HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I just ordered an Ultratherm from Bean Farm. After realizing the size I ordered will cover the entire back of the tank minus 1 inch, I've been wondering if this will lead to lower humidity and dry substrate.

Do I need to swap sizes for something that will sit above substrate?

And my hermies have buried themselves along the back wall of the tank where the UTH will go. Will adding the UTH be too much of an immediate temperature change for anyone molting/destressing right near the glass?

Thanks!


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Hello! I know from my experience from crabbing you want to have a cool side and a warmer side. The UTH should be above the sub, because you do not want it to dry out your sub. I would recommend you get a smaller size. For example: Mine is the largest Zoomed UTH, and it covers 1/3 of my tank. I have mine 2" above sub. I live in Florida. Very warm here. House is 77 degrees. Tank is by a large window. Sometimes my UTH is too warm for my tank and I unplug it. I do not use lights for heat. You always want to make sure your temp & humidity are on point. If your temp is too low, you can use lights to raise it. You have to be careful though. There is a lot of valuable info in the care section of this forum under heating and light. Good luck! I'm sure a moderator will answer you shortly! Welcome to the site!

[quote="pandapopulus"]I just ordered an Ultratherm from Bean Farm. After realizing the size I ordered will cover the entire back of the tank minus 1 inch, I've been wondering if this will lead to lower humidity and dry substrate.

Do I need to swap sizes for something that will sit above substrate?

And my hermies have buried themselves along the back wall of the tank where the UTH will go. Will adding the UTH be too much of an immediate temperature change for anyone molting/destressing right near the glass?

Thanks![quote]

Yes, you'll want to change your order for a smaller unit. Ideally, the proper size should not dip more than 1" below the top of the substrate while covering as much of the length of the tank as possible. For example, I have a 29g, 30Lx12Wx18H, so I ordered an 11"x23" Ultratherm from ReptileBasics.com. This size allows me to have 7-8" substrate plus a 7" "cooler" area on one side of the tank. The cooler area is where I've placed the moss pit, the shell shop and hammock.

No, attaching the Ultratherm near where crabs are buried won't disturb or harm them...in fact, they'll feel even cozier and happier.

Crabinski wrote:

pandapopulus wrote:I just ordered an Ultratherm from Bean Farm. After realizing the size I ordered will cover the entire back of the tank minus 1 inch, I've been wondering if this will lead to lower humidity and dry substrate.

Do I need to swap sizes for something that will sit above substrate?

And my hermies have buried themselves along the back wall of the tank where the UTH will go. Will adding the UTH be too much of an immediate temperature change for anyone molting/destressing right near the glass?

Thanks!

Yes, you'll want to change your order for a smaller unit. Ideally, the proper size should not dip more than 1" below the top of the substrate while covering as much of the length of the tank as possible. For example, I have a 29g, 30Lx12Wx18H, so I ordered an 11"x23" Ultratherm from ReptileBasics.com. This size allows me to have 7-8" substrate plus a 7" "cooler" area on one side of the tank. The cooler area is where I've placed the moss pit, the shell shop and hammock.

No, attaching the Ultratherm near where crabs are buried won't disturb or harm them...in fact, they'll feel even cozier and happier.

Thanks for the tips. Any idea how Bean Farm would feel about me using the incorrect size unit I ordered until I get the correct one and can return the incorrect one?


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You want your UTH to cover the back of your tank above the line of substrate.

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i have 6 1/2" of substrate in my ultra therm is right above the substrate but i heard it has to hang an inch below the sub is this true?
if so should i add a little more sand to make that happen? right now i dont need my heater because its super hot but i want to get it ready
for the fall/winter. i have it insulated with tin foil and cardboard than tin foil over that (hopefully thats good). anyway should i add a bit more sand???

isadoraisacat wrote:i have 6 1/2" of substrate in my ultra therm is right above the substrate but i heard it has to hang an inch below the sub is this true?
if so should i add a little more sand to make that happen? right now i dont need my heater because its super hot but i want to get it ready
for the fall/winter. i have it insulated with tin foil and cardboard than tin foil over that (hopefully thats good). anyway should i add a bit more sand???

It does not have to hang below the substrate at all.

How large is your largest crab? Ideally half of your tank would be full of substrate, however you want it at least 3X deeper than your largest crab.

Keep in mind that crabs will grow quickly in good conditions, so you'll want to always ensure that your substrate is deep enough.

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My largest is still rather small none of my crabs are big. Was just curious if the sub needed to be heated am inch to help warm them up. I just ordered 2 bags of sand so i will be adding a little more inches so i should be around an inch and a half higher so about 7 and a half to 8 inches.

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Its best to keep it above the substrate, but when I had my UTH *slightly* - a few inches at most - the crabs loved to dig in the dry sand and chill, it was one of their favourite places. As long as the majority of the substrate stays moist, it will be fine. Best is to keep the UTH above the substrate as its often harder to keep at a consistent "sandcastle consistency".

(No, it won't harm the crabs.)

Ok thanks for the tip !! I think I'm good than

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