HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I asked on another thread thats gone dead, alot of the breeding threads have gone null & void now I guess no ones breeding at the moment.

1. What size or age (although with the new size difference from the babies we now know its a crap shoot ) do you all think...the females are when they start having eggs? Is it different with the breeds? I have a tank with large to small jumbo's hermits, PP's, of male and females, almost an even amount. Ive seen so far from you guys that if the salt water pool is flowing and large enough that seems to be a good sign for them to deposit eggs. Im going today to get strips to tell the proper salt ratio amount and start thinking of how to make a salt water pool and not just a large water dish.
* I realy need to know there size though so i can figure if i need one for both the large guys tank and or the mediums tank also.

2. I have another question but it flew out my head....
WHEN DO THEY SEEM TO COME INTO HEAT....EGGS? Is it a certain time of year your noticing from different breeds? I think so far it looks like PP are likely to have eggs in the summer? OR is it summer where you live?, like in the USA its summer in May threw August any more..that is. spring and autum have seemed to disappear on the eastern side of USA from climate changes. THANKS

...guess no ones breeding at the moment...

No one plans to breed there crabs, everyone that I know of that has have a female with eggs it's been a total accident/surprise or they brought a female from the store that had viable eggs on her. However, I don't think that the store bought females have hatched the eggs and the babies were raised into the land hermit crabs we know of.

As for the 2 questions:
Most of the time, the males are around a large/jumbo while the female will be around medium to large. I guess that it's easier for a male to "take control" and watch out for his female, so guarding a smaller female would help. But each species have their own sizing range, but I believe that PP's should be around a tennis ball size or larger.
Often people that have large flowing SW pools have reported a better success rate, however it's not always the case. A few people have has eggs dropped in a small "non-flowing" pool; so it obviously doesn't mean we have to go all out. But like I said earlier, many don't plan to breed so it often what they got will do for a female.
Honestly, if you want to do this properly and want to "plan" for a breeding, I suggest looking in marine forums that specialise in marine organisms. They will help you with cycling and maintaining a proper marine environment; which you may find familiar with keeping freshwater species.
I personally believe that a proper tank that houses live rock - which contains microorganisms which the zoea could consume and algae - will ensure a good biological filtration and a food source.
But honestly, i wouldn't got around adding a largish SW pool unless your tank can "house it", without overcrowding the crabs. A reduction in a usable surface area will mean less moulting spaces, and less space to stretch their legs - which I believe exercise would help condition them with spawning... A healthy crab is a happy crab, which I believe would be a higher success rate in breeding.
We currently believe that it's the lunar cycle that comes into play, if I'm not wrong most of the crabbers who have had crabs that drop eggs note it's around a full moon, in the summer months. But, who really knows?
Compared to other species, we know nothing about them. I think we might know more about space then our crabby friends.

Thank you for your great response. Yep i understand no one plans them breeding as thats impossible to make them get it on
Baseball size, larger then I thought, well that would be the male and a smaller female. I think I have that then. Ill have to watch to see if any start pairing up morethen usual. Imay have to resex them and make better notes on them as they change shells so much but some are more distinctive then the others.

Thanks for the reminder of keeping the ground space viable for room and bury. Ill maybe think of having the water pool ellivated on a second level with a third level near it Kind of like a bi-level house set up. I thought it seemed they favored having the eggs in summer which if you think about it makes more common sense as the water in the ocean is warmer for the eggs to survive. So where ever they live in the world is when they will mate in there warm climate.

We also dont know maybe a female can only bare eggs every so often, and im sure some just cant like we cant.

So...larger males will probly favor a smaller female.
SW pools that flow are favored it seems, but others will do, but a better success with flowing water and the larve to survive too.
Warmer weather, and a full moon for depositing eggs has been noted.
Dont consume to much ground space cuz they need it!!!
Check into marine areas of water life to learn more.

Did I get it right AussieJJ dude?

I recently had unfertilized eggs. Two jumbos, male had been guarding her for awhile, she did produce eggs but they weren't fertile. Though for PP it was really earlyn the year for it, so maybe that was the reason. I have noticed in my own research medium to jumbo seems to be the regular breeding sizes. And the moon cycle does seem to have a lot to do with it.

Well, I can't tell the age of my adult females. Nobody really can tell that.
The size of each species is different. But the male tubes has to fit ( to her gonopores).

A good condition, good food and enough space to hide, climb and run are important - in my opinion. And yes, a floating marine salt water pool seems to help reproduction.

They have eggs nearly the same time every year. Except that male and female are not buried.
I wrote down the moon phases and I know that a full moon is not the key. Maybe moon phase is s little part, I do not know...
But I've noticed that the air pressure is a big part. If there is a high pressure phase is coming my LHCs are more active and showing breeding behaviour.

Only in a good running marine tank the freshly hatched larvae have better chance to survive. BUT the larvae will not develop in such a marine tank. Not even in big marine tanks. They need special care, like most of marine animals...
It is necessary to the freshly hatched larvae directly in a special marine breeding tank. Food, conditions and some other points must fit, otherwise they will not make it to land... Even with all that it is still hart and need a lot of tries.

So a fitting size, a pool and the moon are not the only points in breeding.

Edit: I am living in Germany and our summer is not summer in the country which they live in nature.
(And sorry for grammar - it is not easy for me to explain that in English)



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O' Yes CURLS I am familiar with your great work. i think Im pipe dreaming for now. Im not realy in a position to set up and pay for all the stuff that is needed like you guys have. It is nice thought to start watching out for what to look for. But who knows what to happen in June around here. Almost allof my crabs are buried. 3 still upin the large tank & same in the medium. The small crabs are out and about though.

Istill cant seem to down load pictures.