HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello I'm a kind of person that likes to make my own things for my tank I was wondering what can I use to preserve the wood that I use to make things out of I hear soak in salt water did that but seams to me the mold still comes around so is there anything out there to use or am I blowing in the wind with the wood deal and just do plastic

Mold won’t harm the crabs, but anything organic is gonna be a risk.


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What about a bacterial bloom under the substrate if the wood is under like a wood pillar

Buried wood could lead to a bacterial bloom if it rots under the substrate, yes.


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I personally don't boil any of my wood. When the wood first goes in my tank sometimes it molds and then it dies off. Like it has already been mentioned, mold doesn't hurt the crabs, but it can hurt us if we breathe it.

I haven't had any issues using chunks of bark I gathered in the woods so far. Once I collect it I will bake it off in the oven for an hour or so to get rid of any bugs. I use saltwater for my substrate so that seems to help keep mold down as well.

Eventually due to the high humidity inside the tank wood items will eventually need to be replaced treated or untreated. Items such as bark will breakdown faster than something like a wooden ladder.