HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have had 3 hermit crabs for the past several months but it is beginning to get colder and the heating lamp is no longer heating the 10 gallon tank I have them in efficiently. Should I just get a second or a bigger heating lamp to solve this problem? Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but I've never had any kind of aquarium life as a pet.

prettycreb wrote:I have had 3 hermit crabs for the past several months but it is beginning to get colder and the heating lamp is no longer heating the 10 gallon tank I have them in efficiently. Should I just get a second or a bigger heating lamp to solve this problem? Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but I've never had any kind of aquarium life as a pet.

Well, I just got my Ultratherm UTH, and it is amazing!
You might have to try using one.

I second the ultratherm UTH!

For my 10 gallon tank I use an 11x11 inch (medium) Flukers under tank heater. UTH should always go on the back of the tank since it cannot heat through the substrate! Ultratherm is another great brand (I find them to be same quality at that size) and is usually less expensive but can only be ordered online at Bean Farm, Reptile Basics and Amazon.

I thought I finally got my heat/humidity settled. Then the cold weather hit. I have a 40gal tank. A large zilla heat mat on the back, which doesn't cover the whole back, and also a small zilla heat mat along the back. I had that one from when they were in a 10 gal. And the space between with tinfoil covered cardboard which doesn't seem to be doing anything. Yesterday I even covered one short side of tank with tinfoil covered cardboard. No change in temp. And of course with our heat on, it's drier in the house. I can't get the heat above 77. The humidity stays under 70! I have 2 moss pits. A bubbler pool. The lid is mesh with plexi glass.

40s are harder because of how wide they are. One proper sized Ultratherm should do the trick, it will pump out more heat and even things out. If needed they can also be insulated over to hold in even more warmth. Unfortunately in larger tanks piecemeal pads and store bought brands are rarely enough.

Humidity will always be more of an issue in winter, but it also happens as the tank 'ages' and the substrate releases moisture. At some point water has to be added back in carefully. Sealing the lid up helps but it can only do so much. Crabitats are not a set and forget deal! They always need some maintenance, but some people have to do daily and others may only need to mess every few months. I haven't had to touch mine all summer but have been having to add in water weekly since the furnace kicked on.

wodesorel wrote:40s are harder because of how wide they are. One proper sized Ultratherm should do the trick, it will pump out more heat and even things out. If needed they can also be insulated over to hold in even more warmth. Unfortunately in larger tanks piecemeal pads and store bought brands are rarely enough.

Humidity will always be more of an issue in winter, but it also happens as the tank 'ages' and the substrate releases moisture. At some point water has to be added back in carefully. Sealing the lid up helps but it can only do so much. Crabitats are not a set and forget deal! They always need some maintenance, but some people have to do daily and others may only need to mess every few months. I haven't had to touch mine all summer but have been having to add in water weekly since the furnace kicked on.

Thanks. Yeah, I was impatient about the heat mats. Didn't want to wait for delivery. And already had the smaller mat. I did buy yesterday the reflectix and put it on 2 sides and the top. It seems to be helping a little but not as much as I thought. My substrate is still sandcastle consistancy so I shouldn't have to add water, right? How would I add water anyway? I keep misting the moss pits. And...how often should the moss be changed?

Cherylco55 wrote:

wodesorel wrote:40s are harder because of how wide they are. One proper sized Ultratherm should do the trick, it will pump out more heat and even things out. If needed they can also be insulated over to hold in even more warmth. Unfortunately in larger tanks piecemeal pads and store bought brands are rarely enough.

Humidity will always be more of an issue in winter, but it also happens as the tank 'ages' and the substrate releases moisture. At some point water has to be added back in carefully. Sealing the lid up helps but it can only do so much. Crabitats are not a set and forget deal! They always need some maintenance, but some people have to do daily and others may only need to mess every few months. I haven't had to touch mine all summer but have been having to add in water weekly since the furnace kicked on.

Thanks. Yeah, I was impatient about the heat mats. Didn't want to wait for delivery. And already had the smaller mat. I did buy yesterday the reflectix and put it on 2 sides and the top. It seems to be helping a little but not as much as I thought. My substrate is still sandcastle consistancy so I shouldn't have to add water, right? How would I add water anyway? I keep misting the moss pits. And...how often should the moss be changed?

Never add water to your substrate...this could lead to flooding.

As far as the moss, you can remove it and rinse in dechlorinated fw and reuse it

GotButterflies wrote:

Cherylco55 wrote:

wodesorel wrote:40s are harder because of how wide they are. One proper sized Ultratherm should do the trick, it will pump out more heat and even things out. If needed they can also be insulated over to hold in even more warmth. Unfortunately in larger tanks piecemeal pads and store bought brands are rarely enough.

Humidity will always be more of an issue in winter, but it also happens as the tank 'ages' and the substrate releases moisture. At some point water has to be added back in carefully. Sealing the lid up helps but it can only do so much. Crabitats are not a set and forget deal! They always need some maintenance, but some people have to do daily and others may only need to mess every few months. I haven't had to touch mine all summer but have been having to add in water weekly since the furnace kicked on.

Thanks. Yeah, I was impatient about the heat mats. Didn't want to wait for delivery. And already had the smaller mat. I did buy yesterday the reflectix and put it on 2 sides and the top. It seems to be helping a little but not as much as I thought. My substrate is still sandcastle consistancy so I shouldn't have to add water, right? How would I add water anyway? I keep misting the moss pits. And...how often should the moss be changed?

Never add water to your substrate...this could lead to flooding.

As far as the moss, you can remove it and rinse in dechlorinated fw and reuse it

Thank you!

You may have to add water to the substrate if it starts drying out. I usually have to add a cup or two to my 10 gallon once a month in winter or it would dry out completely. The humidity in the tank comes from the substrate releasing moisture, so at some point it will end up drying out. Every tank is different though and one does have to be careful or it could cause flooding. In my big tanks I often have to slosh a gallon or so on the surface and let it soak in.

wodesorel wrote:You may have to add water to the substrate if it starts drying out. I usually have to add a cup or two to my 10 gallon once a month in winter or it would dry out completely. The humidity in the tank comes from the substrate releasing moisture, so at some point it will end up drying out. Every tank is different though and one does have to be careful or it could cause flooding. In my big tanks I often have to slosh a gallon or so on the surface and let it soak in.

Wow. Can I just mist it? I'd be afraid to just add water. So I guess it's ok to lightly mist it every now and then

Cherylco55 wrote:I thought I finally got my heat/humidity settled. Then the cold weather hit. I have a 40gal tank. A large zilla heat mat on the back, which doesn't cover the whole back, and also a small zilla heat mat along the back. I had that one from when they were in a 10 gal. And the space between with tinfoil covered cardboard which doesn't seem to be doing anything. Yesterday I even covered one short side of tank with tinfoil covered cardboard. No change in temp. And of course with our heat on, it's drier in the house. I can't get the heat above 77. The humidity stays under 70! I have 2 moss pits. A bubbler pool. The lid is mesh with plexi glass.

I have the same situation with you. My tank is now 73 degrees at night, but I can get it to the 80's at day. My Reflectix also doesn't seem to work. My humidity is also usually below 70. Before winter, it would be a maximum of 88 degrees at day with an minimum of 77 at night.

I think it's working. The trick is covering the lid, over the plexiglass, with reflectix.

wodesorel wrote:You may have to add water to the substrate if it starts drying out. I usually have to add a cup or two to my 10 gallon once a month in winter or it would dry out completely. The humidity in the tank comes from the substrate releasing moisture, so at some point it will end up drying out. Every tank is different though and one does have to be careful or it could cause flooding. In my big tanks I often have to slosh a gallon or so on the surface and let it soak in.

When doing this do you know that all of your hermits are topside? Perhaps I've just never had to do this because I've never had a small tank like this - but I would never consider pouring a cup in unless I could churn it. But, that is me, and to each his own. I would be concerned about hermits that were under...

I used to have to pour in a gallon or two into my 135 gallon every week in winter. Our house gets to 16% RH and everything dries out lightening fast, even the cats' dog sized water dishes. The storage containers are working out a little better but I have still had to do a couple gallons twice so far this winter because it was drying out so badly. I am just careful with the sloshing (slow, no pooling, run my fingers through top inch or two while wetting so the wetness is evenly spread) and it doesn't bother the molters. With 40 some crabs they are never all up. Right now I only have 6 topside! Gotta keep those molters in moist enough sand for them to do their thing safely. It's worked for me for nine years. The things we have to do in Ohio to have happy crabs.