Mold and molting uncertainty?

[Bingbong4793]

I have a 20 gal long tank with two diy bubbler pools, both sand substrate mix to a just coconut fiber substrate angling from 2in to 6in from one side to the other.. I have 2 crabs 1 med large named coconut amd 1 med named garlic.. Ive had them about 2 months and just upgraded to the 20 gallon tank about 2 weeks ago.. My temp sits at around 80 and im having trouble maintaining the humidity its been around 85 to 99 not sure how to ventilate properly i know purple pinchers want 75 to 80 and if i can controll that better maybe less mold? I have a hammock thats woven from bamboo i think.. It molds frequently.. At first i had it draped over the lower sand end of the tank where the bubbler pools are and it made sense why it got moldy the first time it had water flicking up from the bubblers.. I boiled it in saltwater dried it out and relocated it to the opposite end and added spagnum moss to controll the mold yet it just figured how to grow on the bottom of it and now bits of the coconut fiber are catching too.. I keep scooping it out hoping it helps because i havnt seen my crabs above ground for awhile.. I last saw coconut about 3 days ago and garlic more than a week.. My question is i know i need to clean the tank but what if theyre molting? Or are they hiding underground from the mold? I have plenty of distilled water saltwater substrate amd sand ready to go for a tank change and im about 2 weeks in since i got this tank and i know im due for a tank change but im afraid of disturbing them if they are in fact molting.. Are they molting or hiding from potentially hazardous mold? How do i ventilate properly to keep the humidity right? Should i change my tank or leave them alone? I want to be a good crab dad help me and my babies!

[curlysister]

Mold is not harmful to the crabs. So they are not hiding from it. They are either molting or de-stressing. You should not dig them up.
Why do you feel you need to change the substrate? If you have proper sub, there is no need to completely change it out. But you can add more. You sub should be at least three times as deep as your largest crab, or at least six inches - whichever is deeper. With medium to large crabs, you definitely need more than 2 inches at the one end. If you want a slope, the most shallow end should be at least the six inches or three times as deep as your largest crab.
Humidity is fine being higher, there is no such thing as 'too humid' as far as health goes, just the extra mold that grows on things.

[Bingbong4793]

I feel i need to replace the sub for the fact that there are mold spores in my tank.. I try to replicate beach meets jungle as the habitat they originate from suggests.. So my sub is sand/coconut fib 5 to 1 and then the jungle side is higher with just coconut fiber.. Is that proper? I know enough about depth of substrate and thank you so much for reassuring me to be patient as they most likely are molting.. But as they molt what should i do about the mold.. Should i wash and boil the hammock again and keep scooping the mold off the top of the forest side? Or would that stress them out too much?

[GotButterflies]

I feel i need to replace the sub for the fact that there are mold spores in my tank.. I try to replicate beach meets jungle as the habitat they originate from suggests.. So my sub is sand/coconut fib 5 to 1 and then the jungle side is higher with just coconut fiber.. Is that proper? I know enough about depth of substrate and thank you so much for reassuring me to be patient as they most likely are molting.. But as they molt what should i do about the mold.. Should i wash and boil the hammock again and keep scooping the mold off the top of the forest side? Or would that stress them out too much?

IMO, I would recommend wash the hammock, boil it in marine saltwater, and then dry it in the sun.

You can scoop the top of the substrate off to remove the mold.

It is NOT necessary to replace all of your substrate. You can add 1 inch of substate every 24 hours while your hermit crabs are underground, but I do not recommend moving items. You don't want to collapse any molting tunnels. I mix all of my substrate with dechlorinated marine saltwater, and that helps prevent mold. Sometimes in newly established tanks, especially smaller ones, you will get mold growth.

What type of heating/lighting are you using?

What is your temperature and humidity?

Never dig hermit crabs up. The only time you would want to dig is if it is an emergency IG: Flooding, or an attack.

[Bingbong4793]

IMO, I would recommend wash the hammock, boil it in marine saltwater, and then dry it in the sun.

You can scoop the top of the substrate off to remove the mold.

It is NOT necessary to replace all of your substrate. You can add 1 inch of substate every 24 hours while your hermit crabs are underground, but I do not recommend moving items. You don't want to collapse any molting tunnels. I mix all of my substrate with dechlorinated marine saltwater, and that helps prevent mold. Sometimes in newly established tanks, especially smaller ones, you will get mold growth.

What type of heating/lighting are you using?

What is your temperature and humidity?

Never dig hermit crabs up. The only time you would want to dig is if it is an emergency IG: Flooding, or an attack.

Thank you for reassuring me ive done all of this actually without seeing this knowing i shouldnt disturb them.. Coconut regularly rises from her tunnel ever night now however i still havnt seen garlic the smaller crab since i made this post.. Pretty sure shes molting but it has been quite awhile.. I havnt had any issue keeping my temp at 80 all the time and ive got a good regulation of my humidity at 75-80 now and not locked at 99 anymore so thats helping but i do have 1 more concern.. My diy pools at the shallow end are buried slightly to flush with sub.. Im worried about removal cleaning and replacement of the pools while molting i dont think their tunnels are near it since its more shallow sub but im worried of distressing garlic as i am almost positive shes molting. Also coconut walked all over her tunnel many times shell be able to come up right?

[GotButterflies]

Thank you for reassuring me ive done all of this actually without seeing this knowing i shouldnt disturb them.. Coconut regularly rises from her tunnel ever night now however i still havnt seen garlic the smaller crab since i made this post.. Pretty sure shes molting but it has been quite awhile.. I havnt had any issue keeping my temp at 80 all the time and ive got a good regulation of my humidity at 75-80 now and not locked at 99 anymore so thats helping but i do have 1 more concern.. My diy pools at the shallow end are buried slightly to flush with sub.. Im worried about removal cleaning and replacement of the pools while molting i dont think their tunnels are near it since its more shallow sub but im worried of distressing garlic as i am almost positive shes molting. Also coconut walked all over her tunnel many times shell be able to come up right?

This is why I love double dish tupperware pools:
Double dish water pools: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... le+dish+yo

I wouldn't worry about the crab walking over the tunnel! She will be fine

Edit: I personally recommend heat and humidity to never go below 80/80, but that is me!