HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have this huge salt water pool and I also have a huge UTH and I have to put the dish where the heater is. The water temp gets up to 86F in there, the crabs still hang out in there long though like they are in a spa or something. Is this temp too high?? I do not want to end up with crab soup.

That sounds a bit high to me... maybe... umm... I think you can search for the proper sea salt/marine aquarium temps and that would tell ya. I dunno what they should be to keep the fish happy and I'd think that if the fish could be happy in 86 temps then the crabs would too.

I would get a bit lower but you have to remember that the crabitat should be around 78-80 and over time the water will reach around that so it should not be to bad.

If it makes you nervous just place a bit more sand or such between the uth and the water dish but even so the water dish should not be touching the glass where the uth is to prevent stress cracks.

I think if the crabs are hanging out in the pool and they are capable of getting away from it...They must like the temperatures so I would leave it. I have a pond over my UTH also. It gives out more humidity that way. I just have to refill it more often. I don't put the salt water one over the UTH because the salinity will get too high so if you can change the water often enough that the salt content isn't going to get too high because of evaporation...I'd say you're fine.