HCA: Hermit Crab Association

So yesterday I was doing a water change my crabitat and noticed that the water wasn't very hot, it was a cooler lukewarm temperature, not cold just not super hot.
So I was wondering should you have water heaters in the pools? My pools are pretty large, and I'm planning on upgrading soon, so should I get water heaters when I upgrade next?

Heaters are more of a neat add-on than a necessity. They can be nice but IMO most of the time the water temperature isn’t going to be a major concern.


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JoeHermits wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 13, 2020 12:43 pm

Heaters are more of a neat add-on than a necessity. They can be nice but IMO most of the time the water temperature isn’t going to be a major concern.


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Ok, that's a relief! I was worried that if the water temperature was too cold the crabs could go into shock, kind of like how fish do when they're introduced to a new tank.

Did you ever see this? https://youtu.be/4ZvBcrxy8Ic

Links wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 14, 2020 6:37 am

Did you ever see this? https://youtu.be/4ZvBcrxy8Ic

No, I haven't! Thanks for the recommendation I'll check it out later!

The water will always feel like it is cold, compared to the temperature in the tank. But as long as the tank is the correct temp, the water will be a good temp for the crabs.

Links wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 14, 2020 6:37 am

Did you ever see this? https://youtu.be/4ZvBcrxy8Ic

That's Courtney's video, she runs BioactiveFX1 formerly The Cholla Queen on Etsy. I link to this video quite a bit on here based on what's being asked. I based my filtered pools and UVB lighting on this video. I probably watched the water portion a dozen times!

There has been a lot of progress in care for crabs before I got into crab care. There is so much more to learn and experiment with. As Courtney said in the video she thinks there is a lot more to water than what most of us offer.

If the air temp in the tank is 80, then your pools will also be 80. That matches the ocean and surface water temp in Haiti, where nearly all our PPs come from. It's why its never been a huge concern - that and the danger that comes from running heaters inside the tank. They aren't made for small amounts of water, can explode or catch fire if removed from the water (spills, evaporation, crabs tugging them out), and of course the risk of the crabs snipping through the cords.

wodesorel wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 15, 2020 4:50 am

If the air temp in the tank is 80, then your pools will also be 80. That matches the ocean and surface water temp in Haiti, where nearly all our PPs come from. It's why its never been a huge concern - that and the danger that comes from running heaters inside the tank. They aren't made for small amounts of water, can explode or catch fire if removed from the water (spills, evaporation, crabs tugging them out), and of course the risk of the crabs snipping through the cords.

Omg, yes I agree. When I first got my crabs we thought it would be a cool add on, and the crabs destroyed the chords!! Superman (one of PPs) also got a whole of the light chord on the top of the tank and destroyed that too! They are as bad as bunnies or mice,lol! I now try to avoid any chords or make sure they are out of reach.

HappyHermit0916 wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 13, 2020 9:04 am

So yesterday I was doing a water change my crabitat and noticed that the water wasn't very hot, it was a cooler lukewarm temperature, not cold just not super hot.
So I was wondering should you have water heaters in the pools? My pools are pretty large, and I'm planning on upgrading soon, so should I get water heaters when I upgrade next?

I would think matching water temp to the crabitat temp would be helpful. For example, if your crabitat air temp is 80 then when you replace the fresh and salt water - have a separate thermometer to test the water. For example, if your refreshed water tests at say, 78 F when the air temp inside is 80+ then your crabs, if they use the water right away, might get a little "spring" in their step until the water comes to tank temp. thinking it's the rainy season.

Regardless of how big your crabitat is, you can always adjust the temp on your faucet. I'm a fan of having another thermometer, so you can fill a crabbie pool and put it in there, and test it. If you'd like to give your crabbies a bit of a "boost" - make the new pool water 2-3 degrees lower than the crabitat temp when you put it in so it might spring them into motion. The water will come up to tank temp slowly and eventually.

That's totally over-thinking it. I wouldn't put fridge-temp water in, but room temp is fine. It will adjust to the temp of the tank fast enought, without causing any problems for the crabs. No need to check the temp of the pools.

curlysister wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 10, 2021 12:30 am

That's totally over-thinking it. I wouldn't put fridge-temp water in, but room temp is fine. It will adjust to the temp of the tank fast enought, without causing any problems for the crabs. No need to check the temp of the pools.

My apologies, I tend to do that. But also, my room temp is 71 F in winter and if the inside of my crabitat is 80+ and a crab wanted to dive right in, it would be a shock I'd think - plus my skin senses for heat aren't that good in my hands when I test so it might be overkill but at the same time, it might be helpful. It's something I'll be doing anyway, just for my own circumstances and piece of mind, thus why I wanted to share with others just in case.