HCA: Hermit Crab Association

So, discovered heat pad not working. No nearby store, online order nearly 10 days waiting. What to do?



Had a think. I use an aquarium tank that came with a submersible thermostatic heater. Searched cupboards, found heater. Found a suitable bottle and carried out measurements and test. Siliconed bottle top,let set. Then cut base off bottom of bottle. Inserted heater, turned on full (outside of bottle doesn't go above 75f). Buried bottle 3/4 into substrate,filled empty space with de-chlorinated water. Crabitat now at 83% hum, and 74f temp. Bingo! Will do as a quick fix. Kept bottle smooth so crabs cannot climb sides. Checked surrounding substrate and all is well phew! Einstein,Dave,Hewy and Dewy seem to be OK with it

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Clever! Necessity is the mother of invention.

As someone who had a heater explode once, please keep it temporary!

For added safety, I suggest covering the top or placing a plant in there so if the crabs do make their way into the heater they have a way out.
But I imagine that would work quite well, pretty good DIY!

Checked with manufacturer. They said that this product is made without creating any vacum. To suggest it can explode is stupid. It has a designed life span of between 10 & 15 years. But regularly outlasts the aquarium it is placed in.
The manufacturer has told me that providing I take precaution to keep the created resivoure topped up there will be no problem with the unit. They do advise though that it may be an idea to cover the top of the reservoir,just in case..
So if you have suffered an explosive thermometer of this type. Your a liar.
To date. This unit performs well. Has NO issues. Provides heat and humidity just right for my hermit crabs.

First of all-the manufacturer is almost never going to admit that a product can be faulty. These types of heaters aren't even recommended in crab tanks as they are designed to heat larger amounts of water than we would keep in a crabitat.

Personal attacks are in violation of HCA rules and I have PM'd you.

Not everyone has the same experiences with the same products or type of product.

Guys I just wanted to link you to some info on a recall about 5 years ago. Aquarium heaters can explode.

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2011/Aqu ... n-Hazards/

Lol and he says that to the crab whisperer lmao! Wodesorel knows more about hermit crabs than any body... Didn't Wodesorel have a successful captivity breed??

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This thread is being locked until I can get to a PC and clean up the comments that violate our community rules.

Personal attacks aren't allowed for any reason.

Civil debates are fine and threads are to remain on topic.

Legitimate sources are encouraged to back up any statements or scientific claims. (This includes peer reviewed studies and scholarly articles)

Thank you guys for understanding. We want to keep this forum civil and focus on the crabs, not interpersonal drama.