HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I kept fids and hermies together for awhile, but it turned out to be problematic. The fids need to burrow in wet sand, the hermies try too but it being so wet is terrible for them. I finally just decided that while I COULD keep them together, it was a lot less stressful for all of us if I kept them ...

The carapace on the one with the sponge is around the size of a nickle - maybe slighly larger, but not much. I'm really enjoying the little boogers - but they are a lot like hermies in that the minute I walk over to take a closer look they dive into their burrows or behind a rock. I can't tell you h...

The last ones I bought from Petsmart, and the girl in the fish department told me THEIR crabs were fresh water and would die if I took them home to my brackish tank. I hate that no one respects crabs enough to give decent instruction on raising them.

So I got up this morning and discovered that one of my big female fids has a big egg mass - aka a sponge or berry. Check it out! http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/1214/20fid1.jpg http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/462/20fid2.jpg And I thought this was funny last night - I threw some smelt in there, and...

I always find them in/on/under decaying wood - when it's really soft and rotten they build tunnels in it.

My hubby is so sweet! He came in from some yard work today and gave me a coffee can with dozens of rollie pollies in it. He's not particularly into the crabbies, but when he found a big nest he made a point of scooping them up for me.

ooooh, you're gonna get contacted by all those people who can't find any of their own....

I use both - basically, whatever's in the store when I need a brick. I don't see much difference.

I just dump them right in - added a batch last night, in fact.

I have no clue what people are talking about when they say not to use the blue ones. I've never seen any that weren't grey, either.

The best ever are the MagNaturals planter ledges. They adhere to the side of the tank with heavy-duty magnets on the outside of the glass. I use the planter ones - which are designed to hold a 4" potted plant - for a moss pit and a shell shop. The plain ledge I use just to provide additional climbin...

I use silk plants and vines from the dollar store - cheapest possible source of plants for the tat. I dunk them in a bucket of hot salt water, and they're good to go.

A second level moss pit would let you have both, and you can do it pretty easily and inexpensively - I actually found both suction cup shower caddies and 9-packs of suction cups (which you can use to hold up a net moss pit) at my local Dollar Tree store.

I use eco earth mixed with playsand, and I have no problem keeping it at sandcastle consistency. But I use glass lids, and actually have to fight to get my humidity DOWN, if you're using a mesh top it might be a whole different problem.

It's definitely a problem! My jumbo LOVED one of the coco huts until he changed shells, after which he wore it like a hat for awhile.... So far my best solution has been a really big resin log aquarium decoration from Walmart. http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7414/18logky8.jpg The other thing that...

During the holidays hubby and I bake dozens and dozens of cookies for our respective offices - like, I'm talking 40 or 50 dozens, 3 or 4 days of baking. Midway through a batch last December we discovered shattered glass all over a cookie sheet - I'd pushed a cold tray up against the hot lightbulb an...