HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I'm wondering how long it'll be until I have to upgrade my tank. My mother doesn't really want a bigger tank, and we don't have much room anyway. I have two Purple Pinchers in a 20gal. One is around the size of a golf ball, and the other around the size of a ping-pong ball. I know crabbies grow at different rates, but I'm just looking for an approximate guess. I was also looking at adding a third, but now that we have the tank problem, I'll probably stick with my two. Thanks, everyone.

Maybe you could get a 29 gallon. It’s the same size as a 20 but taller. I have four in mine and they all have lots of space. I think 2 in a 20 would last a long time. Maybe even long enough that you could move out and then get what tank you want.

A 29 has the same base as a 20 long, not a 20 tall. Just something to keep in mind.

Two in a 20 can go for years without problems!

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Great, thank you both. Glad to know they won't be getting cramped any time soon.

An if you don't have one, consider investing in a hamster wheel, which gives them the opportunity to exercise in a smaller space.

LadyJinglyJones wrote:An if you don't have one, consider investing in a hamster wheel, which gives them the opportunity to exercise in a smaller space.

I've been looking at them. I don't have much space on the tank walls, though, so I'm going to wait and see how things look after I add a moss pit, then see how much room I have.

Old thread, but I figured it would make more sense to reply here than to make a new thread.

If I were to get a third, it would probably be one around Peanut's size. Going by JediMasterThrash's sizing charts, I'll say Sheldon is a large, and Peanut is a small-medium. Would I still get a good few years out of the 20 gallon with another little one? I may be a bit off with the sizes, but I should be pretty accurate. I have plenty of hidey-holes, and I'll hopefully have two or three second levels soon. (Chia garden, moss pit, shell shop). And maybe a hamster wheel, if I'm lucky.

Thanks for all your help, everyone.

It's molting space that becomes an issue. That large of yours will be borderline jumbo soon enough, and the issue that pops up is if he can get enough private space to molt for a few months at a time in a tank with two others. It may be perfectly okay, it may not. No one can answer that ahead of time.

wodesorel wrote:It's molting space that becomes an issue. That large of yours will be borderline jumbo soon enough, and the issue that pops up is if he can get enough private space to molt for a few months at a time in a tank with two others. It may be perfectly okay, it may not. No one can answer that ahead of time.

That's true. I was being generous with the size - with him underground, I can't get an accurate size, but he's also in a pretty giant shell. I don't know what I'll do when he gets to that size, though, since I can't upgrade anytime soon.