How hot is too hot?

[Ilovehermies74]

I am just wondering how hot in my crabitat is too hot. I am at 85 durring the day and i was wondering if that will hurt them

thanks

[CallaLily]

85 is fine. The safe zone for PPs is 75-85F. Es 80-90. Other species may have slightly different requirements. Hotter can be ok if there are cooler areas in the tank. Try moving your thermometer to different locations. You'll probably find that it varies some within your crabitat.

In summer my tanks can reach up into the 90s with some cooler areas.

[Ilovehermies74]

ok thanks i just wanted to make sure it was ok

[CallaLily]

No problem.

[Ilovehermies74]

what about night time? how cold is too cold then? Srry about all the temperature issues, but i live in fridged minnesota

[CallaLily]

For PPs, temps under 75F can cause sluggishness. Extended periods below 70F can lead to serious health issues, including death.

For Es, below 80 can lead to inactivity. Extended periods in the low 70s or less can be a serious concern, again leading to illness and death.

"Exotics" may have slightly different extreme temperature ranges.

If your night time temps dip below the lowest recommended temp for a short period of time this probably wont cause issue, unless it's extremely low for several hours.

Someone who's taken more of a gamble with temps, or had a power outage or something, may chime in with more definite numbers.

[wodesorel]

I found that temps as low as 70 at night have never been a problem in the summer, so long as the tank warms up well past 80 during the day. They are a lot like reptiles - they aren't able to produce their own body heat - and so in order to digest and function properly they have to be able to warm up during the day like they would out in the wild. If your tank is between 75 and 82, it seems to be better for them to stay stable 24 hours a day rather than let it drop at night.

If you're curious as to what they would have been living in before being collected, there's good weather records online for major cities in the Caribbean. Most of our crabs are collected from Haiti, where it stays been 75 to 90 degrees (average of 84), with temps below 70 being extremely rare.