New Crabbies

[CinciToye#513]

Greetings! I bought my son his first three crabbies a month ago and they are very interesting. I have a few questions which we are finding various answers in research and would like to know several things. First, humidity levels-we are finding that we are having difficulty keeping the humidity levels up. The room is warm, we have plastic wrap over the screen, using two different lights, spraying down very often,what are we missing? Is it time to invest in the humidifier?
Thinking about expansion-currently we have a 10 gallon tank, but it doesn’t seem like a lot of room to roam, what are some good ways to expand without harming or frightening the hermits?
Last hermit pools? Is this a good idea? Does it really help with humidity?
I think that is all I have for now. I’m just trying to make sure we do the right thing for our new family members.

[HermitofHermitCrabs]

You need to seal the tank with a glass lid. Screens never work to keep humidity work. In my experience bubbler pools help maintain consistent humidity. Also, please reference the basic care sheet.

[CinciToye#513]

So, I guess I forgot to mention, I have a glass lid; however, the type of lid it is, there are spaces between which leaves open areas, which is covered by plastic wrap and cardboard. The wire screen is on top of the glass lid to protect it from the heat lamp as it can crack from the heat and moisture of the tank. I have referenced the sheet; however, I was looking for personal experiences to try. Thanks

[HermitofHermitCrabs]

So, I guess I forgot to mention, I have a glass lid; however, the type of lid it is, there are spaces between which leaves open areas, which is covered by plastic wrap and cardboard. The wire screen is on top of the glass lid to protect it from the heat lamp as it can crack from the heat and moisture of the tank. I have referenced the sheet; however, I was looking for personal experiences to try. Thanks

Openings in a tank are never a good thing when it comes with crabs. It makes it more difficult to maintain temp and humidity.

[CrabbyLover77]

So, I guess I forgot to mention, I have a glass lid; however, the type of lid it is, there are spaces between which leaves open areas, which is covered by plastic wrap and cardboard. The wire screen is on top of the glass lid to protect it from the heat lamp as it can crack from the heat and moisture of the tank. I have referenced the sheet; however, I was looking for personal experiences to try. Thanks

Just be careful with the heat lamp. If the heat is hitting the glass at all, even with the mesh in between, there's still always a chance of the glass cracking/breaking.
Also, heat lamps can zap humidity. Do you use a uth too? I have glass lids that completly seal the top, (crabs will get air exchange when you do daily tank maintenance) and a uth that covers the entire back of my tank, and my humidity is always in the high 90s.

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[CinciToye#513]

Thanks @CrabbyLover77. No UTH because I was told to not do it and the heat lamps would be better (I know shouldn’t have listened to the sales associate, as I am finding out now). Also, in researching before setting up, I saw so much conflicting advice that finding this spot has been amazing and glad that I found it. So, I guess I need to look into the UTH as we upgrade (which is occurring soon)? I bought one of those Topfin glass lids which has the plastic pieces which are supposed to help ensure the lid completely covers the tank....guess what it doesn’t, so I researched how to fix that issue and i saw that much of what was online mentioned using plastic wrap and cardboard. This initially worked and now the humidity is up and down. So just wanting to get ideas and possible remedies.

[CinciToye#513]

Openings in a tank are never a good thing when it comes with crabs. It makes it more difficult to maintain temp and humidity.

Yeah, this is what we are finding out. Hopefully with the upgrade, I can find a glass lid that fits, unless I should just get one of those regular aquarium lids.

[HermitofHermitCrabs]

Yeah, this is what we are finding out. Hopefully with the upgrade, I can find a glass lid that fits, unless I should just get one of those regular aquarium lids.

Those are fine if you can get the right size. My 125 has three lids across the top and the only opening is the back of the lids for the two air lines for the bubbler pools.

[CinciToye#513]

Those are fine if you can get the right size. My 125 has three lids across the top and the only opening is the back of the lids for the two air lines for the bubbler pools.

Thanks. I just started the upgrade process today, so tomorrow looking for lids and will get it going. Thanks a bunch for your insight.

[CrabbyLover77]

Thanks @CrabbyLover77. No UTH because I was told to not do it and the heat lamps would be better (I know shouldn’t have listened to the sales associate, as I am finding out now). Also, in researching before setting up, I saw so much conflicting advice that finding this spot has been amazing and glad that I found it. So, I guess I need to look into the UTH as we upgrade (which is occurring soon)? I bought one of those Topfin glass lids which has the plastic pieces which are supposed to help ensure the lid completely covers the tank....guess what it doesn’t, so I researched how to fix that issue and i saw that much of what was online mentioned using plastic wrap and cardboard. This initially worked and now the humidity is up and down. So just wanting to get ideas and possible remedies.

I'd def try the uth. You can get a good Ultratherm on reptilebasics.com for a decent price. Buy the one that will fit the entire back of your tank when mounted above the substrate line. You'll also want to buy a thermostat to go with it. Thermostats prevent the uth's from overheating. I used duct tape to attach my uth. Then I put aluminum foil over the uth and duct taped that to insulate the heater. Here are a couple of links to the uth and the thermostat I bought:

https://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01I15 ... asin_title

I bought a glass lid for my 20 gal a while back, and the plastic on the back of the glass left a gap in the back too. I've had many aquariums over the years, so luckily I had a spare plastic piece to use that closed that gap. Sorry you had the same issue. If you can return the lid I would. You could try another brand. Sometimes sizes, even for the same gallon tank, differ with each brand.

Good luck on the upgrades!

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[HermitofHermitCrabs]

Thanks. I just started the upgrade process today, so tomorrow looking for lids and will get it going. Thanks a bunch for your insight.

No problem. I hope it works for you.