HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Nessiandnoah wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 11, 2019 7:49 pm

Ok update and question! My molter is still doing great, walking around, and I moved her and my other hermit to their new aquarium. It has two heating pads on the side, sand and eco earth mix, and the humidity is great! However, I can’t get the temperature to stay above 70. It always drops between 65-70 and it was like this with my other tank too. I use a heat lamp but it dries out the tank and drops the humidity to 65ish. I was going to try not using the heat lamp but it gets too cold :-/ so today I turned the heat lamp on and when I got home from work the temp was 80 and the humidity 60 so I turned it off which I always do on the evening anyways. Now the temp is below 70 and humidity is fine. how do I warm them up?! One of my heating pads is tiny, should I buy another big one? Thanks

it really helps to have the lid of your tank covered in seran wrap. This will really help with the humidity and even to some degree the heat. In addition to my heating pads I have the lid of my tank covered and I spritz the substrate almost every night. Some people say that misting increases the risk of flooding but I think you'd have to REALLY over do it for that to be a problem. One or both of these methods might solve the problem. If you try these things and its still too cold then it will definitely be time to get another heat pad. Also, how big is the new tank?

I have multiple UTH's, one on each side and two on the back. Sometimes I have all 4 on, sometimes less. I will put a blanket on the top of the tank as well sometimes to hold the heat in. I have a plexiglass lid, but a blanket could be draped over saran wrap too. Many people insulate over the heat pads - it can be done over Ultratherms, but not over ZooMeds.

What type of heating pad do you have? It should cover the entire back of your tank from the top of your substrate to the top of the tank. Ultratherm is a good brand.

I didn’t use the heat lamp today and the temperature was 70 and humidity like close to 80....is that ok? Also my hermit crabs are loving their shells! First time they try out new shells! I bought a bunch and they have been going back and forth it’s so awesome! Well one finally picked a shell but my molter is being picky

One of my heating pads is zoomed. It covers half the back of the tank but my other pad is tiny. I may just get a big one. I will try using a towel on top to help. As long as I don’t use the heat lamp the humidity is super high. I just want it warmer so maybe a bigger second pad. I have a 20 gallon. Idk how to add a picture on here or I would send a pic of my set up

70 is not terrible but they really should be at 80 minimum. let us know how it goes.

Nessiandnoah wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 12, 2019 7:56 pm

One of my heating pads is zoomed. It covers half the back of the tank but my other pad is tiny. I may just get a big one. I will try using a towel on top to help. As long as I don’t use the heat lamp the humidity is super high. I just want it warmer so maybe a bigger second pad. I have a 20 gallon. Idk how to add a picture on here or I would send a pic of my set up

Yeah, zoomed is almost useless. You can get an Ultratherm at beanfarm.com or reptilebasics.com. Don't go by wattage. Go by size.
And you can add pics on the app Tapatalk.

Ok cool thanks!

Ok so now I got what I think is mold growing on some moss I added to help with humidity. It’s like white fuzzy stuff. Is this bad or hazardous? The tank is in my son’s room so I don’t want him getting sick. Thanks y’all!

UTHs from the following companies are the best: www.reptilebasics.com or www.beanfarm.com
the UtHs are going to do the best on the BACK of the tank above the substrate.
The top of your tank needs to be covered. Press - n - seal or saran wrap works.
You can also try to insulate your tank. Zoomed ones and ones similar to those cannot be insulated over the top of them. They need to be insulated around them because they are heat mats and already come insulated. To insulate, do the following:
Option a: Costs more, less work: Reflectix insulation (looks like a car shade) sold at Walmart/Lowe's/Home Depot - $14 roll: Cut to size - hang with packaging tape/duct tape/reflectix tape.
Option b: Cheaper, more work: Aluminum foil (shiny side facing inside the crabitat), then cardboard or styrofoam. may repeat layer of aluminum foil and cardboard or styrofoam if needed.

Mold is not harmful to the crabs, but is harmful to us, so it is best if you remove it.

How do I prevent the mold from continuing to grow once I remove it? It’s only grown since I added moss. Should I just remove the moss?

replace it.

If I were you I would buy a bigger heating pad, because they don’t dry out the tank as much (from what I heard).

Nessiandnoah wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 17, 2019 2:44 pm

How do I prevent the mold from continuing to grow once I remove it? It’s only grown since I added moss. Should I just remove the moss?

Once you remove the moss the mold probably won't be so much of a problem. Also if you want to try wet moss again try wetting it using marine salt water, it should prevent mold growth. Did you ever saran wrap the lid of the tank?

I haven’t wrapped the lid. I have a plastic top now but I need a new heating pad. I need to buy one just haven’t ugh. I’ve got an emergency going on now I am about to post in a new forum