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Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 10:56 am

I kept hermit crabs when I was younger (about ten years ago). My first one lived for about 2 years if I remember correctly. I was only 7 or 8 so I probably didn't meet all of his needs. For the past few years I have been keeping fish. I currently have 3 freshwater aquariums running, with tetras, cory catfish, otocinclus catfish, gourami, snails, and a betta. I have a 29 gallon, 5.5 gallon, and 10 gallon. I a member of at least 4 aquarium forums, but I only really use 2.Last Friday I decided to rescue a hermit crab from one of those cages in a beach supply store in Ocean City Maryland. He was the only one that was really moving. The others were all pale and/or missing appendages. I used information I found online to determine his gender. Hes very active and not shy at all. He crawls all over my hands and only really seems to be scared when there is quick or sudden movement above him. Going off what I remember about hermit crabs and everything Ive read over the last few days, I set up his new home. He is in a ten gallon tank with eco earth substrate about 3 or 4 inches deep. I only have the money I earn from babysitting so I have to use plastic lids for his water and food. He has a sponge in a freshwater dish with conditioner, but I have not gotten saltwater conditioner yet because I couldn't find it. I didn't buy a lid for the tank yet so I am using plastic wrap to keep some of the humidity. There is a gap for air. Soon I will buy a humidity gauge, a lid for the tank, more things to climb on, food/water dishes, a heater and a light. I will probably be asking questions about many of these things later. I want to do the best for my hermit crab just like I do for my fish. When I can, I will also get him a few friends. How many could happily live in a 10 gallon?

Mikau132 · Post by **Mikau132** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 12:02 pm

You may want to take the sponge out of the water dish, as your hermit can't drink from it. If you're worried about drowning, put some aquarium gravel in the dish. Sponges are good for humidity and cellulose, but they are hot spots for bacteria breeding. Also, I love freshwater aquariums too! I have a thirty, a twenty, a ten, a five, a two point five, and a one gallon aquarium. I have a twenty gallon with five teensy to small crabs in it. Nice to meet you!

Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 1:02 pm

That's awesome. I wasn't expecting to find anyone else who kept fish also! I will take the sponge out if there is no real use for it. The plastic lid is really shallow so Im not afraid of him drowning. I might post a picture of him and his tank a little later. Then Ill start a new thread because I have a ton of questions. Hermit Crabs seem to be a little more forgiving with mistakes than most fish, but I want to do this the right way.

finalfantasyxii · Post by **finalfantasyxii** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 2:26 pm

I got a few free aquariums lately (how did I get so lucky?) and am planning to do some freshwater planted aquariums. I've been reading up online and getting totally obsessed. Maybe the hobbies are not so different?

Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 3:01 pm

Theyre not so different as far as both require a lot more knowledge and care than you think. You cant just drop fish in a tank and expect them to live. They need to have a cycled tank and the right requirements met for each fish. You also cant just keep a hermit crab in a cage and expect it to be healthy. I think they are both very similar hobbies because you are responsible for the health and happiness of a living creature. Although I am just getting back into keeping hermit crabs and don't know as much about them as fish, I expect to love it just as much as fish keeping

jgfceit · Post by **jgfceit** » Mon Aug 05, 2013 3:53 am

Nice to meet you, Kirrie!A pretty basic rule of thumb is to have 2.5 gallons for each hermit crab. Smaller crabs might need a little less, so adjust the formula to meet your needs!My cousins got some fish about six months ago in a 55 gallon tank. They has 7 at the moment, but they keep on dying

Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Mon Aug 05, 2013 4:24 am

Thanks! I think Ill end up with 3 hermit crabs. I could come up with a million different reasons as to why the fish keep dieing, but it is most likely because the tank was not properly cycled before fish were added. A nitrogen cycle has to be established in order for waste to be broken down and not poison the fish. There are plenty of great fish forums out there with tons of helpful people your cousins could go to. My favorite is myaquariumclub