HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have two hermit crabs that are both going strong after a year, but I could use some help! I originally went with Quikrete play sand based on recommendations, but the fact that it is carcinogenic via inhalation really concerned me and my family, so I decided to switch to something safer. I know it's extremely low risk with how moist the crabitat is, but it still worried me, particularly when changing out food/water and cleaning the tank. Sometimes it would be difficult to clear out the sand without creating dust, even if moist.

The problem is: I can't find any good suggestions other than this! Hermit crab sand kills them, aquarium sand/gravel doesn't compact enough and can be sharp, coral is too sharp, pure coconut fiber doesn't offer enough protection and gets too moist...the list goes on!

Can anyone give me suggestions of a safe and nontoxic substrate I can use? I feel like I've researched the entire interwebs and come up short. I'm planning to go for pure coconut fiber if I can't find any better recommendations, since it's the only alternative I could find. Right now I just have an inch or two of coconut fiber in the tank until I make my mind up, so I'd like to decide quick before either crab decides to molt (they both just molted so I think I'm good for a little bit).

I use pure cocofiber and have had no problems. Each of my crabs have molted at least twice. a few have even molted three or four times. There is nothing wrong with using pure cocofiber. crabbers just recommend the 5;1 ration of sand to cocofiber because it is cheaper and it keeps humidity higher than just sand. There are other reasons as well but I cannot recall them at the moment.

Yep, the choices are either cocofiber or playsand or a mix of the two.

And you are right that it is only the dust that is a risk. It has been known to cause cancers in workers who mine it or use it for a living. Severe breathing reactions and silicosis are a lot more common, but are completely prevented when using it moist. Idiot me used it dry for my geckos once and all was well and good until I went to change it and got a lung full of the dust. That was months of severe wheezing and my doc wanting to put me in the hospital. I will never forget her eyes bugging out when she listened to my chest and I told her it had been that way for a few weeks at that point. (I lived with asthma for years before I got diagnosed so I never quite learned to tell when it becomes an emergency situation apparently.) I still use sand though for my crabbies, just with a mask on initial setup when pouring it dry and always kept moistened after!

Have you thought of using sand and then washing out out beforehand to remove the dust? It be a long an messy process, but if its for the peace of mind then its up to you! All you need is a bucket and a hose - and a hand or spoon to mix it up and ensure that the dust becomes 'free floating'... Just mix and rinse until water runs off clear, and then dechlorinate the excess sand... It will be wet, so either bake it for a bit to get rid of some of the moisture or use EE to soak up the water.

Honestly I don't think the sand is a big issue at all. I'm a physician and I use sand in mine. I also let my kids play in sandboxes and i myself enjoy hanging out at the beach when I can. I wouldn't be afraid of sand.