Es or Strawberries?

[grandlinegirl]

For my birthday (tomorrow) I am coming into possession of a 125 gallon tank. Awesome present, right? My issue is that I'm going to need more crabs to fill it!!

I started out with 5 and lost my smallest. I don't know what happened to him but I found his shell on the surface. Never smelt anything bad in the tank. Another medium sized crab has either gone down or died, I'm not sure. So right now I have 3 crabs that I know of, two being medium sized PPs and one large one.

I've recently found out a locally owned pet store sometimes carries Strawberries and if they don't have them, they can order them! My heart is set on Strawberries but I know they need very stable conditions and right now I'm having trouble with that. I also really like Es, but I've heard they can be super aggressive and that scares me a bit! They are just so cute, though!

So which would be better?

Right now I've got a 30 gallon tank and I'm having humidity trouble. I've got a regular fish tank lid, but all cracks and openings are covered with tinfoil (except a small gap for fresh air). I've got a moss pit as well as two large crab pools (one sw and one fw) with a bubbler in the fw one. And yet, my humidity has been stuck at 75-80 and sometimes dips even lower. I'm really confused!

I won't add any newbies until the temp/humidity is settled in the new tank, but care wise, which are 'easier'? Strawberries are just gorgeous. I'm quite in love with them.

[Hermit-Yote]

Do you have photos of your setup you can share?
Straws aren't a crab I'd recommend for first-time crabbers, personally. They're finicky!

[aldebaron0626]

I love my Es and all their antics BUT they can be aggressive. I'm still trying to decide if one of them were responsible for one of my PPs death. I would not recommend mixing them with other species of crabs in my super limited experience.

[grandlinegirl]

Do you have photos of your setup you can share?
Straws aren't a crab I'd recommend for first-time crabbers, personally. They're finicky!

I will get a picture... but they wouldn't be living in my current set up. I wouldn't get them until I upgraded to the 125 gallon I'm getting for my bday.

/heartsink They are just so beautiful...

[grandlinegirl]

I love my Es and all their antics BUT they can be aggressive. I'm still trying to decide if one of them were responsible for one of my PPs death. I would not recommend mixing them with other species of crabs in my super limited experience.

That's what I'm afraid of! They are just so cute... I love my PPs, don't get me wrong, but they are never, ever out, lol. Ever. They spend all day and night either huddled in their moss pit or they dig a pit beside it and just hang out in their shells. I've got insomnia so I'm often up during the night checking on them... They literally never come out! I wanted to add a few crabs to my setup that are a little more active so I have a nice mix but it doesn't look like that's going to happen now with Straws being so finicky and Es being aggressive

[aussieJJDude]

No offence to anything I say, I am just offering my option. Please don't take this the wrong way at all!
You looking to keep one of the hardest species of LHC known to mankind and you have only kept hermit crabs for a month. Even though they are pretty - who can say no to those beautiful polished like eyes & deep red colouration - there is a downfall... they not the hardest crab around and don't appreciate low temps/humidity. For somebody that's struggling with temperature, I would wait a bit until you get the tank going & everything running smoothly. Then I would wait around a year - however, i believe 3 years would be better until you get the hang of things - before thinking about commitment.
Some of the most experienced crabbers I seen struggle at keeping these guys over 3 years in captivity. I always wondered if theres something missing that we don't provide... I personally think it is UV lighting, however my theory is just a theory.
A better option is to get E's and see how they go, if things don't always go to plan & you still have the 30g tank; just use the 30g on the E's!
An exotic I suggest anyone to start out with are E's before moving on to the more demanding species.

[gotta-crab-em-all]

If you do decide to get some Es, I highly recommend keeping a second crabitat set up, ready and waiting in case you need to separate. If I'd had that, I could have stopped my killer E from attacking and killing so many of my other crabs.

[Scarlz]

Strawberries are not the crab you want to get for only crabbing a month. They require a constant temp and humidity and any fluctuation is a no-go. You did mention a humidity problem. Also, since it takes a while to get a new tank leveled out, that will still be a problem until it does so.
People who have been crabbing for years still have problems with straws, even me.
E's require more space per crab. And they are more feisty than most crabs.
But some people have no problems housing different species together. I have a very large tank packed with Purple Pinchers, E's, Straws, ruggies and indos. Never had aggression problems.

[grandlinegirl]

No offence to anything I say, I am just offering my option. Please don't take this the wrong way at all!
You looking to keep one of the hardest species of LHC known to mankind and you have only kept hermit crabs for a month. Even though they are pretty - who can say no to those beautiful polished like eyes & deep red colouration - there is a downfall... they not the hardest crab around and don't appreciate low temps/humidity. For somebody that's struggling with temperature, I would wait a bit until you get the tank going & everything running smoothly. Then I would wait around a year - however, i believe 3 years would be better until you get the hang of things - before thinking about commitment.
Some of the most experienced crabbers I seen struggle at keeping these guys over 3 years in captivity. I always wondered if theres something missing that we don't provide... I personally think it is UV lighting, however my theory is just a theory.
A better option is to get E's and see how they go, if things don't always go to plan & you still have the 30g tank; just use the 30g on the E's!
An exotic I suggest anyone to start out with are E's before moving on to the more demanding species.

No offence taken! I was actually thinking the same thing. I thought I had fixed the problem but it looks like I have not! I'm thinking when I upgrade I'm just going to get some more PPs. They are lovely little crabs.

[grandlinegirl]

Strawberries are not the crab you want to get for only crabbing a month. They require a constant temp and humidity and any fluctuation is a no-go. You did mention a humidity problem. Also, since it takes a while to get a new tank leveled out, that will still be a problem until it does so.
People who have been crabbing for years still have problems with straws, even me.
E's require more space per crab. And they are more feisty than most crabs.
But some people have no problems housing different species together. I have a very large tank packed with Purple Pinchers, E's, Straws, ruggies and indos. Never had aggression problems.

After researching some more, I think I'm going to fix my humidity problems, slowly set up the new tank and get it leveled out, and then get some more PPs until I'm ready to handle exotics

[KellyCrabbieLove]

My 3Es are with my pps and I have never once seen any form of aggression. Mine like to ride around on the backs of the big pps. I love them so much!

[moonbeam]

I only have pps so I can't say es or straws. I just wanted to stick up for the pps I feel like new crabitats need a... Grace period. My crabs were so shy when I moved them to the tank (they had been in a tote that you couldn't see through for 4-5 months) but little by little they are coming around and getting more active. You're new to crabbing, they're new to domestic life in a tank. Maybe they just need a little more time to adjust. I know each crab has their on personality and some may never be go getters but I think once they warm up to it you'll see more action.


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[grandlinegirl]

I only have pps so I can't say es or straws. I just wanted to stick up for the pps I feel like new crabitats need a... Grace period. My crabs were so shy when I moved them to the tank (they had been in a tote that you couldn't see through for 4-5 months) but little by little they are coming around and getting more active. You're new to crabbing, they're new to domestic life in a tank. Maybe they just need a little more time to adjust. I know each crab has their on personality and some may never be go getters but I think once they warm up to it you'll see more action.


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That's what I'm hoping for I got them at Petsmart and they weren't kept in the best conditions. Their substrate there was about an inch deep and all eco earth, no sand. I know it's probably been a big change for them. I'm going to research PPS and see if there's anything I can do to help.

I've decided to stick with PPs for now. I adore my little crabbies. I am probably going to get them some more friends, though, since I already lost two of the small ones.

[wodesorel]

A big colony of PPs can be very active. There is always something going on in my tank, but to look at them you'd never know there were 60 crabs in there. It comes down to numbers since some will always be molting, buried, hiding, or out and about.

The other big thing about PPs is that they are easy, and generally fuss free. I've been doing the adoptions here for two years, and I'm seeing a lot of old members who lost all their exotics but still have all their PPs which they then want to rehome.

And depending on where you are, there's a chance that we can load you up with adoptions!

[grandlinegirl]

A big colony of PPs can be very active. There is always something going on in my tank, but to look at them you'd never know there were 60 crabs in there. It comes down to numbers since some will always be molting, buried, hiding, or out and about.

The other big thing about PPs is that they are easy, and generally fuss free. I've been doing the adoptions here for two years, and I'm seeing a lot of old members who lost all their exotics but still have all their PPs which they then want to rehome.

And depending on where you are, there's a chance that we can load you up with adoptions!

I love my PPs. I wonder how many I could fit in a 125 gallon tank. My uncle is donating me his big tank for my birthday, which is super exciting!!

I live in a small town in Southwestern Ontario. Hermits aren't very popular around here, but I would totally love to adopt some!!