HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have been thinking, maybe my tank is too crowded. It’s currently housing seven PPs, and two Es which I thought was a bit much. I see minimal space when all of my crabs come out, they could use some room.

So, this has me thinking, maybe I need to adopt out a couple of my PPs to a different home. I currently have a borderline jumbo, a large, lots of mediums, and a few smalls including the Es.

Do you think that’s for the best?


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Hi there.
How many gallons is your tank? The HCA recommends 5 gallons per crab and 10 gallons per jumbo crab.

heyitseggs2 wrote:Hi there.
How many gallons is your tank? The HCA recommends 5 gallons per crab and 10 gallons per jumbo crab.

55 gallons:)


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You're fine. The jumbo needs ten gallons, and then the other eight need five each, so the minimum tank size you need is 50. So you even have room to spare. Thanks for checking though!

heyitseggs2 wrote:You're fine. The jumbo needs ten gallons, and then the other eight need five each, so the minimum tank size you need is 50. So you even have room to spare. Thanks for checking though!

If I remember correctly, jumbos need at least a 75 gallon tank, being 18 inches deep.

Nope. Not from what I remember.

heyitseggs2 wrote:Nope. Not from what I remember.

Okay, well I was wrong about the gallon size, but I remember being told by another member that a 75 was the minimum.
I still don't meet the width minimum of 18 inches.

Official HCA guidelines:

Please note that the above is only a guide. Every hermit crab will get along with other hermit crabs and adjust to captivity differently. Some Es and Exotics may be too crowded by this guideline, while Purple Pinchers are normally fine with being more crowded. Enclosures that are over 55 gallons should be capable of supporting more hermit crabs then this list suggests. It's up to you to pay attention to all of your individual crabs needs and wants. Remember that hermit crabs can grow quickly and you should take into consideration the amount of space they'll require over time. Please adjust your tank size and hermit crab numbers according to your situation. Aquariums that are "tall" generally support less crabs than those that are "long" or "breeder". These guidelines are minimum recommendations, and hermit crabs may do better with more space per crab and with deeper substrate depth then what is stated here.

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We recommend a minimum 75 gallon tank for jumbos and 15 gallons per jumbo. 75's are the smallest tanks that have an 18 inch width afaik.

I've had a dozen PP's in a 55 before with no issue.

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soilentgringa wrote:. 75's are the smallest tanks that have an 18 inch width afaik.

There is such a thing as a 50 breeder (sometimes a 53 gallon) which is 36x18x20. Hard to find!

soilentgringa wrote:We recommend a minimum 75 gallon tank for jumbos and 15 gallons per jumbo. 75's are the smallest tanks that have an 18 inch width afaik.

I've had a dozen PP's in a 55 before with no issue.

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Well, but I have Es.
I want to know if this is something where I may need to adopt out or not.


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piratetoothgir wrote:

soilentgringa wrote:We recommend a minimum 75 gallon tank for jumbos and 15 gallons per jumbo. 75's are the smallest tanks that have an 18 inch width afaik.

I've had a dozen PP's in a 55 before with no issue.

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Well, but I have Es.
I want to know if this is something where I may need to adopt out or not.


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No. I've had E's for 2-3 years and only upgraded to the 150 about a year ago.

You only have like 7 crabs in a 55 gallon tank. If the substrate is deep enough then that's fine.

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Okay, that’s wonderful news
I had thirteen inches, but it won’t stop settling, so now I have nine.
I will increase it a lot more once my molters come up.


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IMO you are overcrowded. You have 9 crabs - One is a borderline jumbo and two are Es. I certainly wouldn't add any more...

GotButterflies wrote:IMO you are overcrowded. You have 9 crabs - One is a borderline jumbo and two are Es. I certainly wouldn't add any more...

Thanks, I really wanted to know for sure.
I do not plan on any more crabs, I actually wanted to get rid of a couple.