Cleaning the pools?

[Kermie16]

Wondering how often I should clean out the pools? I was doing it regularly about once a week but overall the pools seem to be fairly clean so would it be ok to stretch it to every 2 weeks? Also, what is the best way to clean the pools? Is it ok to just rinse them under tap water, pat dry then refill with FW and MSW? Or do I need to wash both out with Dechlorinated water??

[Nate the great]

Wondering how often I should clean out the pools? I was doing it regularly about once a week but overall the pools seem to be fairly clean so would it be ok to stretch it to every 2 weeks? Also, what is the best way to clean the pools? Is it ok to just rinse them under tap water, pat dry then refill with FW and MSW? Or do I need to wash both out with Dechlorinated water??

I swap out the bowls and run them through the dishwasher. Then I soak the bowls in treated water before swapping them again.

[Crabinski]

I've noticed that the pools stay cleaner longer since I added bubblers last year. With four crabs, I do a complete pool clean every 10-14 days and just top off the water levels in the interim. For the cleaning process, I just clean out the plastic tubs with very hot water then give a quick splash of dechlor FW, swish it out, add the clean pebbles and shells, refill with FW or SW and we're done!

[Kermie16]

Great! Thanks for the advice!

[CallaLily]

For your standard water dishes (unfiltered), of course it's best to completely change them daily. However many crabbers do not. I personally completely change mine every 3-4 days. It doesn't take long for ammonia to build up. If you have very large pools you may be able to stretch it a bit longer.

For fully cycled pools (Google cycling a fish tank if you don't know what I mean), you'll never do complete water changes but instead would do small partial water changes about once a week.

Fyi, pools with bubblers are not cycled and do not prevent ammonia build up.

Official HCA recommendations:

How Often to Change the Water

For small bowls and pools: the water should be changed every two to three days, or immediately if it becomes dirty or has substrate dragged into it. Ideally, daily water changes would be the best option.

For larger pools: you might be able to get away with a few more days, however any organic material (poop, food, cocofiber) that is in the water will raise the ammonia levels rather quickly which is not good for the hermits to be drinking or bathing in.

For large pools with true filters: water testing should be done to see if the pools have cycled properly. (Please search for "Fishtank Cycling" on the internet or ask in Food & Water if you are unsure what this means.) If uncycled then the water will need to be changed out just as often as you would for an unfiltered pool. If cycled, then maintain as you would a fish tank - vacuum any debris from the bottom and change out at least 25% of the water per week, depending on what your water test results show.

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[Kermie16]

Thanks for the info, CallaLily! Mine are not filtered so I will go back to cleaning them 1-2 times a week.