HCA: Hermit Crab Association

My garden is bursting with these things. I dont know enough about them to know how they breed. Id love to have one just rooting around eating droppings. I dont want 1000 isopods in 3 months below the surface. Any advice? Im about to upgrade to a 40b and a deep clean probably wont be as feasible as it is in the 10g. How much cleaning would 1 rollie pollie do? Just watching them today. Was wondering if its even worth it.

CrabMater wrote:My garden is bursting with these things. I dont know enough about them to know how they breed. Id love to have one just rooting around eating droppings. I dont want 1000 isopods in 3 months below the surface. Any advice? Im about to upgrade to a 40b and a deep clean probably wont be as feasible as it is in the 10g. How much cleaning would 1 rollie pollie do? Just watching them today. Was wondering if its even worth it.

They really don't go below the surface more than an inch maybe. They hide under and in whatever items you have for the crabs to hang out in.

You need at least a dozen to put in the tank.

Before my tote colony died off, I had hundreds.

My son and I collected them off our patio after a rainy day, and put them in the little tat we made for them to breed in. A few weeks later BOOM tons of armadillum vulgare.

Coco fiber, leaf litter, and bits of food (chunks of potato and wood are great) in a tote or small tank are all you need.

Room temp is fine for them, and you just mist for their humidity. They will drown in water dishes.

They're crustaceans like the crabs.



Sent from my LGMS550 using Tapatalk

soilentgringa wrote:

CrabMater wrote:My garden is bursting with these things. I dont know enough about them to know how they breed. Id love to have one just rooting around eating droppings. I dont want 1000 isopods in 3 months below the surface. Any advice? Im about to upgrade to a 40b and a deep clean probably wont be as feasible as it is in the 10g. How much cleaning would 1 rollie pollie do? Just watching them today. Was wondering if its even worth it.

They really don't go below the surface more than an inch maybe. They hide under and in whatever items you have for the crabs to hang out in.

You need at least a dozen to put in the tank.

Before my tote colony died off, I had hundreds.

My son and I collected them off our patio after a rainy day, and put them in the little tat we made for them to breed in. A few weeks later BOOM tons of armadillum vulgare.

Coco fiber, leaf litter, and bits of food (chunks of potato and wood are great) in a tote or small tank are all you need.

Room temp is fine for them, and you just mist for their humidity. They will drown in water dishes.

They're crustaceans like the crabs.



Sent from my LGMS550 using Tapatalk

SG-
That is good to know re: amts and burrowing habits of iso pods.Tbh i kinda hate bugs so the thought of dozens of bugs crawling around just below the surface is a lot to process...for now. But its good to know they are so easy to cultivate.

Do the isopods try to escape the tanks? I see them crawling everywhere so I know they are curious climbers. I guess if they stayed underground id be ok. I just don't want to find them in my couch

Click Click - What does the crab say?

They cannot live without the humidity. Mine have never escaped the tanks. I do have glass lids though...LOL

GotButterflies wrote:They cannot live without the humidity. Mine have never escaped the tanks. I do have glass lids though...LOL

Ugggh. Rollie pollies in the couch! Im glad they like to stay indoors.

Click Click - What does the crab say?

They cannot climb glass or the smooth plastic totes.

Sent from my LGMS550 using Tapatalk

soilentgringa wrote:They cannot climb glass or the smooth plastic totes.

Sent from my LGMS550 using Tapatalk

Oh. Thats a HUGE relief. SG you may have just swayed me.

Click Click - What does the crab say?

Vic Future wrote:

soilentgringa wrote:They cannot climb glass or the smooth plastic totes.

Sent from my LGMS550 using Tapatalk

Oh. Thats a HUGE relief. SG you may have just swayed me.

Click Click - What does the crab say?

I have powder blues. They climb the silicone and all decor in the tank but not the glass.

Sent from my HTC6515LVW using Tapatalk