HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Do I need to boil water whilst using a dechlorinater? Or could I use water itself? I used tap water and seachem prime dechloinater

seachem alone is enough to de-chlorinate tap water.. no need to boil as well

Thank you! I just wanted to double check

I think I read somewhere that after 24-48 hours you need to dechlorinate again? is that true? If I have a gallon of water and I put two drops of Seachem Prime in it, do I need to put two more drops in 24-48 hours later? Or can I just use what's in the gallon bottle until I run out without adding any more drops? It will take me a little while to use up all that water. Thanks!

a support person on a discord that i belong to says that you do need to re-dechlorinate after that time frame. I had not heard that previously though.. and I have not done the research to see for myself.

No, you do not need to re-treat it when using it for crabs. I am not good at explaining the rationale....hoping one of the other mods/ admins pops in to do that! LOL!

No, retreating is one of those things that were incorrectly read and somehow has snowballed to where we are today. Sadly, its partially due to the wording on the packaging, but partially due to people not actually bothering to read/find out and following the majority. Interestingly, this misinformation is only found within crabbing circles not aquariums.

Retreating is ONLY (I stress only) required if you're treating for the following:
- ammonia
- nitrite
- nitrate

All three are problematic, but in particular the first 2, can be problematic in minute doses (nitrate poisoning usually occurs with prolonged exposure to elevated levels).

Ammonia for example, as it can actually cause respiratory damage as their gills get burnt off, decreasing oxygen availability due to burning off surface area of the gills. (Ammonia can also decrease the pH, which in animal systems, the circulatory system is very fragile. While there are failsafes in place, a reduction in pH can cause a disruption to natural patthways within the body).

So for aquariums, its recommended with prime to dose every 24 hrs to decrease to toxicity of ammonia/nitrite_nitrate allowing the fishkeeper time to do things like change the water, monitor the tank parameters, ensure levels dont increase ect.


Anyway, as for chlorine and heavy metals... it's a permanent reaction. One time use is all thats required.

Now, for crabbers. If you use filters (not just bubblers!), once cycled, you don't need to do daily dosing. If you have pools with no filtration of some descript, then you're feel free to dose daily. I personally dont see the point, as I would be more inclined to change the water (fresh water is nicer than stagnate water IMO), but I guess it appeals to the lazy crabber to just add a drop of dechlorinator instead of changing the water. (Interestingly, when i first started crabbing, it was recommended to change the water every 1-3 days!)

We have to dechlorinate the water again? If so, in the bowl itself or the gallon?

And how often do I change the water if I use a bubbler?
And how often do I need to change the water if I don’t use a bubbler? (And would I have to add drops of dechlorinater in?)

giannaw wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 15, 2022 9:23 pm

We have to dechlorinate the water again? If so, in the bowl itself or the gallon?

And how often do I change the water if I use a bubbler?
And how often do I need to change the water if I don’t use a bubbler? (And would I have to add drops of dechlorinater in?)

As stated above, no you do not need to re-treat the water again.
A bubbler does not change the requirements for changing water, it is the same with or without. HCA recommends changing water twice a week. I'm lazy and only change it once a week tho, LOL.