Hermie question!!

[Gabster]

I am a new hermie parent and I bought some food on Amazon called JurassiDiet? I have been doing tons of research and am thinking maybe it wasn't a great choice. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on that. I'm also upgrading to a 29 gallon tank and am looking into UTH that are would be adequate. How large should it be? Another thing I have read a lot about it StressCoat. Just for a quick bath on occasion? It said they can't drink it but it is supposed to help keep them healthy and to heal from a stressful situations? Not to sure about the whole thing. And what kind of plants are safe to put in there? I want to make it a little more "homie" for them but also want to be sure. Sorry this post is all over the place. I have been reading up and just had a few random questions I wanted to get some advice from people who actually have hermit crabs lol Thanks in advance!! <3

[123AE]

I am a new hermie parent and I bought some food on Amazon called JurassiDiet? I have been doing tons of research and am thinking maybe it wasn't a great choice. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on that. I'm also upgrading to a 29 gallon tank and am looking into UTH that are would be adequate. How large should it be? Another thing I have read a lot about it StressCoat. Just for a quick bath on occasion? It said they can't drink it but it is supposed to help keep them healthy and to heal from a stressful situations? Not to sure about the whole thing. And what kind of plants are safe to put in there? I want to make it a little more "homie" for them but also want to be sure. Sorry this post is all over the place. I have been reading up and just had a few random questions I wanted to get some advice from people who actually have hermit crabs lol Thanks in advance!! <3

I would personally not use that food as it will pro


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[123AE]

I am a new hermie parent and I bought some food on Amazon called JurassiDiet? I have been doing tons of research and am thinking maybe it wasn't a great choice. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on that. I'm also upgrading to a 29 gallon tank and am looking into UTH that are would be adequate. How large should it be? Another thing I have read a lot about it StressCoat. Just for a quick bath on occasion? It said they can't drink it but it is supposed to help keep them healthy and to heal from a stressful situations? Not to sure about the whole thing. And what kind of plants are safe to put in there? I want to make it a little more "homie" for them but also want to be sure. Sorry this post is all over the place. I have been reading up and just had a few random questions I wanted to get some advice from people who actually have hermit crabs lol Thanks in advance!! <3

oops anyway the food most likely has some preservatives or chemicals in it that aren't safe to hermit crabs for a UTH , I would go about a half of the tank because they need both hot and cold points. Stress coat is not necessary a(I have some and have never used it) and the only time you need to bath your hermit crab is when your doing a deep clean. I'm pretty sure air plants and bromeliads are safe as long as they aren't grown in fertiliser along with chia , other sprouts. If pothos is non toxic it would probably be a better choice than the first two as it grows back very quickly. Or you could add plastic or silk plants

[soilentgringa]

I am a new hermie parent and I bought some food on Amazon called JurassiDiet? I have been doing tons of research and am thinking maybe it wasn't a great choice. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on that. I'm also upgrading to a 29 gallon tank and am looking into UTH that are would be adequate. How large should it be? Another thing I have read a lot about it StressCoat. Just for a quick bath on occasion? It said they can't drink it but it is supposed to help keep them healthy and to heal from a stressful situations? Not to sure about the whole thing. And what kind of plants are safe to put in there? I want to make it a little more "homie" for them but also want to be sure. Sorry this post is all over the place. I have been reading up and just had a few random questions I wanted to get some advice from people who actually have hermit crabs lol Thanks in advance!! <3

oops anyway the food most likely has some preservatives or chemicals in it that aren't safe to hermit crabs for a UTH , I would go about a half of the tank because they need both hot and cold points. Stress coat is not necessary a(I have some and have never used it) and the only time you need to bath your hermit crab is when your doing a deep clean. I'm pretty sure air plants and bromeliads are safe as long as they aren't grown in fertiliser along with chia , other sprouts. If pothos is non toxic it would probably be a better choice than the first two as it grows back very quickly. Or you could add plastic or silk plants

I'd like to clear up some misconceptions here really quickly.

OP, I would suggest starting here with the care guides:

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=92457

You do not need to bathe your crabs at all, period. This stresses them out and disrupts the balance of water they have in their shell.

Seachem Prime is the most common dechlorinator crabbers use as it is easy to find, cheap, and removes chlorine, ammonia, chloramines and heavy metals from tap water, making it safe for the crabs.

If your tank is properly set up, deep cleans are not necessary. Beneficial bacteria builds up in the tank and aids in breaking down waste.

There are plants that are crab safe but any plant that you put in the tank will be destroyed by them.



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[soilentgringa]

The Ultratherm or UTH needs to be as long as the back of your tank and wide enough to cover it above the level of substrate.

I live in Texas, so my UTH doesn't cover the entire back.

They need temperatures no lower than 80°F. They do not need a "cold spot". They're from tropical climates. If they get too warm they will bury beneath the substrate.

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[CrabMater]

Quick interjection- i think Stress Coat, like bathing , is falling out of favor. Unless your guy has mites id drop him in Gen Pop when you are ready. Stress Coat is a slime replacer, essential for fish, ive never seen a healthy, slimy crab. That's my take.

Please know i am less than a year crabbin, but I have learned a lot from this great site.

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[daws409]

My 29G has a 6x23 Ultratherm from reptile basics on it.... You'll want the largest the will fit along the back and ABOVE the sub.

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[Gabster]

I bought some API Aquarium Salt but I don't think it is sea salt. Does anyone have any opinions on it? I have already spent tons on these crabs the month I have had them. The Fluker's Crab drinking salt went fast so I tried to get a large quantity for a good price but think I made a mistake.

[NLindsey921]

Api aquarium salt is for freshwater fish tanks. the salt you are looking for is called instant ocean

[Hermias_mom]

I feel your pain and frustration. I went through a number of products myself trying to get things right, and it was very frustrating. The misinformation we are fed as consumers is in my opinion unethical. The Food and Water forum has a post all about dechlorinator and marine saltwater, and there are several product options, but most folks on here use Instant Ocean for marine saltwater. There are a lot of products out there that are not appropriate for hermit crabs, including almost everything marketed for hermit crabs. Check out the Advocacy Forum for more info as to why this is if you're interested.

Here is a link to the Instant Ocean product in the purple box. You can also get the version in the orange box (reef crystals?) if you want. This marine salt has all the trace minerals crabs need in it, and it mixes up well to the proper salinity. Also a caution: Most folks need to use a dechlorinator in both your fresh and saltwater, and the type of dechlorinator is really important. Many products only remove a few of the things that could cause a problem for crabs. Prime by Seachem (or something comparable) is a good product, and treats a large amount of water with the smallest bottle. I've included a link to that as well. There's a great description on the website on what it removes and how.

Instant Ocean
http://www.instantocean.com/Products/Se ... xture.aspx

Prime (removes chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, heavy metals, nitrates, nitrites) Lots of products only treat for a few of these, which long-term is not good for the crabs.
http://www.seachem.com/prime.php

You may know most of what I've written already, I didn't have time to review all previous posts If it helps, I spent several hundred US dollars getting my 10 gallon tat set up, so you're not alone there - I had to change my substrate three times because I bought the wrong sand twice, and two useless UTHs before I discovered Ultratherm. I love thrift stores! Without thrift stores, it would've been much more expensive.

Best of luck!!!

[soilentgringa]

Quick interjection- i think Stress Coat, like bathing , is falling out of favor. Unless your guy has mites id drop him in Gen Pop when you are ready. Stress Coat is a slime replacer, essential for fish, ive never seen a healthy, slimy crab. That's my take.

Please know i am less than a year crabbin, but I have learned a lot from this great site.

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In the Food and Water subforum, you'll see JediMasterThrash's linked "Great Stress Coat Experiment".

I have 19 crabs and have a bottle of API dechlorinator with stress coat that I started using because I couldn't return it and didn't want to waste it.

I have not had any unexplained deaths since using it. Could be related, could be not.

Collectively between myself and former roommate, over 75 crabs have come into my home over the last 3 years. We've seen a lot of deaths due to neglect/horrible conditions from previous owners.

But the Stress Coat Experiment is a good read and JMT has been crabbing since the early to mid 90's IIRC.

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[Hermiegirl68]

The bulk section in the grocery store is a great cheap way to get a variety of things they can eat

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[CrabMater]

Quick interjection- i think Stress Coat, like bathing , is falling out of favor. Unless your guy has mites id drop him in Gen Pop when you are ready. Stress Coat is a slime replacer, essential for fish, ive never seen a healthy, slimy crab. That's my take.

Please know i am less than a year crabbin, but I have learned a lot from this great site.

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In the Food and Water subforum, you'll see JediMasterThrash's linked "Great Stress Coat Experiment".

I have 19 crabs and have a bottle of API dechlorinator with stress coat that I started using because I couldn't return it and didn't want to waste it.

I have not had any unexplained deaths since using it. Could be related, could be not.

Collectively between myself and former roommate, over 75 crabs have come into my home over the last 3 years. We've seen a lot of deaths due to neglect/horrible conditions from previous owners.

But the Stress Coat Experiment is a good read and JMT has been crabbing since the early to mid 90's IIRC.

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Ill definitely give it a read.

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[GotButterflies]

The bulk section in the grocery store is a great cheap way to get a variety of things they can eat

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Remember to organic when possible. Hermit crabs are sensitive to fertilizers and pesticides.


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[Gabster]

So I just ordered Instant Ocean and Primer for the water as well. I will be picking up my 30 gallon tank tonight. Hopefully everyone is up and moving around so they can move out. They like the bury themselves during the day if they can't get in the coconut (have more hiding placing available in their new home). I have 7 total including my one molter. Had the one day... Put them in and next morning he was gone! Thats when I found this lovely website Always there to answer any question and tons of information already available! Thank you guys so much for helping me provided better care for my rescued hermies