HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi! I just joined this forum, although I've been a member at landhermitcrabs.com for a few years now. As all the other members of LHC know, I like to test salt water in my hydrometer. I have tested Red Sea, Instant Ocean, Tropic Marin, Doc Wellfish, ZooMed Salt Water Conditioner Part 2, and Salt Water Glub. All of the salt mixes tested to be full-strength ocean water at a ratio of 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt to 1 cup of water (I actually mixed it at 2 tablespoons salt/1 quart water, but it's the same). Salt Water Glub is also full strength, so it's nice for those who prefer the convenience of pre-mixed, although I think it's terribly expensive. However, ZooMed Salt Water Conditioner Part 2 is WORTHLESS! It contains almost no salt, and has a lot of artificial coloring. In order to mix it to an acceptable salt level, you would have to use 5 teaspoons of mix to a cup of water, this is 5 times the recommended dosage. The water will be very yellow if you mix it this strong, probably not safe for the hermies. I believe the lack of salt in this product could be very dangerous for hermies, especially for Strawberry crabs. I noticed in reading past posts that it seems a lot of members on this forum use this brand for their salt water, I just wanted everyone to be informed so that no hermies will die unnecessarily.

Thanks Willow, that is good information...did you check all of the brands using the same ratios, and then test them at their specs as well?

Interesting info!

Indeed some who use ZooMed salt solution and the dechlorinator seem to have some troubles.

I'm glad to hear that salt water glub is good for hermit crabs. That's what I have been using because it comes mixed and everything so it saves me time. My E loves it and seems healthy, so I figured it must be good, but hearing for sure that it is good for them makes me feel better Great job with the research on salt water!!!

I used to use glub but I switched to oceanic. Is oceanic safe too?

i use instant ocean (i cup for a gallon of water ) and my straws love it

racetripper, you're adding too much. Here's the directions

Instant Ocean
package indicates to use 1/2 cup (which=8 TBSP) per gallon.

* 1 1/2 tsp per 8 oz (1 cup) water
* 1 TBSP per 16 oz (1 pint)
* 2 TBSP per 32 oz (1 quart)
* 4 TBSP per 64 oz (1/2 gallon)
* 8 TBSP per 128 oz (1 gallon)

I also measured out the Instant Ocean in ounces to cups. For IO it requires 1oz of salt for every 4 cups of water.

I didn't test them all at their specs, because a lot of them only had instructions for mixing large quantities (over 5 gallons). So I tried them all according to the Instant Ocean recommendations (as outlined by vckums).
I forgot, I also tested HBH Hermit Crab Salt. The mixing instuctions on the package recommend 1 teaspoon per cup of water, this tests too low, but if you mix it according to IO specs (1 1/2 tsp/cup water) it tests fine. It's a little cloudy, probably because it "contains extra calcium!" I thought the cloudiness would go away after a while, like the other salt mixes, but it was still cloudy after a week. The hermies didn't seem to mind, though.
MyHermies--I'm sure Oceanic is fine, too, but I haven't tested it yet. I have 35 crabbies, there's only so much salt mix I can go through, LOL. Maybe it'll be the next brand I try.

Willow, I love your sig!!

I use Oceanic for my hermies and always have. According to my reefkeeper friends at work, Oceanic is one of the closest to natural seawater, and I like to keep my specific gravity at 1.025 since that is what seawater is. I have found though that the Oceanic tends to test rather low. They say 1/2 per gallon for 1.021 but I have found that it does take more than that. I also add buffer to it to keep my pH at about 8.2 (again like seawater). My friend told me it has a lot of calcium in it as well so I dont add a calcium supplement.

I also use it in my saltwater tank and love it. Its also one of the least expensive brands.

I started out using that Zoo Med part 1 and 2 stuff (because ya figure if it's "for hermit crabs" it must be right, right? Not!) Anyway, the way it's described, I assumed it was a dechlorinator for your already-mixed saltwater, with some additional goodies (?) to justify paying for a whole separate thing. My point is, it's very confusing marketing to make the consumer think they need something, which is really nothing.
Incidentally, I emailed ZooMed to find out if the "drinking water conditioner part 1", which is a dechlorinator, also produces slime coat, AND IT DOES, although it doesn't say anything about it on the packaging. So there's another worthless product.