HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Just got new hermit crabs about a week and a half ago. I've been getting them little things left and right, like a coconut hut and a little rock staircase. I'm planning on getting more substrate soon, just low on money and need someone to drive me. I just need to know what kinds of things I can put in their crabitat? Like I know they like to climb, and hide, and all that, but I see so many tanks that are big and I only have a 10 gallon tank with two crabs. So I want to hear everyone's idea on how I can rearrange and what I should get. I took it as I was switching out their water, so theres two little hollow spaces where that is. Their food is in a seashell near the corner. Picture below:

Some fake plants would probably spruce things up a lot, maybe consider hanging a basket of moss on the side and a way for the crabs to climb up into it.

Decorating in a 10 gallon can be tough, but it seems like you know all the basics that need to be covered which is good. My best advice would be to create some sort of 2nd level they can climb to (moss pit, shell shop), if you have the room once you add more substrate. Crabs can basically climb anything as long as its not smooth so they can grip it. Cholla wood is something crabs love to climb and is used a lot in crabitats, but any natural non-chemically-treated (NO lumber, painted wood, ect.) wood should do, just remember to soak it in salt water for like a day so it becomes mold-resistant.

Also remember NO metal.

Also maybe get some more shells in there, I see a couple and dunno if maybe you have more, but your crabs will always enjoy more variety.

Sorry if I wasn't much help, I'm not the greatest decorator myself and 10g's can be limiting. I think that's why most of us seem to catch the Tank-upgrade fever before too long.

I have a ten gallon aquarium. Lots of fake plants, beach grass, smooth rocks, cholla wood, a statue, and climbing vines for reptiles. I dont have a hidey hole because the vines offer plenty of shade and a hiding spot, plus they can climb on it. It definitely helped open up th tank a little more so they have room to do their crab thing.

Fish net is another good option: it doesn't take up room as it can be hung right up against the glass or even draped over other objects such as climbing stick. I haven't met a crab yet that doesn't love his fish net for climbing and napping...last night, the 3 crabs that are currently up were all hanging around in the netting for hours.

I love the rock staircase/hide you have in the corner, where did you find it? I saw one in a petstore display tank, but they didn't carry them for sale.

I also have a 10 gallon, space gets eaten up fast by pools, hides, etc., doesn't it? Our tank came with a big coconut hide and my husband picked up a half-log hide, not realizing how big it was until it was in the tank. My son is attached to both of these and won't let me get rid of either! So I'm trying to clear some floor space for digging by creating a second level. I made a mini moss pit (more like a nest) and hung it in a corner, freeing up the floor below, and that night the crabs started digging for the first time. Next step will be either a plastic corner shelf or soap dish in the opposite corner, so I can get rid of the shell shop below and free up that corner for digging. Pics:

Top view. The corner with the shell shop is the next one I'll free up when we put up the shelf. My husband suggested centering the rock pool on that short wall to free up both the front and back corners.


Here's the view from the corner with the new hanging moss nest. This was before they started digging, they have a burrow halfway down the glass now. The stick is a piece of oak my son picked out of our yard (sterilized in the oven); we didn't realize they eat oak bark, and they have completely stripped it!


The hide/moss half of the tank. The moss nest is a recycled cheese spread tub. I punched holes in it and "sewed" plastic craft mesh ($0.89/sheet) to it with jute twine ($2.99/roll), then cut slits in the plastic to slip Command cord clips through for hanging. The net ladder is made of the same jute twine (youtube "how to tie a basic fishnet"). The crabs prefer climbing to the nest directly from the log or coco-hut, though!


I've been browsing the photos around here looking for ideas to squeeze into my 10 gallon, would love to see what you wind up doing as well!

hprmom wrote:I love the rock staircase/hide you have in the corner, where did you find it? I saw one in a petstore display tank, but they didn't carry them for sale.

I also have a 10 gallon, space gets eaten up fast by pools, hides, etc., doesn't it? Our tank came with a big coconut hide and my husband picked up a half-log hide, not realizing how big it was until it was in the tank. My son is attached to both of these and won't let me get rid of either! So I'm trying to clear some floor space for digging by creating a second level. I made a mini moss pit (more like a nest) and hung it in a corner, freeing up the floor below, and that night the crabs started digging for the first time. Next step will be either a plastic corner shelf or soap dish in the opposite corner, so I can get rid of the shell shop below and free up that corner for digging. Pics:

Top view. The corner with the shell shop is the next one I'll free up when we put up the shelf. My husband suggested centering the rock pool on that short wall to free up both the front and back corners.


Here's the view from the corner with the new hanging moss nest. This was before they started digging, they have a burrow halfway down the glass now. The stick is a piece of oak my son picked out of our yard (sterilized in the oven); we didn't realize they eat oak bark, and they have completely stripped it!


The hide/moss half of the tank. The moss nest is a recycled cheese spread tub. I punched holes in it and "sewed" plastic craft mesh ($0.89/sheet) to it with jute twine ($2.99/roll), then cut slits in the plastic to slip Command cord clips through for hanging. The net ladder is made of the same jute twine (youtube "how to tie a basic fishnet"). The crabs prefer climbing to the nest directly from the log or coco-hut, though!


I've been browsing the photos around here looking for ideas to squeeze into my 10 gallon, would love to see what you wind up doing as well!

Thank you! I actually found it at Walmart. It was the only one left in the way back of the fish aquarium decorations. About ten bucks is what it costs. Lucky find!

I decided I'm going to get fish net and fake plants for them. Thank you all for the advice, and if anyone else has any to offer, please do!

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I figured out how to make fish net with hemp cord. Surprisingly easy. A little time consuming. But there is are a lot of DIY fish net tutorials available on YouTube ^^ let me just go ahead and say that its gonna take you two or three failed attempts before you get the tension and technique down. But its worth it since you can get quite a bit of use out of a whole roll of hemp cord. Plus that roll costs as much as a reptile hammock