67 (Jul 15, 2010)

Nice job!


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

Thanks.


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## Hobbes1911 (Mar 2, 2009)

The tank looks very nice! Got any plans for epiphytes along the walls? Also, i there a recent FTS?


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

I have anubias galore and mosses as my epiphytes. I would like some java germs like in my other tank but I just don't think they would fit. Bit probably no truly terrestrial epiphytes like orchids or broms. Maybe a dwarf orchid one day, but not planning on it now.


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## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

wow really well done. looks very natural! have you seen them mate yet? it's... odd. i thought they were fighting at one point... haha

btw, if you are interested there's a guy i think his name is billy on another forum who created an amazing scape for these guys. lots of learnings also on that thread. let me know if you're interested in finding out more.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

wow very cool!

makes me want to make one like this!


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

that is wicked awesome.


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

Thanks guys. Here is a current FTS.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Makes me want to make something like this now haha


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

h4n said:


> Makes me want to make something like this now haha


seriously... i'm looking at the overflows on my 125 and debating on how much work it'd be to cut them in half.


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

scapegoat said:


> seriously... i'm looking at the overflows on my 125 and debating on how much work it'd be to cut them in half.



Not much... Cut them out of the tank... Scrape silicone off. Cut overflows to desired height. Silicone back in place. Done. Few hours work ,tops.


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## Cuddly Porcupine (Feb 25, 2014)

how long did this take?


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## GuppyGuppyGuppyGuppyGuppy (Feb 11, 2012)

Wonderful! I've always wanted a vivarium, but it seems too hard to start one up that I'd actually be happy with. Yours is awesome!

You may like my YouTube channel, I have a full greenhouse of Nepenthes. The link's in my signature if you'd like to see.


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

Cuddly Porcupine said:


> how long did this take?


well...if you actually read the first post it says that i started on new years, and made that post on the 26th...so you can kinda figure out the timeline on your own. 

Buuuuut the majority of the build took 20 days. and that's mostly just because I had to wait for the foam, concrete, silicone, and resin to cure. So if all those things cured instantly..I could have done this in less than a week.

I'm not counting the time it took to actually draw-up/ think-up my design, and buy my supplies. That might have taken another week/ few days.


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