Substrate moistness over time

[judywapner]

So my tank has been set up for about three months and everything is good, humidity and temp are great and always have been. Yesterday I noticed that one of my crabs was digging near the surface and the sand he was digging up was kind of dry and crumbly I have been spraying the sand a bit...should I be spraying more often? I'm worried that the bottom sand is drying out but it looks good through the sides of the tank and I don't want to flood my tank by dumping too much water in there. How do you guys make sure that the sand doesn't dry out?

[wodesorel]

It's hard! It will dry out from the top down, so as long as you keep those first few inches good everything underneath should stay the right consistency. I usually dump in water - literally dump - across the surface a couple times a month in winter to keep it all moist enough, but I have a dry house and a leaky tank. Everyone eventually finds their own thing that works for them. Some spray a lot. (I do this in my other critter tanks, I have a $10 pump sprayer and coat the surface about once a week on those to keep it at the right level.) Some dump water. Some use a fogger or humidifier. There's a lot of different methods, but you do have to be careful not to go overkill and flood the very bottom out. Another trip is keeping the tank sealed up which will allow the moisture from farther down to wick up and keep the surface moister.

[Bonk]

I use bubblers in my pools which sends out quite a spray over time to keep the top layer moist, but also about once per week I get a jug of water, pour a decent amount into one spot and before it can sink through the layers too much I grab my spade and churn the top layer so that that area is moist. Repeat throughout the tank. It takes only a few seconds and wholla! Damp top layer.