HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I was using eco earth and I was looking to find a cheaper alternative and found that a lot of people use quikrete play sand and I read that it was safe for the crabs so I did a mix of the two substrates and since changing it yesterday I noticed a strange smell. Its not a bad one. Just weird. Not really a "sand" smell. Its almost fruity or floral. I know it's not anything else in the tank. It has to be the sand. Has anyone else noticed this. Is this sand safe for the crabs? Should I be concerned?

Most people use this. When buying, did you notice any holes or slight tears in the bag? When opening the bag, did it also smell?


(Could it come from a food hord that the crabs stashed away?)

I've noticed that wet sand has a chemical-y smell, which might be what you are describing. It does have an odor that is not "earthy" or "beachy."

aussieJJDude wrote:Most people use this. When buying, did you notice any holes or slight tears in the bag? When opening the bag, did it also smell?


(Could it come from a food hord that the crabs stashed away?)

I didn't notice any holes in the bag and it doesn't smell like the food I give them.

mool wrote:I've noticed that wet sand has a chemical-y smell, which might be what you are describing. It does have an odor that is not "earthy" or "beachy."

Well I just took another good wiff and I would best describe it as a lemony scent. Like I mentioned before it's not a "bad" smell. Its just not my mind pictures sand should smell like. You know?

Hmm weird, something I've never encountered.. But then again, i don't have access to quikrete, so it might be a common thing over there. I would suggest maybe looking at a different store and if allowed, to sniff inside the bag. It might of came from a bad batch of sand, or was contaminated in the shipping and storage process to/in the store.

If I had to describe the scent my nose smells whenever I wet a big of Quickrete playsand, the closest common scent I can come up with is diesel fuel exhaust.

Clearly, diesel fuel would not be viable in a tank. I had to think long and hard about exposing my crabs to a smell I didn't like. I rinsed, and rinsed, and rinsed the sand the first several years of my crab keeping journey because I was scared of it. I also used to run it though a screen to get anything out that shouldn't be there.

I don't know how to advise you about your sand. I'm just sharing my experience. Maybe you could go get another bag from another source? i.e. if you bought this bag at Home Depot; get another bag from Lowe's, or look for a brand other than Quickrete.

Good luck. I hope you work out what's bothering you about the sand. Maybe do like I did and rinse it several times before putting it into the tank, for peace of mind?

Very interesting. I've never had this issue, but then again in my first crabitat I used beach sand. Since then I have used quickrete sand. I don't use the playsand though, I use the all purpose sand. I just remember the earthy smells with mine. I wet mine with marine salt water. I agree that you would be better to be safe than sorry, take it back and exchange it, or rinse like mool suggested (with dechlorintated water). Good luck!

Yes, definitely use dechlorinator in your last rinse if you choose to do multiple rinses. No need to dechlorinate every time as you are just pouring it out.

FWIW--I got over my spookiness of using sand directly out of the bag. It still smells to me but apparently the smell is just my interpretation of things as I've never lost a crab even after I quit rinsing and started adding and wetting directly in the tank.

I've been using quikrete playsand with cocofiber as well, and I've gotten a few bags of the stuff over the years. I never noticed a smell other than that earthy, damp sand. You may have just gotten a weird batch. It's possible that it wasn't stored properly before it came into your possession.