HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I adopted 4 crabs today and also received everything from the previous owner’s crabitat.

Got them home and all set up:









I’ve got an Acurite digital thermometer/humidity gauge that’ll be here tomorrow. I just placed an order with the bean farm to get a UTH here in 2 days the heat lamps are definitely sucking all the humidity out, but I don’t have an extra ultratherm. I’m also going out sometime this weekend and getting command hooks to hang some hammocks and fish nets I have.

So question is, what do you all suggest for lights and how should I hang them since I’m getting rid of the heat lamp? The tank has a mesh lid that is insulated so the lights have to go inside the tank.

Also, any other suggestions? I can make changes since no one has buried yet


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I have never used any lights in my tank. The natural daylight cycle from the window in the room is all the light they get in my tank, and I have had Sonny and Cher for almost 8 years now!

Be sure to read through the crab care sheets on this site, there's lots of good info there. Is your substrate at least 6 inches or 3x as deep as your largest crab? Is it sand castle consistency? How big is the tank? Those bendy vines are cool, but watch for when they start to break down so you can take them out of the tank then (they are made of foam over a metal wire, so the humidity and heat will eventually make them disintegrate). Be sure to read through the info on nutrition, so you are giving the crabs a balanced crabby diet with all the necessary nutrients. What are you using for dechlorinator and salt for the water?

curlysister wrote:I have never used any lights in my tank. The natural daylight cycle from the window in the room is all the light they get in my tank, and I have had Sonny and Cher for almost 8 years now!

Be sure to read through the crab care sheets on this site, there's lots of good info there. Is your substrate at least 6 inches or 3x as deep as your largest crab? Is it sand castle consistency? How big is the tank? Those bendy vines are cool, but watch for when they start to break down so you can take them out of the tank then (they are made of foam over a metal wire, so the humidity and heat will eventually make them disintegrate). Be sure to read through the info on nutrition, so you are giving the crabs a balanced crabby diet with all the necessary nutrients. What are you using for dechlorinator and salt for the water?

I made sure to read the care sheets and do research before I got any crabs. I have a 75 gallon tank with 5 crabs for roughly a year and they’re all doing great I just newly adopt these guys and got their 40 gallon crabitat along with them.

The substrate is roughly 7.5” deep and at sand castle consistency mixed 5:1 with play sand and EE. (More than 3 times by biggest crab). Yeah I was kind of wondering about the branches! They all seem to be in good shape though, but I’ll definitely watch out. The crabs right now are getting a healing mix from Hermie’s kitchen, fresh fruits and veggies, raw almonds, bee pollen, and raw organic honey. Figured I should give them some healing foods just in case! Prime for dechlorinator and instant ocean for salt water.

These crabs are super active compared to my other ones. I’ve been watching one ‘swim’, while in my other tank the crabs won’t submerge into the water. It’s so neat to see their personalities


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Oh, I am sorry! I misunderstood and thought that you brought these home and they were your first crabs. My apologies.

I should have just stuck to answering your lighting question!

You’re absolutely fine! You were giving good advice and wanted to steer me in the correct direction, which I appreciate


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Congratulations on your adoption!

Thank you! Hermit crabs are definitely addicting I’m always finding myself wanting to adopt more, but I’m definitely at full capacity between two tanks.


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Congrats on the new additions!

For lights I use a versatop glass lid and an aquarium light fixture.

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