HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Air stones are safe to use in salt water, but, personally,, I wouldn't recommend it. The bubbles in salt water are much finer than in fresh water, due to salt water's higher density. The resulting spray will cause salt to encrust everything near the salt water pool. If not kept in check, this can ca...

Good to know. I have plenty of oyster shell grit for my birds. I've always kept oyster shell and cuttlebone with my crabs. They seem to like the cuttlebone better, maybe since it's softer.

One more question; is Rep-Cal with D3 safe to add to their food? I wanted to make up some food mixes and freeze them.

That's funny. I'm having the opposite issue with my tank. I'm almost 6 feet tall, and the rim of my 100 gallon is only 48 inches from the ground. I have to squat down in front of the tank to watch my guys play at night.I actually had to go grocery shopping for my crabs last night. I was lucky to fin...

Thanks. I will definitely be able to use the oak. We also have a few acres of grape I can cut down and dry. I bought the sand yesterday. 300 pounds of it gave me a 9 inch deep substrate. I will probably add a few pounds of coconut coir to add a bit more depth without too much more weight. I have som...

What about safe wood? I can't find a list of which woods are safe. I did find a list of woods to avoid. I was wondering if Oak wood would be ok? I had to cut down an oak tree that was struck down during a recent storm. It has many nice branches that would make great climbs for the crabs. I know oak ...

I was curious about purple pincers that are commonly found in Southern Florida. Southern Florida has pototoperiods from 10 to 11 hours during the winter. The average temp drops to the upper 60's and lower 70's. I would never go below 78 degrees, but that is a drop from the 82 degree areas of my crab...

Thanks. I plan to use aragonite instead of crushed coral since it has less of an environmental impact. It's the same principle tho, adding calcium and buffering the water.I think I will use red heat lamps, since the new tank will be in the hallway. These will also let me see them in action at night,...

Thanks for the ideas. I have revised my plans, again. I think I will only heat a small area under the tank. Maybe a 5" X 5" area, heated to 75 degrees. This should allow the crabs to choose the temp they like best in the substrate. I am trying to iron out all the details before I start the build sin...

I think I will have to heat from both above and below. I always use thermostats with heating equipment. I raise reptiles and have learned to never trust heating without temp controls. I'm just worried that, with a 12 inch deep substrate, it will be too cold for molting (my house gets pretty cold). T...

This is my first post here. Currently I have 2 PP in a 10 gallon. I want to upgrade their tank and get them some more friends. I have a 100 gallon aquarium that has been empty for a long time, and decided that it would make a great home for my crabs. I am thinking of making a pond on each end of the...