HCA: Hermit Crab Association

In February 2015 I realized how bad my crabitat was. I changed things to make life better for my old, lonely crab. He had no humidity, barely an inch of sand, an UTH under one side of the tank, no friends, commercial food pellets, no salt water dish, and painted shells. He lived that way for a very long time and each time I pass his new tank I still feel the pangs of guilt I felt when I first realized how neglected he was. I am working hard to make amends for it, and I hope it shows.

The first photo is from February 2015, almost a year and a half ago. The second photo was taken yesterday.



I hope I've got his (and his buddy's) seal of approval now.

Well its got my set of approval! It looks really nice, is that wood piece (besides the cholla) real?
If so, nice choice.

Your new setup is amazing!

@Nakkida That looks awesome! It looks like an ExoTerra, do you prefer those to Aqueon Aquariums? Just wondering. Congratulations!


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IMS08 wrote:@Nakkida That looks awesome! It looks like an ExoTerra, do you prefer those to Aqueon Aquariums? Just wondering. Congratulations!

It is indeed an exo terra, it's a 24x18x18. I do prefer exo terra tanks because the front opening doors are SO convenient for me. I have a bad shoulder and anything that keeps me from lifting above that height is just perfect for me. I have an exo terra for each of my crested geckos and I had my heart set on one for the crabs. Only thing you might have to worry about is the depth of the sand, mine is about 7in deep but if you want to go higher you'll need to put a piece of plexiglass in the front to prevent sand from pouring out the doors when you open them.

aussieJJDude wrote:Well its got my set of approval! It looks really nice, is that wood piece (besides the cholla) real?
If so, nice choice.

Yes that piece is actually wood! I have no idea what kind, but it's an amazing shape and perfect for climbing. I got it from Petsmart, which is neat because they rarely have anything big and cool like that at my local store. Hopefully it lasts and doesn't rot. It doubles as a hide for them.

Nakkida wrote: Yes that piece is actually wood! I have no idea what kind,

Mopani? Looks great!

Your crabitat looks great! I have mopani wood and that one looks different. Perhaps driftwood? Beautiful piece either way! Is that your hermie climbing down from it? So cute!

That looks so refreshing and restful, I want to spend an hour there! That wood and the touches of green are amazing. Good job!

Really nice job! That large piece of wood looks like grapewood. I've found that soaking grapewood, mopani or cholla in saltwater and then drying it in a low temp oven (around 275 degrees) for about 90 minutes (or air drying outdoors if you're in a warm climate) cuts down on the mildew and wood rot.

Crabinski wrote:Really nice job! That large piece of wood looks like grapewood. I've found that soaking grapewood, mopani or cholla in saltwater and then drying it in a low temp oven (around 275 degrees) for about 90 minutes (or air drying outdoors if you're in a warm climate) cuts down on the mildew and wood rot.

Do you just dunk them in the Salt water or do u soak them for a certain amount of time?

what does that do to the wood to prevent the mildew and rot? Also dang nice job that is night and day right there.

ErikRasmussen wrote:what does that do to the wood to prevent the mildew and rot? Also dang nice job that is night and day right there.

Yes, soaking them in saltwater (mixed the same way you would for your crabs) and allowed to air dry or baking at a low temp for a few hours, will generally kill any unseen travellers on the wood and prevent mold from forming. Mold and mildew will still happen, just not at a greater rate than it would if you hadn't soaked the wood. It cuts down on any crawlies that may hatch out too.

Do you know how it does that though? What is it about the salt and heat that help prevent decay? How does it preserve it?

ErikRasmussen wrote:Do you know how it does that though? What is it about the salt and heat that help prevent decay? How does it preserve it?

It's just that salt pretty much inhibits things from growing on land. There use to be a phrase about salting the earth so nothing would ever grow again. People would raid villages and ruin their crops and salt the fields.

interesting, i suppose to much of one substance in any given area would poison it, salt is easy to get and just happens to be crab safe lol makes sense