HCA: Hermit Crab Association

When I recently upgraded to a 65 gallon aquarium, I added in a much larger moss pit than I had ever previously had. Obviously, my crabs love it. A few of my pps, and one of my jumbo straws really like to dig down into it, and I don't see them for a few days on end. Of course, they could very well be coming out at night. I'm just concerned about potential molting in there. I haven't seen it yet, but I don't want to disturb the crabs that dig down into the moss. My moss pit gets so crowded during nap time, that I added a second for fear of someone getting hurt because I have a wide range of sizes. It's not out of the ordinary to see 8 crabs in it at a time. Are moss pit molts that common, or am I just paranoid?

That's Kemal, and Herut crabs molt in the moss

They aren't super common, and your crabs might calm down in a few weeks too
But a moss pit molt is potentially dangerous, especially if a crab decides to shed his exo while surrounded by a dozen other crabs :/ I check mine every night to make sure no ones being eaten or molting in it, but I'm pretty paranoid just keep an eye out for it any smart crab wouldnt start shedding in a busy area like that

My crabs live in the moss pits. I really only see them on the ground when they're going to eat or heading to one of the pools.

I haven't had a moss molt yet.

I was thinking about adding a moss pit in my tat. But i have a few questions maybe someone can help me with. How deep does the moss need to be? Is it essential to the tat and for the crabs? How often do you need to clean/change the moss? Whats the best kind of moss?

StephBaby wrote:I was thinking about adding a moss pit in my tat. But i have a few questions maybe someone can help me with. How deep does the moss need to be? Is it essential to the tat and for the crabs? How often do you need to clean/change the moss? Whats the best kind of moss?

Depth really doesn't matter - it need to be as deep as you want it to be. My 2 moss pits are both about 2 inches deep and my add on has about a depth of 1/2-3/4" all the way around.

It is not essential in the fact that it's 100% necessary to the health and long lives of our crabs, but they do enjoy it. They will munch on it and it can help with humidity issues in the tat.

I only change out my moss when it starts looking bad. I do get in and moisten it as needed and "fluff" it up when I redecorate. When I do that, I shake it over a bowl and try to get as much poop out as I can.

The moss I prefer is the Exo Terra Forest Moss.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... 1b2166c2c0
I usually spend about $9 a pack, but it is a lot more moss than you realize at first. I only use about a brick at a time in my tank (the pack has 2 bricks in it) as that's all the moss I need and since it lasts me a long time (usually 6+ months), it's a good deal I think. Not only is it good for the money, but the crabs love it and it smells wonderful. Almost has a minty scent to it, very woodsy, and I've never had a problem with bugs or anything like that coming in it.

I do love mine. My new 65 is so much taller than the 50 I had before. I love the extra height. All the climbing space seemed to cure the incessant E and straw digging. They spend all their time climbing or hanging out in the moss pits now. I feel much more comfortable with molters as well. I was really concerned about some of the ones that really seem to hunker down in there. One of my jumbo straws seems really content chilling in the moss. It might be premolt behavior too. It's such a busy spot, I don't think a molter would survive in there. I'm glad to hear its not a common occurrence.


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Just added two moss pits myself They seem to sleep in them for days at a time over one another. Molting in a moss pit sounds scary though

I went in to take a peek the other day because I heard something, and my small E was chirping like mad because one of my jumbo straws was snuggling down on him. The straw is about 5x's his size, so I can understand the panic.


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Mine LOVE their moss pits. They are constantly eating/munching on it all the time, and sleep in it for hours at a time! I have 2 sections up high in my tanks, they are the suction cup style holders that go in showers, and they work great! When I go away on trips though, they usually tear them down in disgust of me leaving for a few days