HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Evening

So I've read the lighting thread but am still a little confused as it mentions all the choices for if you have some natural light but I dont since I live in a basement. Currently I'm using the hood lighting my father used for his fish tank, is that enough to provide the biological calcium building or w/e.

Thanks in advance

I'm pretty sure that ok, as long as what you are using is not a heat lamp that will zap humidity out of the tank

Hermit crabs in my opinion need a bulb that delivers both UVA and UVB light, which they would naturally get from the sun. I keep one in the middle of my tank and run it during the daylight hours.

Crabs don't need sunlight to process calcium, their bodies work differently than vertebrates. Any kind of lighting during daytime hours will work to give them a normal day/night cycle, but if you wanted to go with UVB you may notice more activity and brighter colors.

wodesorel wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 04, 2020 5:25 am

Crabs don't need sunlight to process calcium, their bodies work differently than vertebrates. Any kind of lighting during daytime hours will work to give them a normal day/night cycle, but if you wanted to go with UVB you may notice more activity and brighter colors.

Yep, I remember UVB being important when I had crabs years ago.

HermitofHermitCrabs wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 04, 2020 9:41 am

Yep, I remember UVB being important when I had crabs years ago.

It's still personal choice, as it isn't something they need for survival. The cost can be prohibitive, as the fixtures and bulbs are expensive, and the bulbs must be replaced every 6 to 12 months depending on brand because they only produce the UVB for so long.

wodesorel wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 04, 2020 12:33 pm

It's still personal choice, as it isn't something they need for survival. The cost can be prohibitive, as the fixtures and bulbs are expensive, and the bulbs must be replaced every 6 to 12 months depending on brand because they only produce the UVB for so long.

Yeah I paid $30 for my bulb and they last a year.

wodesorel wrote: It's still personal choice, as it isn't something they need for survival. The cost can be prohibitive, as the fixtures and bulbs are expensive, and the bulbs must be replaced every 6 to 12 months depending on brand because they only produce the UVB for so long.

I have 3 cfl uvb bulbs for my tortortise, and it costs me about $60 every 6 months. Chewy.com seems to have the best price for my bulbs so far.

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CFL bulbs (coiled flourescent) aren't considered the best option, as their output is erratic and extremely low. Testing shows the UVB dispersal is only close to the bulb and in a very tight cone.

Florescent strip lights are much better at covering an enclosure, and those cost a bit more. For reptiles who absolutely need it to live, T5HO is the best option available today. For hermits that much UVB output is overkill, but a florescent fixture and bulb is still probably the best choice and a single one starts at maybe $30, with a bulb costing around $15 every 6 to 12 months.

When I set up my turtles and amphibians, it was a several hundred dollar buy in for the fixtures (which have already broken, without replacement parts available ) and the bulbs run me $120 a year.

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wodesorel wrote:CFL bulbs (coiled flourescent) aren't considered the best option, as their output is erratic and extremely low. Testing shows the UVB dispersal is only close to the bulb and in a very tight cone.

Florescent strip lights are much better at covering an enclosure, and those cost a bit more. For reptiles who absolutely need it to live, T5HO is the best option available today. For hermits that much UVB output is overkill, but a florescent fixture and bulb is still probably the best choice and a single one starts at maybe $30, with a bulb costing around $15 every 6 to 12 months.

When I set up my turtles and amphibians, it was a several hundred dollar buy in for the fixtures (which have already broken, without replacement parts available ) and the bulbs run me $120 a year.

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Oh wow, I didn't know that! Thank you. Wish my vet would have said something years ago. He told me about changing them every 6 months instead of yearly, but that was it.
I have a light strip that holds 2 CFLs, so I have 2 in there, and they're right next to the basking lamp. Then I have another smaller fixture on the other part of the tortoise house, and that has one cfl bulb.
I have 2 mini lights like these, and one in the large version:
https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-reptisun- ... /dp/126581

It's time to replace my bulbs in November, so I'll just get new fixtures too and do it right. Thanks again.

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