HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have added a new feature to my crabitat and would like to see if there is any downside to it. I added one of the half log hideaways underground to make a cave like area. Is there any disadvantage to this? I figured it would be nice for them to dig down and not have to worry about the top collapsing. it is a small hideaway so there is still plenty of sub for them to dig around in.Any feedback?

Wow that is so smart!!! But i dont know the side effects so ill be following to find out also

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Its believed that crabs choose to dig near hard surfaces, so it would be interesting to see if it is true. I don't see a problem with it TBH, but probably someone else can give a bit more light.

Hmmm...

I wonder if diggers would find it to be a place to snack on molting crabs? Or if they dig underneath it and cause it to collapse on top of molters?

I'm trying to think like a crab, haha.

Since they tunnel all through the substrate and backfill their tunnels, I think it might be safe to say that the cave wouldn't last long, at any rate, before it got filled with sand.

I've used an underground "stump cave" for years and the crabs love it. It's one of those resin mangrove aquarium ornaments with lots of twisty roots. I put it flat on the glass bottom and bury it in sub all the way up to the top so you can barely see that it is there. The top of the stump is hollow, so they like to hang out in there during the day. Every time I've found a molter during a deep clean it's either been in a corner, or under or around the stump. Underneath it is always littered with inedible claw tips from past molts. Back when my crabs were smaller and I had lower substrate they used to dig a tunnel from the cave underneath the stump to the surface, so they had TWO stump caves. It seems to be one of their favorite places in the tank.

TSCrabber wrote:I've used an underground "stump cave" for years and the crabs love it. It's one of those resin mangrove aquarium ornaments with lots of twisty roots. I put it flat on the glass bottom and bury it in sub all the way up to the top so you can barely see that it is there. The top of the stump is hollow, so they like to hang out in there during the day. Every time I've found a molter during a deep clean it's either been in a corner, or under or around the stump. Underneath it is always littered with inedible claw tips from past molts. Back when my crabs were smaller and I had lower substrate they used to dig a tunnel from the cave underneath the stump to the surface, so they had TWO stump caves. It seems to be one of their favorite places in the tank.

Nobody ever came up missing or a bad Molt or attack?

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It's happened before, but I've never found an empty shell by the stump. They're always in other parts of the tank.