1 year in, fine-tuning setup: misc advice wanted :)

[Sharon SharK]

Hi all,
I'm one year into hermie ownership, and my 3 girls are doing well (I think--two have been down molting a while...) A freak accident happened last week and I think I know what to do, but I'd love to have some opinions on the misc. upgrades I'm making.

Currently, 55 gal.tall/thin tank, pretty much everything up to recommended specs. (Here's my original post with setup desc.--I did get Instant Ocean after Curly recommended it: https://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB ... 8&t=128188)

So the tank is directly in line with where my AC unit blows air in I had been using a self-standing panel heater on one end of the tank (for chickens, like this: https://www.chewy.com/cozy-products-fla ... /dp/169444) because I already owned it. WELL! I don't remember turning it up to the high setting to accommodate the AC, but I must have... and it got so hot it cracked the end panel of my aquarium. I've been monitoring the crack very closely, and it's getting longer, almost splitting the end panel vertically in half. So, uh, I hope the tension of the sides and the top and bottom can hold it together long enough for me to repair it. I've already looked up how to repair aquarium cracks, but any tips welcome.

I also just recently bought a set of tubing / air pump / bubbler stones to try to keep my humidity up better. It usually drifts between 65 and 75. I had been using another setup not worth describing because it wasn't good, but the pump broke. I've been browsing humidity topics on here and feel like I have a handle on what to do, but again--any tips welcome

So yeah... cracked tank, humidity a bit low... oh also I ran out to get another UTH since I'm not using the panel heater anymore. My hermies have never been very active; I guess I would also love misc. advice on how to help them be more comfortable so they'll come out and play more. I have lots of climbing and hiding things and leaves across the top of the tank creating like a canopy, hoping that would make them feel safe. I've been thinking about getting them a mirror or wheel. I do have a camera on them now, so I know it's not just a matter of them being active when I'm asleep.

Thanks for any anecdotes or tips anyone can share!

[ChonkyCrabsLover]

Hello! If you want to raise humidity, you can buy a lid off Etsy if you don't have one already. I bought mine from a place called ZenAquariumLids and it is amazing. It is cheaper than others at around 25 bucks or more depending on your tank size. If you already have a lid, just use a spray bottle to keep humidity up manually, it works fine. You want around 85% humidity for purple pinchers I think, but different for other species.
I saw in a previous post that you fed your crabs fresh food. I used to make my food fresh (too much work), but then I started buying dried foods off places like Just2OldCrabs, Hermit Grub, or Crabitat Cafe and my crabs are in love! I usually just use Just2OldCrabs because of their big portion sizes and super creative mixes. They also come with freebies that almost double your order size. 100% recommend you visit their website with all their fun mixes and crazy ingredients over there. Fun food will definitely get your crabs more active. As a bonus, you can leave dried foods in your tank a few days longer since they take longer to mold and stay fresh longer. Previously you said you used commercial foods. I would transition out of non processed food if you haven’t already and switch to fresh foods or dried mixes only. Make sure you hit the crab main food groups too with your fresh foods!
Once you get your new heater, I would recommend making some insulation. Just use some cardboard covered in aluminum foil. Because your previous heater was on one side of the tank, it might have made that side warm, but not the other. Overall heat across the tank could make them more active. Do you have a thermostat to control the heater and turn it off once it reaches a certain temp? Zoo Med sells a good one you can get off pet stores.
Do you have green sand or worm castings? People say crabs love them, so I am about to buy some to test with my crabs soon.
For a hamster wheel, I bought it from a brand called EveryYay. My crabs seem to like it. It is a saucer hamster wheel. I bought it because it had absolutely no metal whatsoever like other ones. You can also DIY one that is upright to make it so crabs have traction. There are some directions for that on the HCA.
Do you know the species of your crabs? Knowing the species can help you find your species’ specific needs. I recommend looking at some posts on the HCA or websites to find the species of crab you have.
Maybe buy some leaf litter for them to forage or hide in. You can buy some special foraging mixes of Etsy that are great.
If you want your crabs more active during the day, keep the area around their tank quiet and let them get used to people being around so they are more comfortable to be exposed in daytime. You can also add tons of little hiding spots everywhere around the tank so they can run to a hiding spot from anywhere in the tank if they get scared. This is how I got my crabs to be more active and confident during the day.
What happened last week with your molting crabs? Everything okay with that?
Hope this is helpful!

[Sharon SharK]

Hi thank you!! I have been thinking about upgrading the lid setup I have; I use plastic wrap as suggested by so many folks, but would love to have an acrylic or glass lid I'll look into that Etsy seller and the food sellers you mentioned! I have some dried mix foods from Aura's Ark, but variety would be great. Usually I have that available all the time, with almond flour and coconut flour, and then I also give them kitchen scraps or fun things I see at the pet store (like right now they have a scrap of cucumber, a strawberry top, and a dehydrated shrimp thing.) We also just got an aquatic frog for our water tank, so I have blood worms on hand and Valentine seems to really like them.

I have the temp sorted out, I think. It gets a little low (75ish) after several hours of the AC being on, but luckily I only had that panel heater on one end, and the long back side of the tank is lined with UTHs. I don't have a thermostat, but since it never gets too high I've never thought I needed one.

I think what I have is PPs, and no I've never tried worm castings! I do have foraging things in there for them but not much leaf litter. I'll try adding that.

Still not sure about the molters! Valentine is up and about pretty regularly, and I see her sleeping in different spots each day so I know she's fine. The other two have been under for a while. The thing that happened last week was the tank crack and it didn't actually impact anything inside the tank, just made/makes me nervous haha. I bought silicone to fix it today though! Fingers crossed it doesn't look terrible when I repair it.

[curlysister]

Glad to hear things are going well!
I tend to feed both fresh and dried foods, they for sure get more fresh food in the summer when I can get stuff from my yard and garden.
If you do mist, be careful that you don't add too much water to the tank and cause a flood. Have you calibrated your hygrometer to ensure it is accurate? Have you checked the temp and humidity in a variety of spots in the tank?