New 2 keeping crabs alive! 2 Questions

[HermBody_91]

I've had many poor souls that, as a child, I did not take special care of. Now as an adult and the use of these fancy smartphones, I can educate myself to the cares of owning these fascinating creatures.
Today, I have a twenty gallon tank and three hermies. I'm in the process of setting up a ten gallon for molting crabs. I need play sand, another temperature & humidity gauge, heat lamp, as well as another 3 dishes for waters(salt&fresh) & food, and honestly I need more shells of the particular sizes.
I did not realize how much these crabs need to be safe and healthy. The fact they are unable to repopulate in captivity is heartbreaking. I do feel guilty for owning these "pets", which are wild animals. So, if I want an addition, I want to adopt and try to let them live out stress-free lives.

I would like to ask two questions here and possibly find them already discussed later.
What are great ways to perfect the tank lid situation as well as heating the tank?
I have covered Wired tank tops. They are undesirable since they let out humidity needed for the crabs to breathe. Pretty important. I keep the top covered with a towel to keep air and dust from moving too much leaving a gap at one end for the heated lamp. On the opposite side wall of the tank I have a poorly stuck heating pad. I don't think my situation is the best it could be.

What type of lids are the best & how are the best ways to heat a tank?

[curlysister]

You do not need a separate tank for molting. If you have a tank that is large enough with proper conditions, they will all do just fine in one tank.
You are correct that a wire/ mesh lid will not hold in the humidity. A towel won't help too much, but if you cover it with plastic wrap (ie- Saran Wrap), that will hold the humidity in. Of course then you can't use a lamp, but those tend to dry out the tank too much. The preferred method of heating is using an UTH (under tank heater), which needs to be mounted on the back or sides of the tank.
Here is the link to the Care Sheets, which have a ton of really useful info:
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... .php?f=120

[aussieJJDude]

The good thing is that many crabbers have been able to successfully breed - and raise - the babies into land hermit crabs. Its certainly a rollercoaster - just reading their efforts is enough tbh - but its amazing to tag along on the journey!


As for lid, I agree with above. Saran wrap on the areas where the heating light isn't located would help retain humidity a little better!

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[soilentgringa]

I ordered lexan sheets off of amazon and cut them to fit the inside lip of my old 55g tank, then put the wire screen over them. I have cats who like to sit up there so that worked best.

I still haven’t found the screen lid I want for my 150g


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[soilentgringa]

The good thing is that many crabbers have been able to successfully breed - and raise - the babies into land hermit crabs. Its certainly a rollercoaster - just reading their efforts is enough tbh - but its amazing to tag along on the journey!


As for lid, I agree with above. Saran wrap on the areas where the heating light isn't located would help retain humidity a little better!

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Yeah and it’s also sad to see how many zoea vs how many actually make it to micro crab stage there are but it is amazing that it has even happened.


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