HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi All,

Below is a link to my crabitat. Please let me know if this crabitat is suitable for my hermit crabs. I currently have 8 of them inside. Thanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsEhsoYLODg

What size tank is it do you know? It looks a little small to house 8 crabs.
The substrate looks like it needs to be a little deeper. Around 6 inches, or 3 times higher than your largest crab. It also looks a little dry, it needs to be sand castle consistency so they can dig without their caves collapsing.
The water dishes look a little shallow. They should be deep enough for all crabs to be able to fully submerge.
I didn't see any gauges. Those are needed to know if the heat and humidity are too high or low. The temperature needs to be around 80 degrees and the humidity should be around 80%.
I will say, your crabs are beautiful! Thanks for sharing your tank

Thanks for the reply.

Its about 16 gallon tank (I think). Substrates are 6 inches deep and I constantly mist the tank daily. I live in Singapore which is near the equator, the weather is all year round hot and humid.

Only the water dish is deep enough for submerge. Does the salt water dish need to be deep enough for submerge too?

Yes, both dishes need to be deep enough. Especially saltwater

-CrabzLove

I believe (may be wrong), that the crabs use the SW (salt water) to bathe and soak in . At least my crabbies do . (:

I agree with crabzlove, A deeper salt water should be added.
8 crabs in a 16 gallon, that's a lot. I don't know how else to say it If you ask me a 40 gallon would probably be more appropriate.

I agree. What breed are they? Asian breeds are exotic breeds that require more space, whether to climb or dig. A 40gallon breeder would be a good minimum size for 8 crabs. I would go with a minimum of 50-55 gallons, so that i wont need to upgrade for a while.
I also agree that both pools should be deep enough for submerging. Crabs need to be able to clean themselves. It wiuld be best if it is deep enough for you to put a fake plant into it. Crabs can grab onto the plant and invert, in order to flush the inside of the shell clean.


Crabbers unite!!!

Hey shinynova!I'm from Singapore too!You can purchase either eco-earth or playsand.Eco-Earth(8 quartz)can be purchased at petmart for $15.Playsand can be bought from far east floral for $25per bag(25kg),your crabs are most probably ruggies since that is the only legal species that can be kept as pets in Singapore!You can also purchase reptile water bowls from petmart but I would advise you to go to a dollar shop and purchase a food container for $2.If you have any questions about crabbing in Singapore feel free to ask!(Curious:Where did you buy your crabs?)

Hello Shinynova!
You tank looks rather good, however all the ideas listed are a good starting point and will help your hermies immensely. If you need to calculate your tank size, I suggest looking here; a great site that I love using. Rather quick and easy to use too, not to mention if you ever get an upgrade - which you probably will - you can calculate the unusual tank dimensions with ease.