New! Prepping for my crabs and have questions

[Arintol]

Hi! I'm Ari, Arin, or Arintol (though other nicknames are fine).

About me: (can skip)
Hermit crabs were my first pet back when I was 6...my parents were very good on doing research after the initial impulse buy and we did our best but a little over a year in my parents decided they were too much work and gave them back to the store. I was very disappointed at the time but told myself that when I was an adult and had my own place I would try again.

Fast forward and I just got my own house 2 months ago! I am an animal care manager at a family-owned petstore. I had convinced them within the first week on the job that we needed to stop selling hermit crabs. The issue was we already had some. I took over their care until they all sold (or a few unfortunately passed...). This included treatment for 3 different parasites. Luckily the survivors of this ordeal all went to experienced crabbers.

Now I am looking to adopt some myself! I will be starting with local adoption options posted by the LHCOS (planning to get them in January or February). I work with breeding traditionally wild caught reptiles to try and stop them from being WC, so I am considering doing the same with hermit crabs someday, but that would be a far down the line endeavor.


Actual Questions:
How many and what size crabs would be best for a 55g tank? Dimensions are 48.75" L, 21.25" H, 14" W (or 124cm, 54cm, 35.5cm)
- I know that as the size of the crabs increase the quantity will decrease.

What size crabs do best together? Should they be roughly the same size or should there be variation?
- This one I ask because my childhood crabs got into a huge fight when one moved into another one's old shell (there were plenty of options for them). They were roughly the same size but one was slightly larger and was mad that the smaller one took his old home.

Can I use substrates other than cocofiber to mix with sand?
- I have access to a wide variety of options that are safe for reptiles and marine life, so I am wondering if something else would be better, or if I should stick to tried and true.

Is there a way to safely dig for crabs to tell if they're okay without potentially disturbing a molt?
- this was something I struggled before and I want to know a bit more about when one should dig vs not.

Any other advice? (Or questions for me?)

[haleyroselovesyou]

No digging!

[curlysister]

Welcome to the site, and welcome (back) to crabbing!

How many and what size crabs would be best for a 55g tank? Dimensions are 48.75" L, 21.25" H, 14" W (or 124cm, 54cm, 35.5cm)
- I know that as the size of the crabs increase the quantity will decrease.
Curly - We have a care sheet that explains it all.
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92541


What size crabs do best together? Should they be roughly the same size or should there be variation?
- This one I ask because my childhood crabs got into a huge fight when one moved into another one's old shell (there were plenty of options for them). They were roughly the same size but one was slightly larger and was mad that the smaller one took his old home.
Curly - It's kind of case by case or personal choice. If you have two crabs that are similar size, you will need to ensure that there are plenty of desirable/ appropriate types of shells in the correct size for them to choose from. My first two crabs were similar size, there was never any shell fights. One of those passed away, and I added two tiny crabs with my one jumbo. I gave them all a quick dip in the fresh water so they all smelled the same, and kept an eye on them for the first day, but there was never any aggression.

Can I use substrates other than cocofiber to mix with sand?
- I have access to a wide variety of options that are safe for reptiles and marine life, so I am wondering if something else would be better, or if I should stick to tried and true.
Curly - We also have a care sheet about substrate. There is no 'correct' ratio, a person can use a mix or all play sand or all coco fiber. There are other additives that can be used, the care sheet explains it. When we are new, the mix is generally easiest to maitain.
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92542

Is there a way to safely dig for crabs to tell if they're okay without potentially disturbing a molt?
- this was something I struggled before and I want to know a bit more about when one should dig vs not.
Curly - Nope, there is no way to check on them without digging - and digging up a crab can be harmful or even fatal if it is done at a critical point in their molting. The only times we would advise to dig up a crab is in an emergency like a flood or bacterial bloom, or if a person is moving and needs to dismantle the whole set up to move (it isn't recommended to move a full tank, as tunnels and caves can collapse, or the bottom can break out of the tank).

Any other advice? (Or questions for me?)
Curly - Read our 'basics' care sheet first, then the others as you have time and interest!