New crabber

[CrazyCrabman]

Just wanted to pop in and say hi. Just got my 4 crabs yesterday. They seem to be settling in well. Here they are: Johnny (Cash), Kris (Kristofferson), Waylon (Jennings), and Willie (Nelson). The Highwaymen. Lol

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[curlysister]

Hello and welcome to crabbing!
Looks like you are off to a good start. You'll find all kinds of helpful info on this site. If you haven't already, check out the 'care sheets' section.
I would recommend making a few changes to your tank, to help your crabs have a happy healthy life.
What type of sand are you using? Calcium sand isn't safe for crabs, it should be play sand. It should be at least 6 inches, or three times as deep as your largest crab, whichever is deeper. Some people do separate the EE (coco fiber) and sand, but most of us mix it together in a ratio of about 5 parts play sand and 1 part EE. That mixture helps hold moisture and helps with humidity. The mix should be moistened with dechlorinated fresh or salt water to be sand castle consistency - wet enough to hold it's shape but not so wet that water pools in the bottom.
What are you using for water? Crabs need both dechlorinated fresh water (using a product such as Prime to dechlorinate) and salt water (us the dechlor water and mix in marine salt such as Instant Ocean). Pools should be deep enough for crabs to fully submerge, but also have a way for them to climb out. Sponges only harbor bacteria when wet, so you can dry them out and put them in the tank dry for the crabs to munch on.
What are your temp and humidity readings? You will want it to be around 80 degrees and 80% humidity. Does your tank have a lid?
We are all here to help, so ask any questions you might have!

[Maddamay32]

I love your crabs names!! Curlysister gave some good advice above

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[CrazyCrabman]

My tank is 80⁰F and 80% humidity. It is a screen lid on the tank. The sand came with the tank. It was a starter kit that had the sand and cocofiber in it. I have lots of fiber left to mix and add to it. I use bottled dechlorinated water and i have aquarium salt that i mix. I hope i didnt miss any of your questions.

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[Crabby7Crabber]

Welcome Question-- what food do you give them? These should help as a guide (please stay away from commercial brands, as they have fatal ingredients in them):
https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/p ... 25&t=92554
https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/p ... 25&t=92556
www.hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/vie ... 25&t=92555
https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/p ... 25&t=92557
Defineatly check around the forum for more info, too!
Also, are you planning to get more toys for them? It seems okay right now, but you might want to buy or make some decor for them! There's a whole forum for DIY things you can try!
https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/p ... m.php?f=39
(also, little tip-- sponges are pretty useless in general. A lot of people on here, including me, don't use sponges and get along great!)
Again, welcome to the community! Like I said in your other post, please feel free to ask questions! I, and I'm sure everyone else, will try to answer to the best of our ability! I'm not an expert, but will try to help in any way I can!

[CrabbyLover77]

My tank is 80⁰F and 80% humidity. It is a screen lid on the tank. The sand came with the tank. It was a starter kit that had the sand and cocofiber in it. I have lots of fiber left to mix and add to it. I use bottled dechlorinated water and i have aquarium salt that i mix. I hope i didnt miss any of your questions.

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Hi!
What kind of aquarium salt are you using? If it's actually labeled "aquarium salt", it won't do much good for the crabbies. It won't hurt them, but it doesn't have all the minerals they need in it. Marine salt, like Instant Ocean (or something similar), is a good choice for their salt water.

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[Hermiesguardian]

My tank is 80⁰F and 80% humidity. It is a screen lid on the tank. The sand came with the tank. It was a starter kit that had the sand and cocofiber in it. I have lots of fiber left to mix and add to it. I use bottled dechlorinated water and i have aquarium salt that i mix. I hope i didnt miss any of your questions.

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Is your lid sealed? I can't imagine the humidity is that high unless you live in a very humid area. You can completely seal the lid with saran wrap and tape with packing tape. If you are using analog gauges they are often unreliable. Most of is use digital gauges like Acurite.

[CrazyCrabman]

Is your lid sealed? I can't imagine the humidity is that high unless you live in a very humid area. You can completely seal the lid with saran wrap and tape with packing tape. If you are using analog gauges they are often unreliable. Most of is use digital gauges like Acurite.

The substrate was quite damp and i think that was the reason for the humidity. It's going down now that the substrate is drying out. It is a mesh lid. I was going to look into trying to seal up some of the mesh.

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[Hermiesguardian]

The substrate was quite damp and i think that was the reason for the humidity. It's going down now that the substrate is drying out. It is a mesh lid. I was going to look into trying to seal up some of the mesh.

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You can completely seal the lid. They will get oxygen when you feed them. Humidity is so important. They have modified gills and need it to breath. The correctly moistened substrate helps maintain humidity. And visa versa. If the substrate dries out their tunnels and caves can collapse.

[CrazyCrabman]

You can completely seal the lid. They will get oxygen when you feed them. Humidity is so important. They have modified gills and need it to breath. The correctly moistened substrate helps maintain humidity. And visa versa. If the substrate dries out their tunnels and caves can collapse.

I remoistened the substrate. Perhaps i will get a piece of plexiglass and cut it to fit the lid opening. I dont want to completely seal it, because i'd be worried about suffocating them. Lol

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[curlysister]

They will get enough oxygen when you open the tank to change food and water every couple of days. My first two tanks didn't have a lid, so I sealed them with saran wrap. I have a plexiglass lid now, covering the entire top.