HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Wow. I dont think it's been quite 2 full years yet but I'm already upgrading. Never thought I'd be building a second tank right now but here I am! The face of crab-addiction lol


Just picked up my new tank today and it is perfect. 65 gal, 18 wide, 30 long, 24 tall. Got a glass lid with a joint in the middle. Guy I bought it from said he'd actually had hermit crabs in it!!

This represents a 20 gallon upgrade from my current tank. I currently have 5 medium to medium large crabs. The plan is to add 2/3 teenies/smalls and then hopefully just have this tat and colony for the foreseeable future. I think even w the addition of 2/3 more little guys this tat should be comfortable for everyone for at least a few years.

Gonna do egg crate and make lots of ledges/ramps. My BF just bought a new house that still needs alot of work before we're ready to move over. It will probably be 2/3 weeks before I'm ready to actually set this thing up. I cant wait for it to be finished!!!

Now how the heck am I gonna heat/humidify this thing???



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Upgrading is always fun! Actually the larger the tank the easier it is to keep it stable. Of course get a uth that covers the entire back, above substrate. I have a 90 gallon and have no problem with heat/humidity.

One thing I'm wondering is, maybe it's good to have a temperature differential? In reptile husbandry you usually want one part of the tank to be cooler than the other. I dont really hear anyone talking about this re: hermit crabs but I've always tried to have a cool side in my tat

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The way we set up the tanks, there is natural temperature differences - for example, the front of the tank will naturally be cooler than the back...

And of course, micro climates still occur (some spots will be naturally warmer than others due to positioning (top/bottom, near front/back or gaps in lid, water dishes ect)

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And they will dig down sometimes to cool off too.

Hi! I have a 37 gallon tank for my adult crabs, the tank measures 30” long by 12.5” deep by 24” tall. I use the 23” by 11” Ultratherm from ReptileBasics to heat the crabitat, and it works very well! (Sometimes too well, so now its on a thermostat.) I have 12” of substrate in the tank so I don’t have to worry about heating areas lower than that. I would suggest starting out with just this heat mat and then adding another to the side(s) of the tank as needed.

I was going to recommend reptilebasics for a heat mat for your tank, like pinchersandshells said. I have found them to be a little cheaper than beanfarm. I love your new tank, I can’t wait to see how you set it up, and your new crabbies added to your colony. I know what your going through with the move and waiting to set up a new tank, we were supposed to be moving in June and our house needed a little more than we thought. I like the dimensions of your new tank, you’ll have a lot of room for substrate and plenty of climby room left. So exciting! Congratulations on your new tank, very nice!

So I got the tat stand. I didnt think to take a picture of the tank on the stand so I'm kicking myself about that but I will the next time at at the new house. In the meantime, heres a picture of the "stand". Its a dresser, the tat will go on top (obvs) and I'll keep my crab supplies in the drawers!



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Looks awesome. I'd reccomend adding additional supports to the legs (like more legs) or cutting the legs off. A 65g tank filled with substrate will be heavy, and I think those 4 small legs won't be able to support the tank well.

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aussieJJDude wrote:Looks awesome. I'd reccomend adding additional supports to the legs (like more legs) or cutting the legs off. A 65g tank filled with substrate will be heavy, and I think those 4 small legs won't be able to support the tank well.

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I was actually really concerned about this, but I have a friend who is a contractor who told me that it should be able to support the weight. I'm gonna see how it goes. Fingers crossed!

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ROSIEonFIRE wrote:So I got the tat stand. I didnt think to take a picture of the tank on the stand so I'm kicking myself about that but I will the next time at at the new house. In the meantime, heres a picture of the "stand". Its a dresser, the tat will go on top (obvs) and I'll keep my crab supplies in the drawers!



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I'm in LOVE with this stand!!!!! So jelly about this whole thread can't wait to see pictures!!!!!!!

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ROSIEonFIRE wrote:I was actually really concerned about this, but I have a friend who is a contractor who told me that it should be able to support the weight. I'm gonna see how it goes. Fingers crossed!

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Ah ok. That's good. It's always good to have a qualified opinion!

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aussieJJDude wrote:Ah ok. That's good. It's always good to have a qualified opinion!

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I'm still scared though! But my friend said the worst that would happen is that the top would warp. I figure it was worth trying, hopefully if it cant hold the weight it won't just COLLAPSE lol. Well see!

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ciaraalston wrote:I'm in LOVE with this stand!!!!! So jelly about this whole thread can't wait to see pictures!!!!!!!

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Thanks Ciara! Well see if it holds!

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ROSIEonFIRE wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 12, 2019 9:16 am

I'm still scared though! But my friend said the worst that would happen is that the top would warp. I figure it was worth trying, hopefully if it cant hold the weight it won't just COLLAPSE lol. Well see!

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I was picturing a collapse.