HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I had a ton of sand mixed with eco earth that I had to remove from my tank for a few months while I moved. It been in buckets out on our screen porch covered up. I’m ready to set my tank back up fully and I want to reuse the substrate (probably 170 lbs worth) but I’m worried about the cleanliness. How do I clean or sanitize it? I don’t want to waste it all but I don’t want to risk hurting my crabs either.


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You can put trays full of the substrate into the oven, I typically do the lowest possible heat setting for 15-20 minutes. This will kill off most things living in it. If you're just worried about bugs you could also freeze it in bags and then let it thaw back to room temperature before using.