HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi.

My crab tank is a bit smaller than 10gallon; a neighbor sold it to me.

I have 3 crabs in it and the substrate is more like 5" than 6". There is a gauge already in the tank, but not sure how to calibrate it. I was concerned about too much 'stuff', but many seem to post that the crabs don't mind the things to climb around in. And they are digging in the sand, coming up, changing huts...

When my new shells arrived, Bloat, Nemo and Santa Claw seemed to enjoy themselves getting out of their boardwalk painted ones.

1. Will my tank be ok for them?
2. Should I remove the old painted shells or will they go looking for them?
3. How do I calibrate the hygrometer? It seems to be permanently stuck to the glass.
4. Do I need to cover the lid with plastic or anything... I do mist them and the substrate is moist with a blend from The Hermit Crab Patch and EE. Our house is 72 and up.

I would like to include pictures, but cannot figure out how. Any advice/suggestions to the above is appreciated.
sharon

No it wont. I suggest definitely move to a 10 gallon tank though petsmart and petco have a 1$ a gallon going on

2. Throw away all painted shell's

3. Hmm i have no idea try Google forget that tank upgrade buy a new thermometer and hygrometer they actually sell them together as one.

4. I use seran wrap to cover the top of my tank since it has no lid and cover it with a towel to hold heat Its supposed to be 75-80 misting is to keep the actual tank moist for they gills not so much the sub.

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Sharon the humidity gauge is most likely attached with double sided tape of some sort. Assuming it is, you could use a box cutter or similar straight blade to get it off the glass.

Once you have it off, put it in a Tupperware container or ziploc Baggie with a small amount of regular table salt (I used a soda bottle cap) with a few drops of water (damp but not swimming). Seal the container and leave it for 6-8 hours. It should read 75% after that time. If it does, yay! If not, just make note of how high or low it is so you know for future use.


Zoo mom of 3 cats, a dog, a fish and 3 (for now) crabs

I agree on upgrading your tank as soon as you can. 10 gallons is the absolute minimum for very small crabs. Go with the largest tank you can.

You can try removing the paint from the shells (be sure to check inside the shell too). Boil them and just pick and scrap until it all comes off. Some painted shells aren't very popular types with the crabs but some are liked. Once the paint is completely removed, it certainly doesn't hurt to offer them. Preferred Shell Guide. Also check out our Caresheet section.

Alrighty!!! Bloat, Santa Claw and Nemo are officially in their new 10 gal tank!!! I just added the unused substrate I had left over from the smaller tank, mixed it in with the current substrate. Couldn't get over how moist it was towards the bottom. Looks a little bland now so I guess I need some fake foliage to brighten it up.

Now time to calibrate the hygrometer... I know someone told me on here how to do that.

Three seemingly happy crabs.
sharon

Ok, so I thought I did this correctly... I put some salt in a baggie and wet it. I added the hygrometer. It went a little over 8hours... but it says 60.

How do I determine if it is even functioning correctly before putting it the crabitat? And if i do... does that mean I adjusted the readings DOWN by 15 since it's not at 75?

errrrrrr.... just not getting it.
sharon

Hey;
if it is reading at 60 then your 15 under. So if you where to check on the tank and it's saying 65F (for example) add 15F; which you would get around 80F.
If you're familiar with math go along with (for all mathematical people):
y = x + 15 (Hopefully I have helped a bit!)

aussieJJDude wrote:Hey;
if it is reading at 60 then your 15 under. So if you where to check on the tank and it's saying 65F (for example) add 15F; which you would get around 80F.
If you're familiar with math go along with (for all mathematical people):
y = x + 15

Code: Select all

y - your answer
x - the gauge's reading

(Hopefully I have helped a bit!)

Lol JJ just wanted to point out that it's humidity not temperature so it would be 15% off.

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Oh I gotcha... but what SHOULD be the optimal humidity level?

mdn8blu wrote:Oh I gotcha... but what SHOULD be the optimal humidity level?

Between 75%-99% LOL. Mid 80's+ is where you see the most activity but be watchful of mold. Anything less than 75% will damage their gills if left for too long.

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Ok, thank you.

Now how do I even know that the hygrometer is actually working? Which I'm thinking it isn't, because it is sitting out of the bag and still at 60.

Perhaps a run to the store for a new one is in order.

Iyiyiyiyi. So I let it sit out and it did go lower than 60. I put it in the tank and now it is above 60, so looks like it is working. Guess I need more patience.

[quote="soilentgringa] Between 75%-99% LOL. Mid 80's+ is where you see the most activity but be watchful of mold. Anything less than 75% will damage their gills if left for too long.
[/quote]

Some species are just fine with anything over 70% (PPs and Es for example). A few exotics need over 75% or 80%. I know the basic guide says over 75% but well, that's just your basic guide. From everything I've read, permanent gill damage can occur if below 70% for too long, though that number may be different for some exotics. The E caresheet for example warns against anything below 60% for an extended time.....whether that's a typo or not, I'm not sure. But in any case, higher humidity doesn't hurt and activity levels (for PPs and Es is all I can speak on) do seem to go up with 80%+. I just don't want anyone panicking if their PP tank drops to the lower 70s RH for a bit.

CallaLily wrote:[quote="soilentgringa] Between 75%-99% LOL. Mid 80's+ is where you see the most activity but be watchful of mold. Anything less than 75% will damage their gills if left for too long.

Some species are just fine with anything over 70% (PPs and Es for example). A few exotics need over 75% or 80%. I know the basic guide says over 75% but well, that's just your basic guide. From everything I've read, permanent gill damage can occur if below 70% for too long, though that number may be different for some exotics. The E caresheet for example warns against anything below 60% for an extended time.....whether that's a typo or not, I'm not sure. But in any case, higher humidity doesn't hurt and activity levels (for PPs and Es is all I can speak on) do seem to go up with 80%+. I just don't want anyone panicking if their PP tank drops to the lower 70s RH for a bit. [/quote][/quote]
I think they're written/recommended like that to err on the side of caution? I definitely don't want to stress people out unnecessarily!

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soilentgringa wrote:I think they're written/recommended like that to err on the side of caution? I definitely don't want to stress people out unnecessarily!

The basic guide is written to cover basic care of all species. There's more detailed care in the species threads. But definitely keeping it over 75% would ensure it stays high enough for crabby health and you'd likely get more activity, so no complaints here on that.