HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Sooooooo, I’m getting some hermit crabs for my birthday (October 13th) and i was wondering what salt was best for their salt bowls, i know you can’t use table salt but what brand if marine salt? I’ve heard that instant ocean is fine for them but i also heard that it has high amounts of metal concentrations. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance?

Hello Welcome to the HCA!

A lot of us use Instant Ocean. Red Sea is good too Just make sure that it is marine salt for making saltwater fish tanks.

I just started crabbin as well. it seems that hermits are kind of a "special" breed. prepare to be very very patient and play much of the waiting game. And if you didnt see it check this out. viewforum.php?f=51

All marine creatures need some trace metals in their water in order to match natural sea water. While there are slight differences between the brands, all are considered safe for saltwater inhabitants and by extension land hermit crabs.

all the pet shops in my town dont have instant ocean, so i've been using API aquarium salt. is that ok?

Sadly, API aquarium salt isn't a marine product.

You can also look for:

Kent Marine Reef Salt
Red Sea brand marine salt (I think it's called coral pro or something like that...)
Fluval Sea Marine Salt
Seachem Reef Salt
There's a company called Aquaforest with a marine salt (found it on Amazon, have never seen it in a store.)

... and a few others.
Find a shop that sells marine fish & buy whatever they tell you to.

thanks for the heads up! will definitely be looking for the proper salt tomorrow. so glad i asked!

Usually pet shops have a box of something for marine fish, might not be the biggest brand or best, but it will be better than just "aquarium salt" or "freshwater salt".

GotButterflies wrote:Hello Welcome to the HCA!

A lot of us use Instant Ocean. Red Sea is good too Just make sure that it is marine salt for making saltwater fish tanks.

Is this what you mean?

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Cherylco55 wrote:

GotButterflies wrote:Hello Welcome to the HCA!

A lot of us use Instant Ocean. Red Sea is good too Just make sure that it is marine salt for making saltwater fish tanks.

Is this what you mean?

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That's the one!

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soilentgringa wrote:

Cherylco55 wrote:

GotButterflies wrote:Hello Welcome to the HCA!

A lot of us use Instant Ocean. Red Sea is good too Just make sure that it is marine salt for making saltwater fish tanks.

Is this what you mean?

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

That's the one!

Sent from my LGMS550 using Tapatalk

Thank you!

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soilentgringa wrote:

Cherylco55 wrote:

GotButterflies wrote:Hello Welcome to the HCA!

A lot of us use Instant Ocean. Red Sea is good too Just make sure that it is marine salt for making saltwater fish tanks.

Is this what you mean?

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

That's the one!

Sent from my LGMS550 using Tapatalk

How long can salt water be stored?

I keep my mixed saltwater for one week. You can mix smaller amounts than one gallon if you would like.


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GotButterflies wrote:I keep my mixed saltwater for one week. You can mix smaller amounts than one gallon if you would like.


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Thank you. Do you think it goes bad longer than that? Or even in a sealed container might evaporate some and become too salty?

No, I don’t think it goes bad! If the lid is off it can certainly evaporate. in a sealed container it should not evaporate


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