Sand Moisture

[myruggy89]

What is the best way to keep the sand wet?

Spraying the tank daily doesn't get the sand wet enough below the surface.
And if I pour in water, it only stays in a certain area. It also concerns me that my molting crab would drown, or any caves would collapse if I do this. I normally do this when I do a tank cleaning, and can mix the sand up and fluff it some, but I can't do this when my crab is buried.

Advice and tips are greatly appreciated!

[GotButterflies]

Hello Welcome to the HCA!

For the substrate - #1 It should be a minimum of 6" or 3 times the height of your largest crab (whichever is deeper wins). Then - the entire substrate should be mixed with dechlorinated marine salt water (msw) or dechlorinated freshwater (fw) to make it sandcastle consistency. If crabs are buried - you can safely add 1" of substrate every 24 hours as long as you don't pack it down.
Substrate usually is a mixture of Playsand and EcoEArth 5:1 ratio.

[aussieJJDude]

Sand naturally acts like a wick, so if one part is wet pretty much all parts will be. However, since water travels to the lower levels in our tanks - yay for gravity - you will find that the lower levels are wetter than the surface.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[Lewisthecrab]

Don't worry, they won't drown. you just stir the sand around with your finger and check the consistency. I had a flood once because I poured in too much water so just stay easy on the water.

[wodesorel]

Sealing the lid well to hold humidity will help with both keeping substrate evenly moist and in distributing any water you add in. I am a pourer myself, and with the lid on by morning it has all evened out.

[myruggy89]

Thank you for the responses and the warm welcome!

This info has helped me allot. It has assured me that I'm not doing it wrong, but ways to help keep in mind on the moisture and how it distributes throughout the sand. I will add some coconut husk to the mix, too!