Some Questions from a Soon-To-Be Owner

airbenderandi · Post by **airbenderandi** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:32 pm

Hello! I have done a lot of research and set up my tank, and will soon purchase three hermit crabs, but before I do I wanted to make sure a few questions of mine are cleared up.First, I wanted to make sure that my tank is adequate. It's a 10g with a fake plant to hide around, driftwood to climb on, and a wooden arch to hide in. Some shells are in the tank and more have been ordered, and I have a place for fresh water, salt water, and food. My biggest concern is will my crabs have enough space to run around and dig? Here's a picture for reference:http://oi60.tinypic.com/j5b60i.jpg (Note: the tank won't usually be this brightly lit, I placed a lamp towards it for the picture)Secondly, I'm confused about when to use isolation tanks. Since I'm getting three crabs at once, do I need to isolate them ALL at first? I understand isolating them when one is being introduced to an already established tank, but I would assume that I don't need to iso all three. Once I get them I'm planning on individually bathing them and introducing them to the tank one-by-one… is that good?Lastly, I wanted to know where most people purchase their crabs. I'm planning on going to the nearest Petco (and before getting them, making sure that they don't have any major problems) but I was wondering if it's more common for people to order their crabs online.Thank you very much, and let me know if you need more information from me to answer any question!EDIT: Also, does anyone know of a good YouTube video that explains how to properly bathe LHC?

crazycrabber · Post by **crazycrabber** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 12:14 am

it looks pretty good to me, but you will also need eco earth with the calcium sand. i would get them from petsmart, petco has painted shells which are bad.

Geranium · Post by **Geranium** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 2:46 am

The tank size is fine if you get three small/tiny crabs but they will soon outgrow a 10 gallon. I would start looking for a larger tank so you're prepared. I like to add 2nd levels to all tanks but especially small ones. You can do this by adding shelf sort of things, suction cup soap dishes, etc. Stay away from metal. The sponge needs to stay dry and is a good source of celluose but never good in the water dish. You may also want to upgrade your water dishes, they need to be deep enough for your largest crab to get in up to its shell opening or deeper. Substrate - Calcium sand is an inappropriate substrate, when damp it can turn cement-like and harm your crabs. It can be used as a food supplement though. The photo looks more like playsand which is fine by itself or combined with some EE (Eco Earth). If it is calcium sand, I would remove it and start again since you don't have crabs yet. If you had them already it would be okay to add playsand and EE to dilute the calcium sand making it less likely to cause harm.The substrate needs to be of a depth that is twice the height of your largest crab with a minimum of 6 inches being recommended. And it needs to be sand castle consistency for tunneling and molt pocket shaping.ISO is used to keep a distressed crab safe, such as one who has been attacked or surface molted or such. It is also used to keep a new crab or crabs separate from the established group for 4-6 weeks to insure they are healthy and to provide time without the additional stress of competing for food, etc. It is a time for the new crabs to be able to de-stress and get used to their new surroundings and learn to trust you. It is recommended that you not handle them at all during this time, no bathing is necessary unless they have mites, only go into their tank to change food and waters.You can ISO your new purchases together.I have purchased successfully at Petco but most of mine have been adopted from other people. I have heard good things about purchasing online from The Hermit Crab Patch and some very mixed to very bad reviews about other sites. Either way that is a more expensive route.

crazycrabber · Post by **crazycrabber** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 2:58 am

for molting, you have 3 options, first of all, do you know anybody else who has crabs? if you do, then try to get yours used to their crabs, and when one of yours is molting, then you can give your crab who isn't molting to him, so the one who isn't molting doesn't get lonely and depressed.

crazycrabber · Post by **crazycrabber** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 3:12 am

really? I use calcium sand and it is fine. What food did you put in the dish? What kind are you getting? If you are a beginner, then you'd best go to petsmart, petco has exotics, like strawberry hermit crabs, even experienced owners have problems with keeping them alive. Also like i said petco hermit crabs have painted shells, and while pretty,they are very bad for hermit crabs. What species you getting? Send me a picture when you get it, if you don't know.

crazycrabber · Post by **crazycrabber** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 3:22 am

also you will need a temperature and a humidity guage. To keep the humidity up, you will need a mist bottle.

airbenderandi · Post by **airbenderandi** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 4:58 am

-I'm using play sand that is very good at holding moisture so I think I'm good there! I'm planning on putting cuttlebone into their diet, so hopefully calcium won't be a problem.-I'm planning on feeding them fresh fruits/veggies, etc. that my family has lying around. I checked out the " Safe Food List " on hermitcrabassociation.com, so I should be good there.-I checked to see if my water dishes were deep enough by putting my largest shell into the dish, propped up like a crab was in there, and it seems deep enough. They're both around 3/4'' deep. Do you think that's sufficient? Also thanks for the sponge tip, I hadn't read until I started reading on this forum that using sponges in the water was bad!-I have a thermometer and hygrometer in there, plus a mister, thanks!-I like that second level idea, I'll start looking around for a plastic soap dispenser or something. -How fast do you think 3 tiny/small crabs would outgrow a 10g? I'm a college student who is going to have limited space when she goes back to school, but of course if my crabs are going to be having problems I'm going to do my best to fix those problems.-Yeah, I don't like the idea of purchasing from Petco with the poor conditions and painted shells and everything, but I don't think I have a choice. I do have an option to go to Petsmart… are they truly a better option? Last time I was at Petco it seemed like they had tiny/small PP, but I didn't get a super good look at them.

Geranium · Post by **Geranium** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 7:54 am

Cuttlebone is terrific for calcium. I have used it whole, chunked but mine seem to really like it best ground up. Some people shave it, some run it through a blender, I pound it in a ziplock baggie with a rubber mallet. Other sources include ground up oyster shells, sand dollars, sea stars, calcium sand, egg shells (they don't stink if you peel off the thin membrane on the inside of the shell).My Petsmart is actually much worse than Petco, and Pet Supplies Plus even worse. All of mine who were purchased at Petco came in painted shells, all but 2 changed out of them quickly, most at the first opportunity even before I got them settled in their ISO. As I set it up, adding food, water, etc. I put them in a larger plastic container with all the shells I had in their size range, most changed before I put them into the ISO.If they are really small you might get a couple years but I would be ready in 6-12 months. Some of mine have grown incredibly fast while others have been quite slow. Are you keeping them in the dorm or do you have your own place? Transportation can become a big issue especially if you have to leave every few months. Moving a big tank filled with sand is extremely difficult and can be hazardous if the glass breaks. But digging up hermit crabs can be life threatening as well. If you're in the dorm keeping smaller tank might be best in the short term.I have not paid for an aquarium yet. I either get them with adoptions or have gotten them from freecycle. There is also craigslist and the petstores have $1 per gallon sales periodically.We have a safe food list and a categorized food list on this site too. In the Zoea section. I put the categorized food list together for myself so I made sure to hit all of the necessary nutrients and provided a variety of foods.FYI: mine molt in the enclosure without any problems, often in mass molts.Also I have rarely felt the need to mist. My humidity stays fairly constant with large water bowls and a good size damp moss pit. I have glass aquariums with mesh lids and plexi covers. I understand glass is even better than the plexi.@crazycrabber Yes, it has been known for quite some time among seasoned crabbers that calcium sand as a substrate is bad news. The risk can be tempered with the addition of playsand and/or EE. I used it at first but it is so expensive, I figured why take the risk.

Geranium · Post by **Geranium** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:22 am

A couple other notes:The shells. In the photo there are three in a row together. The one in the middle appears to be a turbo which is often favored by PPs (purple pinchers) which are the most common in the US and most hearty so good for beginners. They are nocturnal though so can be noisy at night. Of course so are the others but Es for example are active earlier in the evening than PPs. The other shells appear to have D shaped opening which would be favored by Es. I would advise all PPs to start and getting more turbos. You said you have other shells so you may have what you need. The standard advice is 3 shells per crab.I also couldn't tell from the photo. An UTH (under tank heater) mounted on the side or back of the tank is important. Never on the bottom. It is most useful to have one rated for a 30 gallon tank for the 10 gallon tank you have. 3x's the tank size due to the inefficiency of wall mounting. On a 10 gallon tank a heat lamp will sap your humidity and is often just too strong with no place to escape it.

airbenderandi · Post by **airbenderandi** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:27 am

Yeah, I'm thinking I can keep my 10g for the year I have left of school, and then once I hopefully get a job as well as my own place I'll be able to get a larger tank. My family has a large tank (probably like 55g) in the basement, so maybe once I have my own place I'll be able to use that.I read about a technique where you poke a hole in each corner of the tank and pour some dechlorinated water in it so that the substrate stays moist. Have you done this? I added more substrate to my tank today and I noticed that the older substrate was already a lighter color, so I want to make sure that all of the sand stays kinda moist.Thanks so much for your help!

airbenderandi · Post by **airbenderandi** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:35 am

Response to your last post:Yes, I have 10 Small Shells that I bought online that should arrive tomorrow. There should be an assortment of both turbos and D shells in there, so hopefully my crabs are happy with them.And I have a 20g UTH that covers up practically the whole side of the tank, but it's not in use right now because my house is around 75-80 degrees F. I'll be using the UTH once I go back to school where there's air conditioning and during the winter months, though.

Geranium · Post by **Geranium** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:44 am

Sand is really good a wicking the water to the dryer spots. I have heard of people using the corner method but you must go slowly so you don't over saturate the sub. You want it just sand castle consistency, any wetter and you have a soupy mess that won't hold its form any better than too dry. I have not needed to use these methods. I would get it properly moist and see if you need it. I check every couple days (OCD) by putting my finger into the sub and bending it to insure it holds its shape.I have had my 55 gallon for a few months now and it is fabulous! The other advantage of the large tank is that you won't need to deep clean as often 9-12 months rather than every 6 months or so. I have read recently that if you have some EE in your sand that it will break down any food, etc and you don't need to replace the sub but I haven't done any good research on it and I have not seen it here where I trust the information the most.Also at the end of my signature is a link to my facebook pictures of my hermit crabs. You shouldn't need a facebook account to see them. There should be some photos of the suction cup soap dishes I found. I'm on my tablet so it won't let me link to a specific photo.Edit:If when the small shells arrive and they are too big with openings closer to the size of a quarter than a dime, you can look at craft stores or Walmart and often find the smaller size turbos.Terrific! Glad to know you've got the UTH all set up and that you checked the depth of the water dishes. You're WAY ahead of where most of us started by doing such terrific research before you brought them home.

airbenderandi · Post by **airbenderandi** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 11:32 am

Thanks! Hopefully I'll be all set and everything goes well

crazycrabber · Post by **crazycrabber** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 1:29 pm

what kind you getting?

crazycrabber · Post by **crazycrabber** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 1:32 pm

if you are getting purple pinchers then you will need shells with circular openings, and they are the only pet species that does not need salt water.