Wanting to set up a colony tank

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crabitatitude
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Wanting to set up a colony tank

Post by crabitatitude » Wed Nov 12, 2014 6:50 pm

Hello all! I'm a new member who wants to set up a community tank, with rescues if I can. I already have three pps in the medium size range, two females, one male. I want to learn what works and what doesn't. If you can give me any advice on hermit crab breeds, and community housing please share!! :D :crabbigsmile:

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CallaLily
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Re: Wanting to set up a colony tank

Post by CallaLily » Wed Nov 12, 2014 8:59 pm

Welcome! If you haven't already, check out our Caresheet section. Tons of great info there. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. :)

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crabitatitude
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Re: Wanting to set up a colony tank

Post by crabitatitude » Wed Nov 12, 2014 9:48 pm

Thanks!! To start:
Do all types of hermitcrab get along? I'm vegetarian, so other than fish foods, do you recommend any commercial food that would give them creature meat? What amount of space does each crab need? Do they change colours (with what they eat)? Feelings on nocturnal lights? Best crab story??

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crabitatitude
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Re: Wanting to set up a colony tank

Post by crabitatitude » Wed Nov 12, 2014 9:53 pm

Do you need to balance of males and females? Or out number for that matter.

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megmaholm
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Re: Wanting to set up a colony tank

Post by megmaholm » Wed Nov 12, 2014 9:56 pm

In general, most crabs get along fine if they have proper conditions, good food, plenty of shells to change to, etc. If you're mixing different species, you'll want at least 2-3 of the same type so they'll have a 'species buddy.'

Most commercial foods aren't healthy for them at all. You can feed them fresh (recommended), or dried mixes from places like thehermitcrabpatch.com or thehermitcrabgarden.com Check out the HCA's shopping resources at http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/pa ... pping.html

As far as size, you need a tank big enough to have plenty of substrate - 3x as tall as your largest crab, or a minimum of 6". 'Exotic' species like Strawberries, etc. and even Ecuadorians need a lot more space than, say, Purple Pinchers. For that, I would recommend 10" of sand minimum in a 55 gallon. The bigger the better! http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 26&t=92541 That's a great resource for figuring out how many you can comfortably have.

Yes, food can influence their color, but genetics play a role as well. Diets high in beta carotene will bring out the red/orange, and I know there are foods that can enhance blues/purples.

Nocturnal lights like moonglow bulbs aren't necessary for them to get around in the dark, but if you need extra heat at night they're handy because they don't effect their day/night cycle. And, if you have them in your room, the light won't disturb you nearly as much. You can also use red nighttime bulbs but they're a bit brighter and more annoying (to me, personally).

Gender doesn't really matter - a lot of people don't even sex their crabs. Personality-wise, I don't think gender makes a difference.
Crabbing since July 2014! 75 gallon with 12 Purple Pinchers.

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crabitatitude
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Re: Wanting to set up a colony tank

Post by crabitatitude » Wed Nov 12, 2014 10:06 pm

Cool! Thanks! So crabs aren't like fish with the inch per gallon ratio? I really do love all of the advice!

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megmaholm
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Re: Wanting to set up a colony tank

Post by megmaholm » Wed Nov 12, 2014 10:13 pm

Nope, not really. There's no set number of how many you can fit in a tank, honestly. Most of us on here of the opinion that the bigger the tank the better - if you think about it, every single crab someone owns was wild at one point, and they've been taken from walking miles each day to being confined in a much smaller tank. So, it makes them happier, and obviously overcrowding can lead to issues like crabs who are underground running into each other, cannibalizing, etc. You also have to think that all your crabs may fit in a smaller tank now, but small crabs won't be small forever.
Crabbing since July 2014! 75 gallon with 12 Purple Pinchers.

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Ryry
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Re: Wanting to set up a colony tank

Post by Ryry » Wed Nov 12, 2014 10:26 pm

There is a rough guideline somewhere on here that give you a gallon/crab ratio. The bigger your crabs the more space they need. PPs can be a little more crowded but other types need the room. And some you don't want to over crowd because they might dig up molting crabs which can ultimately kill them. Read up on breeds before you start getting crabs. This site has so much info! I'm glad your looking into rescues but read up to see what your getting into!! If I may ask what state are you in?
All kinds of crabby!
2 Violas, 1 Indo, 7 PPs, 2 cats, 1 Sheltie, 1 mechanic boyfriend

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crabitatitude
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Re: Wanting to set up a colony tank

Post by crabitatitude » Wed Nov 12, 2014 10:39 pm

Texas. Yeah, this is my research stage. I'll keep looking on here for more articles. I just want to be utilizing the right information. And I hear you! I want more than one leopard tortoise, but they are not social (unless they are listening to James Brown) and I don't have the room for two 12x20 outdoor enclosures and two 4x8 indoor enclosures.... Moral of the story. I want a happy group of crabs. I am happy with three and am willing to take on Three(?) More rescues for a sixty gallon. Should one per ten gallons be ok?

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Ryry
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Re: Wanting to set up a colony tank

Post by Ryry » Wed Nov 12, 2014 10:48 pm

It is different for the size of your crabs- and u can usually guess more space for exotics, but that's not a bad number. In a 60gal with around 9-10" of substrate I think you can have around 10 crabs no problem. If you have large/jumbo you might want to lower that number. If they were all small/med size 10-11 I think would b fine. But remember PPs can take the crowds. If you had exotics even if they are small/med I would only want like 8ish in there. But a 60gal tank gives you a lot of room to play and grow!
I wish u were closer I have so many crabs I'm coming across that need homes in CT. Maybe I'll start a rescue lol.
All kinds of crabby!
2 Violas, 1 Indo, 7 PPs, 2 cats, 1 Sheltie, 1 mechanic boyfriend

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Ryry
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Re: Wanting to set up a colony tank

Post by Ryry » Wed Nov 12, 2014 10:50 pm

I need to find a link to that post- it states the size per gallon better than I am
All kinds of crabby!
2 Violas, 1 Indo, 7 PPs, 2 cats, 1 Sheltie, 1 mechanic boyfriend

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