going to a bigger tank

[kornchaser]

I am going to a 20 long fish tank I have a 10 right now. I am wondering what size heat pad to put on the side? right now I have 2 small pads one is on most of the time and the other is on a thermosat.

Its well known that ultra therms are the best price and are very popular. I hadn't had any experience with them but they run hotter and are cheaper and I honestly wish I knew about them before I bought my $45 heating mat at Petsmart with the same size being about $20 or so in ultra therm.

At this time I have only eco earth that is soaked in salt water but I was wondering if it was better to have some sand in part of the tank?

Sand from the Hermit Crab Patch has tons of great reviews and I'd recommend it although I have never used it before to clarify. Using straight EE in my experience dries out too quickly or gets too wet and packs water in the bottom. Sometimes even both with packed water along the bottom and dry dirt on top. Unless you have a false bottom in your tank you'd have to do regular stirs so the water doesn't settle to the bottom and to re wet the top. Regular stirs also help with humidity with EE once every 1-3 months and only as long as no one is molting!

Some times if I leave the food in too long I get little bugs so I am trying to avoid them as much as possible. Any ideas or suggestions? I have 4 hermit crabs that are 2 and 3 years old.

Those little bugs could be spring tails or usually in my experience they're gnats. Usually found around house plants. A container of vinegar near the tank will get rid of them. Unless you live in a house like mine with 5 house plants crammed in the living room.. Then it'll just dwindle their numbers. They aren't harmful to your crabs one bit!! Gnats aren't there for the food just the water and fill up on it and get big and fat. I've had some jumbo fat gnats when my humidity was 99%. I noticed they hide in the drift wood or grape wood, once I got rid of that then there was only a few left. They haven't seemed to hide in cholla so that's a perfect alternative if you have drift wood in your tank.


Hermit mommy of 10 PP babies: Octavius Flemming, Poseidon, Junior, Matty Pumpkin, Turbo, Aries, Kaylee Frye, Pepper, Flower and Adrian Shephard.

[Crabinski]

I had straight EE for years in my 10g but switched to an EE-play sand mix when I upgraded to the 29g. Play sand is dirt cheap at Home Depot and Lowe's (under $5 for a 50lb bag) and is found in the Concrete/Cement area. No problems with the straight EE drying out below the surface but the combination seems to be very popular with the crabs as they are tunneling more now. My blend is heavily EE (3 bricks to 1 50lb bag of play sand) and was prepared with dechlorinated salt water.

[Sue1208]

Well I just looked up information on the hermit crab patch regarding the sand they sell. It is very expensive about $23 for 25 pounds and I will need 100 pounds for a 20 long tank. I am now sorry I bought a 20 long the chart they had said is would be so small for large hermit crabs and mine are 2 or mine are med size now. They might outgrow this tank in a few years. I don't like to change too much because they are doing really well I am going on 3 years now.
In reading I realized I now have eco coconut fiber that was in a brick and to it I added 1 bag of sand so it is mostly eco not sand. I can't decide if I want to change to flukers farm hermit beach sand substrate for hermit crabs or go with Zoo Med Hermit Soil Coconut Fiber Brick 650g. or maybe a combination of both. I have a moss tray they climb up in. I think it is the moss and the eco that keep my humidity high. Sometime I have to open the top a crack to bring it down. I am nervous about changing so many things being I am moving them to my livingroom instead of the kitchen. Two or Three are normally hanging out on the moss tray during the day. I am wondering it they are up high because the heat is at the top of the tank? My thermostate is at the top of the tank and they walk across the top on it. I have to cover it with duck tape so because they have it all cut up. In the new tank I will have to try to put it where it just comes straight out the top and not along the top where they can climb on it. I am also looking for some thing they can climb in the new tank.

thank you

[YYWW]

Are you in the US? Lowes and Home Depot sells playsand that you can use. Just mix with dechlor FW/SW until sandcastle consistency. It costs $5 for each 50lb bag. You can even mix in some cocofiber for tank maintenance and humidity keeping benefits.
After checking out ingredients I think this mixture is PROBABLY a much cheaper and very close replica of the Flukers hermit beach sand you mentioned.


Crabbers unite!!!

[soilentgringa]

Are you in the US? Lowes and Home Depot sells playsand that you can use. Just mix with dechlor FW/SW until sandcastle consistency. It costs $5 for each 50lb bag. You can even mix in some cocofiber for tank maintenance and humidity keeping benefits.
After checking out ingredients I think this mixture is PROBABLY a much cheaper and very close replica of the Flukers hermit beach sand you mentioned.


Crabbers unite!!!

I got playsand from Lowe's and used about 6 of the 50 lb bags for the 55 gal mixed with 5-6 EE bricks. The EE bricks were in a 3 pack for less than 10 bucks at my local Petco and the sand was like $5 dollars a bag at Lowe's. If you're able to get the playsand from a home improvement store or your local walmart if they carry it, that will be your cheapest option. If you go to Walmart to the garden center and ask specifically for play sand like you would use in kids sandboxes, they can direct you to it and load it up for you.

[Sue1208]

Hi
Does anyone know where I can buy a Cholla branch online I need one or two that are about 2 1/2 inches round and 10 inches long. Also is it ok to put a few branches in the tank?

thank you
Sue

[megmaholm]

Check eBay, I've seen pieces of cholla all different sizes for sale there.

Branches from outside are okay to put in as long as they haven't been sprayed with pesticides or anything and are on the safe list.