HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I've never had any problems with EE. Right now my substrate is sort of a mix (I used to have sand on one side and EE on the other, but my diggers mixed it), but in the past I've used 100% EE with no problems at all. If it's working for you, then there's no reason to switch substrates, unless you jus...

I can't help you with the filters or the hoods, as I've never used either with crabs. :) However, here's a bit of info on some kinds of bulbs you might encounter: 1. Day-glos or daytime incandescent reptile bulbs- these typically both heat the tank and produce UVA light. They work pretty well, but t...

I don't know how you'd do heating with a hood - all the hoods I've seen at pet stores fit fluorescent lights, which don't give off much heat. I've heard of a reptile hood which can heat the tank, but I believe it's rather expensive. For my 55g tank, I have a mesh lid with pieces of plexi-glass on to...

I've never thought that anyone was lying at all. :) I think the 5:1 mix is a perfectly fine substrate, and it's wonderful that it works so well for all of you. However, there are lots of points to be made on both sides. For starters, I've never had any issues with straight EE, so I'd like to see som...

Well said Nar!

I think there are certainly benefits to a 5:1 ratio. But I also think there are benefits to 100% sand. I don't think anyone disagrees with those points. In my mind, 5:1 can come off as a bit trivial. That's 16% of your substrate. When it comes to substrate, there isn't any hard rules on what your s...

I can't prove that EE is completely safe for molters, but I don't think we can assume that every bad molt in EE is because of the EE. :wink: I've had both good and bad molts in both straight EE and straight sand. I think the 5:1 mix is a healthy substrate for crabs, but not necessarily the only good...

It sounds like Tremors has a good set-up that works! Can you share a photo? Sure. :) At the moment I also have two clamp lamps, one for a moon-glo light if I need extra heat and one for a UVA/UVB fluorescent light. Here are a few pics: http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2466/variousthings099.jpg http...

I had a similar issue last fall when I started using a ceramic heat emitter. I already had a dome lamp that I was hoping to use, but when I researched whether it was safe or not, I got a lot of conflicting information. I didn't want to burn the house down (I think my parents would have been upset :w...

Thanks for the links! I've been thinking to get an ultratherm heat pad for my ISO, now I know where to get it. :) On a side note, I've had good experiences with Drs. Foster and Smith ( www.drsfostersmith.com ). They have pretty good prices as well as $5.99 flat rate shipping (except for on their fis...

Chocolate is on the unsafe food list, so it would be better to avoid feeding it. :wink: Most things won't kill your crabs in very small amounts, but in general it's better to be safe than sorry. As for the crazy things my crabs eat...my crabs eat just about everything I put in their tank! On occasio...

Hi and welcome to the HCA! :) Pine, unfortunately, is unsafe for hermit crabs. :( I think I know what kind of hiding log you're talking about - I used to have one. It didn't seem to hurt my crabs, but when I realized it was pine I took it out. Better safe than sorry. :) About playing with your crabs...

suebee wrote: Ive heard the party black light bulbs are bad so not to get them? Our local dollar store had a huge box of them, I would love to know if they are ok.

The problem with them is that they produce UV light, which would probably disturb the hermit crabs at night.

Make sure your night bulbs do not produce UV...black lights do and UV may bother the hermit crabs at night. I'm not positive if UV is visible to hermit crabs, but since many invertebrates can see UV, I wouldn't doubt that hermit crabs can as well. :wink: I have 3 clamp lamp fixtures above my 55g for...

When I bought the plexi-glass for my lid, I got the kind that is supposed to stand up to 600*, so I didn't have to cut holes in it. :) I have plexi-glass over a screen lid, which works really well, because the screen lid allows for a little ventilation, while the plexi-glass keeps most of the humidi...