HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey guys! As most of you are experiencing the weather change, I was wanting to ask a few questions about how to properly prepare for the cold as far as insulating the tat goes and an issue I am having.

My humidity seems like it doesn't want to stay in range. Sometimes it drops just a little below standard, around 75% roughly. I have sprayed the tank walls, added moss, you name it. Is there anything else that I could be missing that I could possibly change in a quick notice?


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GalaxyCrab22 wrote:Hey guys! As most of you are experiencing the weather change, I was wanting to ask a few questions about how to properly prepare for the cold as far as insulating the tat goes and an issue I am having.

My humidity seems like it doesn't want to stay in range. Sometimes it drops just a little below standard, around 75% roughly. I have sprayed the tank walls, added moss, you name it. Is there anything else that I could be missing that I could possibly change in a quick notice?


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I have the same issue with humidity, my sand goes dry on the top inch and no matter how many times I mist it makes no difference. I add bubblers to both pools, got a big moss pit, spray the coco wall. There are always drops of water on my glass, yet my sub goes dry

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kieagcarm wrote:

GalaxyCrab22 wrote:Hey guys! As most of you are experiencing the weather change, I was wanting to ask a few questions about how to properly prepare for the cold as far as insulating the tat goes and an issue I am having.

My humidity seems like it doesn't want to stay in range. Sometimes it drops just a little below standard, around 75% roughly. I have sprayed the tank walls, added moss, you name it. Is there anything else that I could be missing that I could possibly change in a quick notice?


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I have the same issue with humidity, my sand goes dry on the top inch and no matter how many times I mist it makes no difference. I add bubblers to both pools, got a big moss pit, spray the coco wall. There are always drops of water on my glass, yet my sub goes dry

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My sub is sand castle consistency and I have condensation on the glass but my humidity is still down, sometimes dropping lower into mid 60s. We don't have sufficient heat atm but I do have a Uth that is sized to the tank (10g) and I have a heater in my room to help with temp, which is fine, but it's the darn humidity that is causing so much trouble


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GalaxyCrab22 wrote:

kieagcarm wrote:

GalaxyCrab22 wrote:Hey guys! As most of you are experiencing the weather change, I was wanting to ask a few questions about how to properly prepare for the cold as far as insulating the tat goes and an issue I am having.

My humidity seems like it doesn't want to stay in range. Sometimes it drops just a little below standard, around 75% roughly. I have sprayed the tank walls, added moss, you name it. Is there anything else that I could be missing that I could possibly change in a quick notice?


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I have the same issue with humidity, my sand goes dry on the top inch and no matter how many times I mist it makes no difference. I add bubblers to both pools, got a big moss pit, spray the coco wall. There are always drops of water on my glass, yet my sub goes dry

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My sub is sand castle consistency and I have condensation on the glass but my humidity is still down, sometimes dropping lower into mid 60s. We don't have sufficient heat atm but I do have a Uth that is sized to the tank (10g) and I have a heater in my room to help with temp, which is fine, but it's the darn humidity that is causing so much trouble


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Hmmmm, has it been a while since you last calibrated your hygrometer?


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Kermie16 wrote:

GalaxyCrab22 wrote:

kieagcarm wrote: I have the same issue with humidity, my sand goes dry on the top inch and no matter how many times I mist it makes no difference. I add bubblers to both pools, got a big moss pit, spray the coco wall. There are always drops of water on my glass, yet my sub goes dry

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My sub is sand castle consistency and I have condensation on the glass but my humidity is still down, sometimes dropping lower into mid 60s. We don't have sufficient heat atm but I do have a Uth that is sized to the tank (10g) and I have a heater in my room to help with temp, which is fine, but it's the darn humidity that is causing so much trouble


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Hmmmm, has it been a while since you last calibrated your hygrometer?


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I was looking at how to do that and may try to this weekend. But normally when it's prime humidity it will be enough to feel with my hand too in case.


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Never trust a gauge that hasn't been calibrated. For the longest time shortly after I had started up I thought I had humidity issues, and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong, as I had the whole shebang, bubbler pools, a glass lid, moss, added extra cocofiber, and a humidifier running 24-7 on top of the tank. After calibrating the second time (it had only been a few months) it was over 20 percent off. Believe it or not, it can make a huge difference. I will also note that analog gauges are notorious for being off, and if you can invest in a nice digital one it definitely saves some frustration. If you calibrate it, and its still off, consider a cheap humidifier. It shoots mine right back up to 90 percent after tank maintenance if I turn it on.

Rawrgeous wrote:Never trust a gauge that hasn't been calibrated. For the longest time shortly after I had started up I thought I had humidity issues, and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong, as I had the whole shebang, bubbler pools, a glass lid, moss, added extra cocofiber, and a humidifier running 24-7 on top of the tank. After calibrating the second time (it had only been a few months) it was over 20 percent off. Believe it or not, it can make a huge difference. I will also note that analog gauges are notorious for being off, and if you can invest in a nice digital one it definitely saves some frustration. If you calibrate it, and its still off, consider a cheap humidifier. It shoots mine right back up to 90 percent after tank maintenance if I turn it on.

What kind of humidifier do you use?

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GalaxyCrab22 wrote:

Kermie16 wrote:

GalaxyCrab22 wrote: My sub is sand castle consistency and I have condensation on the glass but my humidity is still down, sometimes dropping lower into mid 60s. We don't have sufficient heat atm but I do have a Uth that is sized to the tank (10g) and I have a heater in my room to help with temp, which is fine, but it's the darn humidity that is causing so much trouble


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Hmmmm, has it been a while since you last calibrated your hygrometer?


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I was looking at how to do that and may try to this weekend. But normally when it's prime humidity it will be enough to feel with my hand too in case.


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What kind of lid do you have on your tank?

I had a glass lid that left about a 1/8 inch gap. I was having a heck of a time keeping the humidity up until I sealed it the rest of the way with a piece of rubber trim. I was probably well on my way to flooding the tank by over misting. As soon as I sealed it the humidity shot up to 95%.

After a couple months it's now stablized around 85%. I also have bubblers ready to go if the dry winter air starts to dry it out too much.

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kieagcarm wrote:

Rawrgeous wrote:Never trust a gauge that hasn't been calibrated. For the longest time shortly after I had started up I thought I had humidity issues, and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong, as I had the whole shebang, bubbler pools, a glass lid, moss, added extra cocofiber, and a humidifier running 24-7 on top of the tank. After calibrating the second time (it had only been a few months) it was over 20 percent off. Believe it or not, it can make a huge difference. I will also note that analog gauges are notorious for being off, and if you can invest in a nice digital one it definitely saves some frustration. If you calibrate it, and its still off, consider a cheap humidifier. It shoots mine right back up to 90 percent after tank maintenance if I turn it on.

What kind of humidifier do you use?

Just a no-name brand that was on sale at walmart for 7 bucks. I just fill it with dechlored water and turn it on if I have to. I figure, moist house, moist tat.

Rawrgeous wrote:

kieagcarm wrote:

Rawrgeous wrote:Never trust a gauge that hasn't been calibrated. For the longest time shortly after I had started up I thought I had humidity issues, and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong, as I had the whole shebang, bubbler pools, a glass lid, moss, added extra cocofiber, and a humidifier running 24-7 on top of the tank. After calibrating the second time (it had only been a few months) it was over 20 percent off. Believe it or not, it can make a huge difference. I will also note that analog gauges are notorious for being off, and if you can invest in a nice digital one it definitely saves some frustration. If you calibrate it, and its still off, consider a cheap humidifier. It shoots mine right back up to 90 percent after tank maintenance if I turn it on.

What kind of humidifier do you use?

Just a no-name brand that was on sale at walmart for 7 bucks. I just fill it with dechlored water and turn it on if I have to. I figure, moist house, moist tat.

So just a humidifier for humans? Lol. Did it help?

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It does for me. I don't really have to use it though, I mostly turn it on if I'm doing tank maintenance and the lid was off for awhile.

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