HCA: Hermit Crab Association

As I was checking the crabitat today (we get the crabs tomorrow) I noticed mold on and in the coconut hidey hut. Is there anyway to clean it and return it to the crabitat safely?

You can run it under boiling hot water, wipe it dry with a paper towel and soak it in salt water for an hour. Thatll virtually mold proof any decor.


Crabbers unite!!!

Thanks! I've got it soaking now!

Crabbers unite!!!

I put it back only to notice mold on my castle. Guess it's soaking overnight in salt water. We're leaving tomorrow to get the crabs, and I want everything perfect. I'm not sure how to lower my humidity without making it tank. It was a fine line between barely 70% and now 90%

Story of my life. My humidity stays 95-99%. I do have oversized pools that both bubble.. But still!! I actually had a smaaaall spraybottle of SW handy. When i saw a spot of mold on the climbing wood, i would spritz that spot to stop it from spreading. Eventually mold probs went away for good, unless there was some food molding. I am definitely gearing up for some isopod hunting this spring and summer!
Btw mold is harmless to crabs. Crabs can eat mold with no issues. Mold supposedly naturally wears itself out. After it EXPLODES upon whatever goody it is nomming on, it runs out of [food] and goes away. However mold really drives me nuts so i like to SMITE it quickly.
Also my initial wetting of the substrate is with SW at the top 3 inches, and 50/50 SW/FW below that. Be careful not to over salt your tat. Salt burns can burn crabs too.


Crabbers unite!!!

YYWW wrote:Story of my life. My humidity stays 95-99%. I do have oversized pools that both bubble.. But still!! I actually had a smaaaall spraybottle of SW handy. When i saw a spot of mold on the climbing wood, i would spritz that spot to stop it from spreading. Eventually mold probs went away for good, unless there was some food molding. I am definitely gearing up for some isopod hunting this spring and summer!
Btw mold is harmless to crabs. Crabs can eat mold with no issues. Mold supposedly naturally wears itself out. After it EXPLODES upon whatever goody it is nomming on, it runs out of [food] and goes away. However mold really drives me nuts so i like to SMITE it quickly.
Also my initial wetting of the substrate is with SW at the top 3 inches, and 50/50 SW/FW below that. Be careful not to over salt your tat. Salt burns can burn crabs too.


Crabbers unite!!!

Mine stays that high too. I wonder if I take out 1 side of the glass and just use my screen lid if it would make a difference dropping it to the right level as opposed to letting it all out. Hmm...or my heat.

Going without glass lids is not an option for me. It causes the humidity to spike and plummet, and can't ever stay constant at any level.
I think its the bubblers, mostly. I completely stopped misting since the upgrade, but the 75g is maintaining its own rainforest in there. I'd air it out to 20% or lower, but once the lid goes back on it will climb back to 90%+.


Crabbers unite!!!

Well the coco-hut is moldy again. I think the only way to (hopefully) avoid it would be to remove the fibers off of it, but I'm not sure how I could remove the fibers. To top it off, Jasmine apparently likes to hide in it, either in her "hole" with her entire shell sticking out, or by hanging upside down in it like a bat. Ask me how I found out about that one.

Lol @ bat crab.
Did you soak it in SW? For long?
Cocohuts are very moldable. I personally avoid them i'd boil it in SW if you're set on using it tho!


Crabbers unite!!!

It soaked in SW over night, and still molded. I have nothing else to use as a hide. And considering it's Jasmine using it, I'm pretty sure anything to replace it would have to be solid, nothing see through like a soda bottle bottom, because she is pretty shy. She will freeze and immediately hide if we even enter the room and she's out.

Awww! My wood did still mold in spots after soaking, but i would spritz the spots with SW until the mold seemed to die. Instead of being fuzzy, it lay limp and seemed to shrink a bit.
I tossed the cholla. All those holes made it super moldable. I try to buy goodwood that is bone dry and smooth looking.
Hides i'm still working on. I'm going to line a cabinet shelf with some plastic plant garlands, but i need to make it look a certain way Please check out the pic when i'm done!


Crabbers unite!!!

I've been able to keep my humidity between 75-80 but the glass keeps gettin covered in condensation, but the thing that got me searching for this topic is I just noticed a spot of mold on the substrate, should I just scoop it out and spray down with sw?

You can just scoop it. This happens time to time, usually from crabs taking some food to go. If your entire sub floor was molding, that would be another story!


Crabbers unite!!!

My crabbies hidey always has outbreaks of mold,no matter what I do to control it..I've boiled,soaked,baked..ugh!! Lol it's such an eyesore4 me& my husband is allergic to mold..I just clean it up every week until I find something different or figure it out


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