Wood lice,cypress bedding,and desperation

[Sarasobo]

hello I have been having extereme problems in my crabitat with the bedding.my first problems started with my usual number one choice in bedding, coconut fiber my problem was that my tank became infected with what I believe we're book lice three separate times and after cleaning my very large very heavy tank and stressing my little guy's out three times in two months I decided to switch to cypress bedding wich I thought was safe until I found in recent research to be toxic is this true? I mean cypress trees grow where wild hermitcrabs would be found?? I also thought to try play sand from the Home Depot after reading http://www.hermit-crabs.com/care.html who I believe is very insightful with hermitcrab care but people are stating that it contains silca wich is supposedly harmful to a crabs modified gills, please help before I have to spend another failed 60$ and a deep cleaning for my very large very heavy crabitat again.....second opinions???

[megmaholm]

Booklice are harmless and even beneficial, since they eat fungi/mold. As far as cypress bedding, I believe it's not great for the humid conditions crabbies require because it tends to mold really fast when wet. I don't know that's it's unsafe, but I would avoid it because sand is just easier. Playsand is perfectly safe - many people (myself included) on here use it mixed with cocofiber at a 5:1 ratio, and once moistened to sandcastle consistency it's perfect for digging crabs.

[wodesorel]

It's extremely unsafe for them to molt in. They aren't able to create the molting caves they need to be able to molt properly. It's a definite no-go with hermit crabs. megmaholm is right that it will also mold quickly when kept at the moistness level needed to keep the humidity high enough. I use it for my snake and I've had to clean his entire tank out a few times because I added too much water and the entire substrate turned green.

Playsand is perfectly safe for hermit crabs. Not sure where you're reading that it's not? It is made of silica, but that's what you want! Completely inert unlike hermit crab and reptile sands, and it won't rot or stink or turn into cement on it's own. Once it's been moistened there is no risk of the silica dust, and keep in mind this is what hermits crabs always live on in the wild. You may want to toss a brick of EE in the mix to help with humidity and breaking down waste.

I know that booklice seem gross, but they are incredibly helpful in a crabitat. They break down waste and control mold, and keep the tank cleaner than it would otherwise be. Springtails are another helpful critter who do the same job, and they would outcompete the booklice if the thought of those bothered you.

[Sarasobo]

Thank you for the help and replies my hermit crabs and I are incredibly grateful. I will use the bag of washed play sand I acquired along with a coco fiber block