HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello all!

I have been re-arranging my Crabitat trying to get the water out of my substrate because it keeps dumping. I don't have a false bottom so any ideas on that?

Also, I have probably re-arranged 3 times in the past 2 weeks putting my hermit crabs in a little play Rubbermaid that they crawl in while I try to find the best solution for everything in my tank. I will probably switch over to sand soon though I have coconut fiber because it smells terrible like a rotten egg because of the water that comes from the bowls. Do you think rearranging things stressed the hermit crabs?

I'm not an expert but smelly sub should be changed immediately. Probably some sort of bacterial issue. I'd go to playsand and Eco earth 5:1 ratio.

As for water bowls, maybe try putting the water dish in a slightly larger dish to keep it from being dumped? I used two food storage containers (like gladware or Tupperware) from the dollar store. The top held water and the bottom was sunk just a little bit into the sub to create stability, make water changes easier, and keep too much water from getting into the sub. I used plastic canvas to make a ramp into the bowl and pebbles at the bottom can be used for traction if it seems to be an issue.


Crabby since 8/13/14
Es Buzz and Bullseye PPs Rex and Woody

Like aldebaron said, rotten egg sub = bacterial bloom. This has caused seasoned crabbers to completely replace their sub. Even with switching to sand there can still be bacterial blooms as a result of being saturated by water.
The bowls constantly being tipped over can be a reason to worry. There are several things that may be tweaked. Constantly changing the sub and relocating the crabs may cause harm. You may be preventing the crabs from molting, and that can kill crabs. It will be best to make necessary changes and let the tank be.
1. Get bigger bowls. Aside from crabs needing a nice submerge time to time, having bigger bowls weigh down against a chronic bowl flipper. Crabs just like to dig up from under stuff, be it a bowl, rock, whatever. Using bigger bowls helps you keep it from tipping, and the crabs will enjoy tunneling against it.
2. Use a platform or base. Like aldebaron suggested, containing the bowls on a separate base can help you secure the bowls from tipping. You can use a piece of plastic or plexiglass to act as a floor for your waterdish to sit on, blocking tunnelers from coming up under it. The heavier and more solid the material, the more success you will have with this method. If you use a shelf organizer you can even have your water bowls raised. Just be prepared to put up some kind of bumpers to keep the dishes from being pushed off.
3. Put in a false bottom. I'm not sure how big your tank is, but a false bottom, in theory, should prevent bacterial blooms because excess water drains out ofthe sub. However there is no guarantee because i'm not sure exactly how much water causes a bloom. But if you're replacing sub anyway, it might be smart to put in a false bottom so you're prepared in the future. If you have a 10gallon you can probably use different materials for a smaller false bottom.


Crabbers unite!!!

One additional note, if you decide to nest, one bowl inside another, put pebbles or glass beads, rock, etc as a layer between the two bowls to prevent an air seal that will make it very difficult to remove the top bowl.

I'm betting 1/2 marbles (you know those glass things that you use in vases) under plastic canvas and weed block would work as a smaller false bottom, just remember to leave a place in the corner to siphon out the water. (Like 1/2" or so tubing cut at the bottom so a siphon could pull out the water.

Again, no experience, just thinking outside the box.


Crabby since 8/13/14
Es Buzz and Bullseye PPs Rex and Woody

aldebaron0626 wrote:I'm betting 1/2 marbles (you know those glass things that you use in vases) under plastic canvas and weed block would work as a smaller false bottom, just remember to leave a place in the corner to siphon out the water. (Like 1/2" or so tubing cut at the bottom so a siphon could pull out the water.

Again, no experience, just thinking outside the box.


Crabby since 8/13/14
Es Buzz and Bullseye PPs Rex and Woody

Marbles was exactly what I pictured when I was typing it!
And yea, the corner siphon thing is easy to forget. The best thing to do is get a thin (1" or so) tube of PVC pipe cut that reaches the bottom, and the top high enough so that sub cannot get into it. If/when there is a flood, you just feed tubing down the pipe and siphon out the extra water.

I bet one of the aquarium bottom filter things that go under the gravel would also work. http://m.petco.com/product/7168/Petco-U ... lters.aspx

I'm thinking it'll still need something to keep the sand from filtering through, so weed block and plastic canvas.


Crabby since 8/13/14
Es Buzz and Bullseye PPs Rex and Woody

You should also use egg crate to make it look nice and straight.


Crabbers unite!!!

We use coconut fiber and it does not smell like rotten eggs. Something is definitely wrong. Try to get it out of the cage immediately. A deep clean before adding more sub might be a good idea too...


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We are all good! Added new substrate and the crabs are much better and no rotten smell anymore! Thank you all for the recommendations!


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Why use Tupperware when u can get a nice imitation marble or rock reptile water dish. Very sturdy, not even my jumbos knock them over

birdbaby19 wrote:Why use Tupperware when u can get a nice imitation marble or rock reptile water dish. Very sturdy, not even my jumbos knock them over

The dishes sold for reptiles are usually pretty shallow. The larger ones that I've seen can be expensive. You can get clear plastic tupperware or glad containers cheaply and they work well as pools. They are also easy to poke holes in for zip ties to attach ladders for the crabs.

while my new tank hasn't been fully tested yet, I have made a piece of plexi that runs from front to the back of the tank for the bowls to sit on. This way they can't be knocked over.