Treating water correctly n placement of water bowls

[Highnmighty217]

Dug deep in this section tonight for ideas and stumbled across a few different things...need clarity....
Distilled water by the gallon....treat with Zoo-Med Part 1 freshwater THEN Instant Ocean for saltwater?

Fresh water only needs first step...correct?

Also, as I'm setting up my tank I've seen where bubblers are helpful for humidity but also so is use of double bowls so you don't have to pull up large one that's dug down...how does this work with bubbler if u double-bowl? N how does the whole ramp/pebbles work with double bowl?


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[Highnmighty217]

Also what is this? Is it safe or helpful?


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[daws409]

I have no clue about the sprays. More than likely it's unsafe by it being a hermit crab product. I'll let an experienced crabbers chime in here.

Water - All water (fresh & salt) needs to be dechlorinated. Most use seachem prime for that. They are a number of products that are safe for dechlorinated, but I'm not too sure about the zoomed. Then add your instant ocean for the salt. Here is the the link for water: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=92553

Bowls- the first bowl has a light layer of pebbles/marbles in the bottom and is buried in the sub. The second bowl also has pebbles/marbles in the bottom, a ramp (or access of some sort), the bubblers and holds the water. The second bowl sits inside the first.

These are pics of my second/top bowls: (the first/bottom bowl isn't included)







The last pic is how both bowls looks together in the tat.

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[Highnmighty217]

OHHHHH.......thank you for clearing that up.....so there is not access to the bottom one just used to hold space when needing to take top one out! Gotcha!


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[daws409]

Exactly! The bottom ones are basically used so that you don't have to re-dig the holes every time. Also, if you have a crab that has dug down or molted beside the dish, you won't stress him out by changing the water.

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[Highnmighty217]

Any certain reason we need pebbles in the 1st bowl? Just keep it down better?


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[daws409]

Pebbles in the first makes removal of second (top) bowl easier.

No pebbles in the first will make them stick together with the added weight of the water in second bowl.

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[Highnmighty217]

Perfect! Thanks again for your undivided grace in answering soo many questions!!!


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[daws409]

You're very welcome!

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[Highnmighty217]

I know the brand is on safe list but this one says for turtles n other reptiles....just wanna double check?


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[Highnmighty217]

Tonight I was making a new gallon of saltwater Bc I finished mine off mixing EE n on the box it says add 1/2 cup to 1 gallon thing is by time you add in that 1/2 cup your gallon is overflowing...so how do I avoid this?
Also, is there a certain amount of time the water has to set treated before use? Fresh or salt.
Can u mix it fresh n then add salt right after?
Also, seems like I read where you can't let the gallons set unused for to long....


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[LadyJinglyJones]

A lot of tap water has higher-than-desirable levels of metals and amonia, quite apart from chlorine & chloramines. You want a conditioner that says it will take care of that stuff... when I checked the manufacturers info for API turtle conditioner, it states that this product does do all that, so you're good to go.

I did notice that this stuff won't go as far as Prime (ie. 4 ounces of API turtle stuff treats 236 gallons, whereas 4 ounces of Prime will treat... like, 1000 gallons). You may want to factor things like that, along with price, into buying a dechlorinator. Then again, if it's cheaper, and you only make small batches at a time, the API might make more sense. :dunno:

As for mixing the salt, you either have to mix smaller batches, or get a bigger pail.

Give the dechlorinator a stir & a minute. It dechlorinates upon contact, so it just needs to be mixed.
Then you can add salt. Salt likes a good stir & will mix better with warm water. I do crabby salt by adding the water and salt in a liter bottle in the sink so I can shake it & not have salt marks all over my kitchen counter.

Leaving unchlorinated water for a long time will result in bacterial growth. How much bacterial growth depends on a bunch of factors. I don't worry about it, but I do go through a lot of dechlor water because of my fish tanks. .. consider mixing smaller batches if you'll be leaving the water for more than... I dunno... a week? I'm guessing here. I have never had this problem.

[aussieJJDude]

You may just find the regular API cheaper BTW, most products listed to the reptile, frog and hermit crab sections are the same products just with a "few dollars" increase of the price. They all will do the same job.

[Highnmighty217]

Thanks guys for info! I'm using the Instent Ocean and have enough for 20 gallons right now (bought 2 boxes) but was cleaning out under tank and found this bottle of stuff, along with some other non approved items!! Like, water pillows?! What was I thinking....tossed out unneeded.
Making 1/2 gallon at a time with 1/4 cup mix makes more sense to be able to mix without the hassle and use up in plenty of time. Thank you all!


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[GotButterflies]

I put my salt in the water jug first, so that it mixes while the water is being poured in.