HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I'm curious as i have only purchased pre made sub from thcp and never mixed my own. For my 20 gallon long how many bags of play sand do i need and how many ee bricks ? Also do you add water to the sand or is the moist ee enough ? I want to redo my sub.... My self and would like to master it because it's just too costly to purchase from thcp now my dad is able to pick up sand for me and drop it of when he visits me i have access to sand (which i didn't before as i don't drive ). Help is appreciated this is def an area i haven't mastered at all

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You need to expand the bricks first by letting them soak in a bucket of (treated) water.

Once the bricks have grown in volume, dump some sand, and then some EE, in the aquarium and mix by hand. Repeat until you reach the desired depth.

Don't went the sand; the EE will be wet enough and you can always add more water later.

I would use two bags of sand and 2 bricks of EE.

Nate the great wrote:You need to expand the bricks first by letting them soak in a bucket of (treated) water.

Once the bricks have grown in volume, dump some sand, and then some EE, in the aquarium and mix by hand. Repeat until you reach the desired depth.

Don't went the sand; the EE will be wet enough and you can always add more water later.

I would use two bags of sand and 2 bricks of EE.

I know how to make the ee but I'm more wondering exactly how to mix a proper 5:1 ratio mix for a 20 gallon long. From what i read i thought it was 4 bags of sand. And since its way less ee i wasn't sure if that even would be enough to keep the sand damp enough

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I have a 10 gallon tank & do playsand & EE. I bought a bag of EE, as I found it softer & more fine than the bricks you moisten yourself. I got a big pan & poured 4 cups at a time of sand, poured about 3/4 cup of salt water & mixed it (adding more sand or water if needed.. I would test it by picking up a handful & squeezing it to make sure it'd stay formed but not drip).. Then I'd add a cup of EE. It's seriously perfect. Consistent moisture all the way through, perfect humidity & the crabs have been seemingly happy. I didn't even use 1 full bag of playsand. My sub is at least 7" deep. So maybe you'd need 2 bags, depending how deep you want your sand. And 1 bag of EE would do.

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I have a 20 long. I've been using the ratio to where after every five cups of sand I put in, I add a cup of EE. I have my sisters help me to speed up the process a little, I add in the stuff, and they break up the pieces of EE into the sand. It's a long process, but it works. Because of the ratio, I can get away with using about 2-3 bags of 50 pounds of playsand, and I'm not sure as far as EE goes, because my mom cut up my bricks when I got them.

PinchersAndShells wrote:I have a 20 long. I've been using the ratio to where after every five cups of sand I put in, I add a cup of EE. I have my sisters help me to speed up the process a little, I add in the stuff, and they break up the pieces of EE into the sand. It's a long process, but it works. Because of the ratio, I can get away with using about 2-3 bags of 50 pounds of playsand, and I'm not sure as far as EE goes, because my mom cut up my bricks when I got them.

Thanks but what do i use to measure each amount am i literally pouring the sand in from a measure cup and which size ? And am i doing the same for ee? I always thought "eh I'll just buy it pre made its easy " but I'm way to poor to afford 93 for pre mixed sub to fill my tank !

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I'm getting my dad's 75 gallon and stand in a a couple months so i wanna learn how to mix the sub there's no way i could afford pre mixed hcp sub to fill a 75 gallon so i gotta learn this

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Yes, literally you can use a measuring cup. I scooped it out of the bag like I was baking. It takes a long time. Or use a container you know is a specific amount (I have porcelain coffee mugs that I know are a cup that I use for cooking sometimes).. A cup is a cup. Just make sure it's clean, obviously. I know you know hermit crab safety/safe products. As someone mentioned, assembly lines are helpful lol. Some people make a bigger batch by using a 5 gallon bucket to mix. But then, you'd have to be careful to not throw your back out trying to lift it into the tank lol. Buddy system! Or, do as I did & use a large cooking pot to mix several small batches.

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JDL_1104 wrote:Yes, literally you can use a measuring cup. I scooped it out of the bag like I was baking. It takes a long time. Or use a container you know is a specific amount (I have porcelain coffee mugs that I know are a cup that I use for cooking sometimes).. A cup is a cup. Just make sure it's clean, obviously. I know you know hermit crab safety/safe products. As someone mentioned, assembly lines are helpful lol. Some people make a bigger batch by using a 5 gallon bucket to mix. But then, you'd have to be careful to not throw your back out trying to lift it into the tank lol. Buddy system! Or, do as I did & use a large cooking pot to mix several small batches.

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Man that sounds like a pain that's why i bought the pre made stuff but i just can't afford it its gonna take forever for a 75 gallon Jesus well should be getting to work on this next week i expect my molter to come up soon it's been a month now just wanna get this done could i pre make it and seal i up in a plastic pvc bags like 4 layers there into a sealed tote until my guy comes up than dumb it in ?

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So is 1 part ee to 5 parts sand can't i just get a 5 cup measuring cup dump in 5 cups of sand at one than use a 1 cup to add in one cup scoop off ee and keep doing it until its filled up 7 inches (I'm trying to do a little more than 6)

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It doesn't have to be an exact ratio, for my 55 I used 3 bricks of ee and 4 bags of sand. That gave me roughly 10 inches. The method you mentioned would be a sure way to be accurate though.

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Meh, I don't over think it. When I start a new tank, I throw the brick or bricks of Eco Earth into the bottom and add a few inches of dechlorinated water. After the EE has expanded and soaked up all or most of the water, I dump in the sand and mix by hand. If it's too dry, I add more water by the pitcher full. If it's too wet, I add more sand.

My two 20L tanks have 1/2 brick EE and about 2-3 bags of sand in each. I fill all of my tanks half full of substrate because it settles over time. It gives me less room to decorate, but I don't go all out like most of y'all do. I just throw in a bunch of grape wood and call it good. I decorate for them, not me. I don't care about fake plastic plants and such.

Hint: use warm water, your crabitat will maintain proper temperatures quicker if you use warm water to mix everything up.

mool wrote:Meh, I don't over think it. When I start a new tank, I throw the brick or bricks of Eco Earth into the bottom and add a few inches of dechlorinated water. After the EE has expanded and soaked up all or most of the water, I dump in the sand and mix by hand. If it's too dry, I add more water by the pitcher full. If it's too wet, I add more sand.

My two 20L tanks have 1/2 brick EE and about 2-3 bags of sand in each. I fill all of my tanks half full of substrate because it settles over time. It gives me less room to decorate, but I don't go all out like most of y'all do. I just throw in a bunch of grape wood and call it good. I decorate for them, not me. I don't care about fake plastic plants and such.

Hint: use warm water, your crabitat will maintain proper temperatures quicker if you use warm water to mix everything up.

Thanks for the tip !! Makes sense to me it method sounds less stressful

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For a 75 gallon, start with 2-3 bricks of EE and 5-6 bags of sand and see where that puts you.

The thing about ratios is it doesn't matter the actual type of measurements you use, so long as it's 5:1. I use a big bowl to scoop out sand, do that five times, and then fill that same bowl with EE once and then mix it all up (I also use the 5:1 ratio for making it sand castle consistency, so 5 parts sand to 1 part water). As long as you're consistent with the amounts, the measurement tool doesn't matter


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