Heating while you're away

[incrypto]

Hello all. I'm new to this forum. I currently have a 10 gallon tank with 3 crabs, 1 of which is molting.

The issue I'm having is with temp and humidity. I know it's a common issue. I'm wondering - how do people keep their crabitats heated during the day? I'm not comfortable with leaving a hot light on or heating element on all day when I'm away. (Or is it safe??) But since I keep the house at 72 degrees, the tank is at about 71. That's too low! But I don't know how to keep it warm during the day.

I got a digital thermometer/hygrometer and now am monitoring conditions, and even when i DO have a 60 watt All Living Things daylight bulb running, it doesn't get up much above 72 degrees, although the humidity starts to drop rapidly when it's on. :\ One way I know I can improve humidity is to improve the moistness of the sand. Right now it's pretty dry. But I have the one crab molting, so don't want to replace the sand while he's doing that.

I'm frustrated because I want their conditions to be right.

Also, I have really grown to love crabs and have a 50 gallon fish tank that I plan on converting to a crabitat. But wow, if I can't keep the heat/humidity right in a 10 gallon, a 50 gallon would be even more of a challenge. But I really want to make it work--just need some help.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and I'll keep reading here.

Thanks...




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[megmaholm]

The best way to heat your tank without killing the humidity is with an undertank heater (UTH). Despite the name, a UTH would be mounted on the back of the tank above the substrate line - you would want the biggest size that will fit. Generally, the recommended brand is Ultratherm, which can only be bought online; the best prices with shipping can be found at Reptile Basics (http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads). They can be safely insulated, which will boost your heat more. You definitely need to get the heat up - anything below 70 is a death sentence to crabbies and it needs to be as close to 80 as you can get.

My personal setup for both my tanks (55 & 40B) is a big, insulated Ultratherm on the back of each, and 2 bulbs - the daytime ones are just CFL to give them light during the day; they're on a timer to run from 9am-9pm. I also run moonlight bulbs in each from 9pm-9am. My husband insists on keeping the house cold which is why I supplement with bulbs. I do run humidifiers in each tank but I wouldn't recommend that with a small tank since your risk of flooding goes up. My 55 pretty much self-maintains humidity and the humidifier just barely runs to keep things going.

Is your substrate just sand, or do you have it mixed with Eco Earth/cocofiber? If you remix the sand and add some cocofiber, that will help boost and maintain your humidity as well. I know you can't do it with a crab down, of course, but in the meantime you can mist heavily every day to get the sand nice and moist. It needs to be sandcastle consistency so the crabs can tunnel and molt safely.

You can put bubblers in their water dishes to help boost humidity, and maybe a moss pit (a container filled with damp moss that's crab safe, like organic sphagnum from a place like Lowe's or Home Depot).

When I started crabbing, I had a difficult time balancing heat and humidity with my little 15 gallon tank. When I upgraded to a 29 and then a 55, it actually got easier for me. That may be the case with you if you upgrade

[incrypto]

Thanks for the great tips. So you run your Ultratherm heaters all day even when you're away? How did you mount them to the back of the tank and do the insulation?

Thinking about it, as you mentioned, I think keep a crab environment consistent is similar to keeping a fish tank stable. The larger the tank the more stable the environment is. A 10 gallon tank is just so volatile. So I'll move them to my large tank as soon as I can get it set up, hopefully this week.

[megmaholm]

Yep, my Ultratherms run 24/7. I attached them with aluminum tape, but any tape will work like packing tape, duct tape, etc. I put a layer of foil over it and then taped a piece of 1" Styrofoam over that. My 55 right now is maintaining about 84 degrees with no additional heat source during the day; my house temp is generally about 70. So it does make a big difference.

Your guys will love a bigger tank for sure! I love my 55 One thing I didn't ask - what kind of lid are you using on your 10 gallon? If it's a screen lid seal it up with foil or plastic wrap, leaving just a small section for airflow. That'll trap in humidity as well.

[incrypto]

That's a great idea, sealing it up! I'll do that. It's just a screen lid.

Will I need to build a special screen lid for the top of the 45 gallon I have? It has a curved glass front and glass top. If I use Ultratherms for heat, can I still use the glass top and just use normal aquarium lights with them, one for daylight and one for moonlight?


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[Crabinski]

That's a great idea, sealing it up! I'll do that. It's just a screen lid.

Will I need to build a special screen lid for the top of the 45 gallon I have? It has a curved glass front and glass top. If I use Ultratherms for heat, can I still use the glass top and just use normal aquarium lights with them, one for daylight and one for moonlight?

Ultratherms and glass lids work very well together; ditto aquarium lights. I have an Ultratherm on the back of my 29g crabitat and a hinged glass lid on top. Lighting is provided by a strip light fixture set atop the glass lid and plugged into a timer. As megmaholm suggested, using bubblers in the pools will boost humidity, as will the simple addition of a moss pit. My crabs love their moss pit (someone's always in there) and really enjoy the pools since the bubblers were added.

[mlakers]

You could also just add a layer of moist sand and eco earth to the top of the substrate without mixing it in and disturbing your molter. A 1/2-inch layer wouldn't add enough weight to cause problems, but might give you a protective moist layer that will keep the sand underneath from drying out more.

[Laurie LeAnn]

I have always left my heaters on my tank on, never had issues. Been away for 3 days with the theaters on the moon glow on..my heaters are attached by the adhesive it came with..

[crabfan3567]

I have a 5 gallon i think i cant afford anything rn what would u reccomend

[Flandry]

Check your local pet stores. Pet Supplies Plus is currently running a dollar pet gallon sale on select aquariums. I just got my 29 gallon for $29. Other stores might off similar deals.