New Crabitat - Help!

[Stargazer]

I'm brand new to hermit crabs, and am trying to set up my terrarium to accommodate one. I got a hermit crab on a whim thinking they would be a fun and easy pet, but now that I have realized this is not the case, I'm committed to trying to keep it alive and happy. I have a few questions, mostly around heating. Right now all of this has been costing me more than I anticipated, so I'm trying to be economical also...it seems like I could spend a few hundred dollars on some of this stuff if I wanted to.

1.) I bought a tiny 4W heater, but it hardly does anything in my 10gal aquarium. I'm thinking of returning it. What other options do I have for good temperature control? I thought of a larger heater, but I'm a little concerned about the fire risks with electric heaters w/ no automatic temperature shutoff. I thought about lights, but they say that hermit crabs need a natural day/night cycle. Also, most of the heat lamps seem to be really large - I've seen recommendations of a 15W bulb for a 10gal aquarium, but I haven't found any heat lamps under 60W. There are the UV lamps too, but I don't want to use UV due to the eye/skin exposure hazards with prolonged use. Would infrared be good?

2.) What's the best method for moisture control? I currently use a misting water bottle twice a day...the humidity will typically drop from 90% to 70% over 12 hours or so if I keep the top of the tank covered with something like aluminum foil. Uncovered, the humidity drops really fast.

3.) For substrate, I made the mistake of thinking that hermit crab sand was actually designed for hermit crabs...who would have thought it was a major hermit crab killer? I was going to replace it with quikrete playsand, but that's apparently a known human respiratory carcinogen, so I'm not sure if I want it in my home (even though inhalation risk should be low if it stays moist). All of the other substrates seem super-expensive - like $60+ to get the 6in depth that is recommended. Any other thoughts?

[Flandry]

Hi and welcome to HCA! I was in your shoes a few months ago when my son wanted a hermit crab from the souvenir shop at the beach during our family's vacation. From the moment we walked out of the store I've been reading and researching to learn all I can. So I'll pass on a few things. But please be aware that others on the forums have more experience than I.

1. The easiest way to heat your tank is with an undertank heating pad. You just want to make sure you mount it on the back of the tank above the substrate - not underneath as you'd do for reptiles. Because you're heating the air in the tank a fair amount, you need quite a large mat. That means your 4 watt pad is definitely not up tot the task and you need to ignore the recommended sizes on the packaging. It's been recommended to me to buy the biggest thing you can put on the tank. I originally started with a 20- gallon tank and a Zoomed 24 watt (large) heat pad. But I found it wasn't quite heating up the tank enough. However, that size might actually work well in your smaller tank. I just set up a new 29 gallon tank and have installed an 11"x29" 38 watt Ultratherm heatpad. Unlike the other pads, Ultratherms can be safely insulated so all their heat is directed toward the tank. While fire is a concern, bear in mind heat pads are generally lower in wattage than incandescent bulbs used in small lamps and generate less heat than things like your refrigerator compressor. As for using lights, there's a good writeup in the FAQs section. You'll find heat lamps and day/night cycle lighting are two different things and things can get involved rather quickly.

2. To trap moisture, you need to keep the tank covered. I started with a reptile tank with an open grill top. Like you, I was losing moisture fast and had to mist every other day. I then covered the lid with a piece of clear plastic, which helped a lot. I've also tried covering the top with a towel and that works well too. With my new tank, I'm using a glass top cover.

3. For substrate, some people use play sand. Some use shredded coconut fiber (called Eco Earth). But it appears the majority use a mix of both. Like many, I'm using a mix and have gone with the recommended 5 parts sand to one part Eco Earth. I really wouldn't be concerned about respiratory issues. Sand can be carcinogenic when dry, windy conditions produce dust that can easily be breathed in large amounts. By contrast, the sand in your crabitat needs to stay moist enough for the crabs to tunnel and make burrows in. This means it needs to stay wet (about sand castle consistency). Add to that the fact that your tank will need to stay mostly covered to trap moist air. So it seems unlikely that your house would end up with a significant amount of sand particles in the air.

If it helps, I've posted a details of the new tank I've just put online. It includes links to items I purchased. I'm hoping to get feedback on it from others and their comments might be helpful to you as well.

[Rawrgeous]

Hi, Welcome to the HCA! Flandry pretty much covered the UTH basics. I will add to the post about substrate and add I use quikcrete playsand, and I have asthma with no ill effects. With as moist as it stays in the crabitat the particles do no get up into the air. If you are concerned there are crabbers that use exclusively Eco Earth, I just think you have to watch moisture a bit more to ensure it doesn't become oversaturated. Some claim that the 5:1 ratio has made their molt times faster- truly it is personal preference, though I do follow the 5:1 ratio (roughly at least). The humidity suggestions are great,and I used saran wrap and a metal grated lid for a long time. But I will mention bubbler pools as they are a great way to create humidity without misting. A quick search in the search bar should find you how to set those up. I highly suggest finding a way to get your humidity stable without misting daily, as the water can pool at the bottom, and you can end up with over-saturated sub/ a flood. As far as the calci-sand goes I suggest not wetting it down as it can act like concrete on a crab's abdomen... If you haven't had the chance read through our care guides listed here http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 51&t=92457 . There are also several stickies that would be beneficial to read in each subforum. Good luck! Also, remember that everyone was new once, we've all been there!

[Stargazer]

Thanks a bunch for the tips! With regards to covering the top of the tank, are there any concerns that it would suffocate my poor crab? I also worry that by keeping it covered most of the time, the moist and stagnant air will lead to a lot of bacteria/mold growth. Is this something I need to worry about?

[Flandry]

Thanks a bunch for the tips! With regards to covering the top of the tank, are there any concerns that it would suffocate my poor crab? I also worry that by keeping it covered most of the time, the moist and stagnant air will lead to a lot of bacteria/mold growth. Is this something I need to worry about?

I leave a small gap for air to circulate and haven't had a problem. If you use an air pump to bubble your water through air stones, that'll circulate air as well. Right now, I'm experimenting with finding the right amount of gap to keep the humidity at the right level. In my old tank I struggled to keep enough humidity in. In my new one I'm working to keep the humidity from getting too high.

[Rawrgeous]

The air exchange from feeding should be enough, and like flandry said, if there's air stones that will pump in fresh air.

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