HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey! just wondering wether i can put 2 hermit crabs into a 15L tank or wether they have to have more? (and what woulf happen if i did put them in that big of a tank?)

Alik27 wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 05, 2023 3:20 am

Hey! just wondering wether i can put 2 hermit crabs into a 15L tank or wether they have to have more? (and what woulf happen if i did put them in that big of a tank?)

2 smaller crabs will do fine in a 15 gallon tank, but here is one factor to consider! Crabs can grow quickly, and many crabbers, after adding two water dishes, a food dish, hides, climbing still, and decor, find smaller tanks to be to small for their liking because they want more space for enrichment, and exercise. Many crabbers who start at 10-15 gallon tank, end up upgrading to a 20-29 gallon, or sometimes bigger very quickly. This is something to think about, the price difference between a 15 gallon and a 29 gallon are not bad, of you consider that you won't have to upgrade tanks for years if you buy the 29 gallon now, which you will probably end up with in a few years anyways. Smaller tanks can lead to aggression, them digging each other up during molts, or becoming territorial. Hermit crabs are used to traveling miles every night with 100s of others, so the more space they have, the better! It's really not that much more costly to get a 29 gallon instead of a 15 gallon, so I think it's definitely worth thinking about!

Alik27 wrote:Hey! just wondering wether i can put 2 hermit crabs into a 15L tank or wether they have to have more? (and what woulf happen if i did put them in that big of a tank?)

I believe 15L is only appx 4 gal, and that would def be too small for even one crab. IMO, anything less than 10 gal for a crab is too small. You could use smaller tanks for iso tanks though.

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CrabbyLover77 wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 05, 2023 12:05 pm

I believe 15L is only appx 4 gal, and that would def be too small for even one crab. IMO, anything less than 10 gal for a crab is too small. You could use smaller tanks for iso tanks though.

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I thought that said 15 gallon! I need to learn how to read apparently!

Thank you guys for answers ill have to definitely get a bigger tank then since the pet store told me it was fine i already bought the tank i dont think i have room for a bigger tank though

Alik27 wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 08, 2023 5:54 pm

Thank you guys for answers ill have to definitely get a bigger tank then since the pet store told me it was fine i already bought the tank i dont think i have room for a bigger tank though

You could use the tank as a topper for a bigger tank for more climbing space, if you can't return it!

KyMart wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 08, 2023 11:13 pm

You could use the tank as a topper for a bigger tank for more climbing space, if you can't return it!

might do! since ive already set stuff up in it i definitely cant return it! or i might give it to my sister for fish! thanks so much!

Alik27 wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 08, 2023 11:20 pm

might do! since ive already set stuff up in it i definitely cant return it! or i might give it to my sister for fish! thanks so much!

In my opinion no fish can live happily long term in a 4 gallon tank, not much can tbh, except for shrimp, and maybe a single smaller snail species (don't quote me on that), I think that using it as a topper is the best option!