HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have stalked these forums for months and made an account awhile ago. I used to be very active but as I got my tank set up to my liking and general approval I haven’t posted as much. I recently hopped on Facebook and joined another hermit crab group (I won’t say who) and I posted a video of my crabs chirping because they base their group off educational purposes. A mod commented and the whole discussion changed to “proper tank set up” based off of their knowledge. I only use EE and have been for months without any problems, i’ve seen crabs dig for fun and pop back up on the other side, i’ve had crabs molt successfully more then once. I know the 5:1 ee/playsand mix is recommended. I have also read successful stories based on all 3 types of substrate. In the other group it’s like sheesh i’m a terrible crab owner for not using a mix. I love this group and everyone has been so kind and thanks to the help of these forums my crabs are still alive because I had zero knowledge when I bought my first one (she is still alive).


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I use play sand and eco earth but just eco earth or just play sand is ok!!!

So long as your crabs are growing, active, healthy and such. It's the right way. I'm a firm believer in, if it's not broke, don't fix it.

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You have to do what works for you! Some people use just EE, some use just playsand, and some people use their own combinations of playsand and EE mixture!

I personally use a combo of EE and playsand. I also throw in cleaned beach sand - but not sand that has ocean water in it. Like I said - you have to do what works for you.

Some of the crab care groups are very very strict as to what they feel is 'proper' substrate. One thing I like about HCA is that they (we) recognize that there is more than one way to care for crabs successfully. Mixing play sand and EE is probably the most common, but many crabbers have used all EE or all play sand with success, and have had happy and healthy crabs.
I use the approx 5 to 1 ratio of sand to EE. The reason is because I read that it was the easiest to maintain, for beginners - which I was when I got my crabs!

Officially we recommend whatever works for you. We do mention the 5:1 ratio in the guides but only as a suggestion since it works well for many and is a good starting point for beginners.

Different substrates do have their pros and cons, but as long as they fulfill their purpose of protecting molters it’s not really a big deal.

yeah im thankful to be apart of this group everyone has been kind and my crabs are still alive
i ended up deleting my posts (they don’t allow that) and i left the group lol i’d been going thru their group and seeing what others would post & all of mods were flat out rude


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I like a mix or just ee. I find just sand drys to quick which can cause tunnels to collapse.

I use a mix of EE and playsand, I use a bit more EE then what is recommended. Since I find it keeps the humidity better then 5:1 ratio. I use a lot of playsand since EE is pricey and more EE seems more 'natural' since hermit crabs spend most of their time in the jungle, not on the beach.