HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I'm new here! I used to have crabs way back when I was younger, but went for a trip and nobody at home fed them when they came up....

Years later I have the time (and money) to try and set up a new tank. Hopefully, things'll go better! Right now I'm just in the researching stuff and gathering materials, I didn't want to actually buy crabs until I had their tank set up...

So far I have both playsand and Eco Earth for substrate, two tupperware to make salt/freshwater pools (with ramps, hopefully!), I'm going to try to put in airstones, have a hide, have an area for shells, maybe some kind of nighttime light for them b/c my room doesn't get moonlight, and a UTH on the side for heat.

What I'm still unsure about is:

How, exactly, do I set up a moss pit?
What do you guys recommend for food? Not the store-advertised stuff, I know, but....where do I get the food, then?
Is there some kind of tutorial on getting shells? Do you guys advise waiting on getting shells until I get my crabs so I don't end up with a bunch the wrong size?
How, exactly, do I insulate a UTH if it's on the side? Is it okay to put things infront of it (climbable coconut fiber, cork bark?) Should I keep it away from the pools? Should I keep it towards the pools? This is probably one of the things I've found the least info on.

Hi hi!!
Welcome to HCA!

I have two suggestions...
The first is that you double up the salt water & the fresh wate bowls, so that you can easily lift out either without risk of disturbing any crabs moulting underneath (water dishes seem to be favourite moulting spots).

The second is that you scan the crab adoption posts & craigslist adds local to your area. There are a ton of crabs out there who need to be rehomed. I have seven crabs, and haven't paid a cent for any. Plus, getting crabs without supporting the abusive pet trade is a win in my books.

Now - questions!

Where to get food? Almost anywhere except the hermit crab aisle at the pet store!
At the petstore:
*Crushed oyster grit in the bird section
*Millet sprays in the bird section
*Frozen daphnia, bloodworms, mysis shrimp, krill, etc. in the fish section (just check the package for preservatives. .. avoid preservatives as a general rule)
*Timothy hay & alfalfa in the rodent section

Grocery store:
I'm just going to link the safe food list here. Organic is considered preferable, because crabs are sensitive to fertilizers/pesticides.
http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... s#p1021286

And this is the food pyramid, which offers an in depth look at what goes into a healthy crab diet:
http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92554

At new-agey healthfood stores you can get really fun crab foods:
Bee pollen
So many kinds of seaweed!
Salmon/cod/halibut oil capsules
Random dried plants sold for decoxtions

And there are things like oak & maple leaves/branches/bark that they love... you can collect these if you have access to plants that haven't been fertilized/sprayed. .. dandelions, raspberry leaves & canes, acorns, um... there are others... but I lost my train of thought...

Also, in the FAQ there is a link to shopping resources. There are ton of small crab food makers online, both on etsy and with their own storefronts. Check out those. Some very fun food mixes available for crabs.

For shells, again, there are links in the FAQ. (Incidentally, I just ordered from Richard's shells, and there is a 20% sale running til the end of the month at that store.)
Here is the shell guide:

http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92552
If you are a crazy person (like me) who can't seem to stop accruing random crabs of all sizes, just buying all kinds of shells haphazardly makes sense. If you're planning for a small number of crabs, it probably makes good sense to wait till you see how big your crabs will be. 3-5 shells per crab are recommended by the HCA, but any crabber will tell you that the correct number of shells is all of them. You'll likely come out somewhere between those extremes.

Insulating a UTH is easy, but how much insulation you need depends on your room temperature. You want a tank in the low - mid eighties. UTH strength varies, the larger ones at higher wattage generally giving you better results for your dollar. If you keep your house below seventy, you will need more insulation, and with smaller heaters, may end up needing a secondary heat source.

Most UTH brands shouldn't be insulated as they become a fire hazard if allowed to overheat. This is largely why you see a lot of recommendations for the Ultratherm brand - it can be insulated.

In some cases a layer of tinfoil over the back of the tank will do - for people in cooler climates (or with central air) a couple sheets of cardboard sandwiching a sheet of styrofoam, taped across the whole back of the tank will be needed.

Getting your temperature & humidity stabilized before you get hermits is a huge favor you can do yourself. You can experiment with insulation, moss pits, misting, and bubblers in your pools before the crabs go in - and spend less time stressing as a result.

A moss pit can be anything from a dish sitting in the sand that had moss, to a shower caddy stuck to the side of the tank (full of moss), to a glass vase or fish bowl sunk into the sub (though consider moulting space when planning to have sunken pools & moss pits - moulting real estate has to be top priority), or a cork round, or a hanging coconut hide. Sky's the limit.

Suction cups don't tend to hold up very well unless they're the locking kind (and even then, they aren't ideal). They especially fail at sticking where your UTH is placed.

Pools can be placed by heaters, just remember you have to fill them more - it's another way to boost humidity.

Anything solid that you place in front of the heater will block heat. Cork walls, for example, should probably be placed where the heater isn't. A dangling vine, a bit of net, or a hanging coconut hide would be okay because they wouldn't block a substantial section of the heated side.

Let me know if I'm not clear, or you have questions. There is a lot to set up, and a lot of different ways to do it.

Hi! Looks like LJJ covered the bases. Welcome to HCA! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask

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Oh! Whoa, that's a very thorough reply - thank you for the welcome!

LadyJinglyJones wrote: The first is that you double up the salt water & the fresh wate bowls, so that you can easily lift out either without risk of disturbing any crabs moulting underneath (water dishes seem to be favourite moulting spots).

I've seen info about this - I'll be sure to try it! The more stable, the easier to maintain, I think.

LadyJinglyJones wrote: The second is that you scan the crab adoption posts & craigslist adds local to your area. There are a ton of crabs out there who need to be rehomed. I have seven crabs, and haven't paid a cent for any. Plus, getting crabs without supporting the abusive pet trade is a win in my books.

Honestly I didn't even think of this - there's hermies on craigslist? I'll have to check it out!

The whole food section is super helpful, and that food pyramid looks super helpful for planning out how much of foods I need, thank you! Er....on the bit about fish oil, though, won't the capsule containing the oil be bad for them to eat?

Thank you for the headsup on the shell sale, too! I do think I'll wait until I know the crabs I get, because I'd like to stay somewhere between 3-5 crabs until I know I can take care of them correctly.

LadyJinglyJones wrote: In some cases a layer of tinfoil over the back of the tank will do - for people in cooler climates (or with central air) a couple sheets of cardboard sandwiching a sheet of styrofoam, taped across the whole back of the tank will be needed.

Just to be 100%, the above is referring to the outside of the tank, right? Is this why so many people put decorative backgrounds on their tanks....

I'll definitely experiment with the setup for a while, though!

Do I need to mist the moss pit, or nything, or just set it up and leave it be?

Thank you, again, for all the answers! I think this is good for now, or at least for another week or so of planning and rearranging. Can't wait to try out some of this!

(And thank you too for the welcome, Daws! I'm excited to be here!)

Heh... brevity isn't my strong suit.


Honestly I didn't even think of this - there's hermies on craigslist? I'll have to check it out!


Also, check out the adoption threads here on the HCA... we've had a recent flood of adoptable crabs.

The whole food section is super helpful, and that food pyramid looks super helpful for planning out how much of foods I need, thank you! Er....on the bit about fish oil, though, won't the capsule containing the oil be bad for them to eat?

I don't feed the capsule - I snip the very end off with scissors, empty the contents into a food dish, and serve.

Thank you for the headsup on the shell sale, too! I do think I'll wait until I know the crabs I get, because I'd like to stay somewhere between 3-5 crabs until I know I can take care of them correctly.

Ha ha - that is sane. I respect that.

Just to be 100%, the above is referring to the outside of the tank, right? Is this why so many people put decorative backgrounds on their tanks....

Yup, outside the tank... as for backgrounds, you won't see the background where the heater covers it, and you wouldn't want to cover/insulate a brand of heater that wasn't safe to do so. Other than that, a background can't hurt.

Do I need to mist the moss pit, or nything, or just set it up and leave it be?

You do want to mist the moss if you wish it to stay wet. Wet, it contributes to humidity.

Welcome to the HCA!

I wrote a hermit crab cookbook, if you want one, just PM me your email and I can send it to you at no cost.

I'm late to the party, but welcome to HCA!!! How are things going with your setup? Any questions? When you're ready, we'd love to see pictures! You can post pics to the forum using the Tapatalk app.

Welcome, LJJ covered everything that was needed, so Im just here to welcome you aboard! Hope your liking it. Remember if the moss pit is near the heater to mist with lukewarm water, cold water can cause the glass to break due to rapid transition from hot to cold....