Why isnt gravel good?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 11:48 pm

Hey, i was just wondering why so many people on here don't like using gravel.Ive been using it for a month or so now and my hermies seem to like it. my friend has been using gravel for a year now and she says that it is easier to keep clean.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 12:39 am

I use playsand because it's cheap, and I don't think gravel is good. Gravel isn't as easy of a substrate for hermit crabs to dig down in and bury themselves to destress and molt. Also, it's a comfort thing. I think that hermit crabs can move around with more ease on a finer substrate than gravel. These are my reasons, but I'm sure other people know of other things.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:47 am

Playsand is cheaper over here at $3.09 for a 50 pound bag.

Unpolished gravel can scratch a hermie's exo. They cannot dig in it very well to protect themselves during a molt or to hide and destress, and it may get lodged in their shells, possibly causing some damage to their soft abdomens.

Also, gravel isn't very soft to land on: My E's have broken enough leg tips on SAND. I can't imagine what they'd do to themselves on gravel... Crazy crabs. [smilie=crazy.gif]

Most of the time I have half or more of my crabs buried in the sand, they like to dig just for the sake of digging as well...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 8:53 am

hemrit crabs can't destress or molt in gravel.they can't dig down enough.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:17 am

try switching to half snad half gravel... there was a recent post about crabs that wouldn't go off the gravel... they got to used it or something. (or else they were incredibly lethargic) so try setting them on sand once and see if they like it. of course, half sand half gravel will be harder to clean if you want to prevent sand and gravel form mixing.

all sand is extremly easy to clean. way cheap. the crabs can actaully dig, which is a natural behaviour, so they can molt and destress. it helps keep humidity. it easier on crabs legs

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 11:30 pm

okay thanx guys!

i just went out and bought a bag of calci-sand and my hermies are moving around a lot easier. thanx for all of your help!
merry x mas!!!!!!!

hermiegirl · Post by **hermiegirl** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:05 pm

Be careful about calci-sand. Most people here have found that it clumps up really bad when it gets wet, and it mildews pretty fast. Besides that, is the fact that it's pretty expensive. Playsand from Home Depot or Lowes would be better and a lot cheaper.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:42 pm

Gravel doesn't hold moisture which the crabs need to survive.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 3:45 pm

when i was refilling the water this AM i spilt a little and it just sat in a little bubble at the top. one of my hermies came over and poked at it with his feelers then he drank it. i think he forgave me for changing to sand cause last night i could have swore he was glaring at me as i poured the sand in.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 4:56 pm

I have about 2/3 sand and 1/3 gravel in my tanks (for about 3 years). The crabs seem to like having the option of either and they all move easily from gravel to sand. I keep the food dish and the fresh water dish on the gravel part as well as a half log. I have a couple of crabs who seem to prefer one or the other but mostly they spend equal time on sand and gravel.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:22 pm

I have like the abouve

Actually, I use a mix of sand and ecoearth, they love it. and gravel for the dishes to be on.

like everyone said, they cant dig well, and it doesnt hold moister well... Also, I have found it doesnt heat well.. the sand buffers and doesnt change drasticly like gravel... (I have seen people bake and freeze their crab tanks at the same time with gravel, one half is sunburst hot, and the other side is ice cold)

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:41 pm

I have heard , too , that gravel can wear down the shell they live in if they move around a lot.
I use play sand that has been baked as directed by many of our members here. I plan to add some eco earth if I can just get all of my hermies to come up for a while. Then I will do 2/3 sand and 1/3 eco earth for a while.
SMiles,

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 4:52 pm

I ahd all calci sand for a while and woah it can not retain moisture at all and when it gets wet it just terrible I like bed a beast it's pretty soft plus it's really cheep

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 2:51 am

Does anyone have any recomendations for keeping the tank clean using sand (how often to change it, how to clean it, etc...)? I use gravel because I've had problems with keeping the sand clean. My hermit crabs have never had any real problems with the gravel as far as I know, but I like the idea of switching to sand. After all, in the wild they are used to sand, correct?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 7:57 pm

My brother has been using aquarium gravel since the beginning, and he says that it's fine (of course, like any older brother, I disagree). Aside from the fact that it's cheap and can be replaced often (we have a medium size kritter keeper), is sand easy to maitain? Does mold and mildew build up in it? We have been debating about this issue for a while, but we don't notice any strange behavior from the crabs (actually, crab; one of the two died in what we think was an unsuccessful molt, now I realized it was because of the gravel).