(Heating) New, confused and trying

This is the place to post if you have questions and aren't sure where to ask them! If it relates to one of the sections below, please post there instead.
Post Reply

Topic author
Hesitantcrabber
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2020 10:30 pm
Location: Calgary

(Heating) New, confused and trying

Post by Hesitantcrabber » Fri Apr 10, 2020 10:08 pm

Hi,
Im new, and have never posted on a forum....ever, so very much not sure what im doing.
Im pretty sure i read it some where on here but i couldnt find it and needed some clarification. My mother has 3 herms, she fell for one of those pier schemes where they tell you they are easy, short lived, cute blah blah big fat lies. She brings them home to me and i had to tell her that hermits where mistreated in captivity.
I did some research but she is slow on fixing things up for them, it took 6 months for her to get them a real tank a 10g. As the person who takes care of them when my mother is away working, it falls on me to get everything. Currently a student i cant really afford alot, but i found a decent UTH with a thermostat that was in my range had good reviews, the issue is, it is the same size as the whole back of the tank, and i only see info of not going below the substrate. What happens when it is below the substrate level and would it work if i had a mister or humidifier?

User avatar

JoeHermits
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 2236
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 9:26 pm
Contact:

Re: (Heating) New, confused and trying

Post by JoeHermits » Fri Apr 10, 2020 10:16 pm

Putting it below the substrate increases evaporation, so your substrate will dry out faster.

Yes, you can use that in conjunction to a humidifier. You may want to stick a chopstick into the substrate along the glass once in a while (if water shows up in the hole, there’s too much water), which will help you prevent flooding.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

User avatar

Motörcrab
Posts: 2378
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2017 9:56 pm
Location: Coal Region in Pennsylvania
Contact:

Re: (Heating) New, confused and trying

Post by Motörcrab » Fri Apr 10, 2020 10:17 pm

Hello, and welcome to the HCA.

You can have the heater cover the entire back of the tank. If your substrate is mixed correctly the heat will evaporate the moisture and raise the humidity. You just need to keep an eye on how dry the substrate becomes near the heater. Dry substrate and also saturated substrate can be fatal to molting crabs. For that reason I would avoid a mister or humidifier.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Coenobita Curiosities offering crabby decor
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CoenobitaCuriosities


Topic author
Hesitantcrabber
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2020 10:30 pm
Location: Calgary

Re: (Heating) New, confused and trying

Post by Hesitantcrabber » Fri Apr 10, 2020 11:15 pm

Thank you,
They may not technically be mine but i want to do right by them as best as i can.
I was planning to use a humidifier or mister for short periods, but only if switching the substrate doesnt help, it currently has to much sand. Currently just spritzing the tank 7 times a day just doesnt seem to be cutting it, i did seal off most of the lid a while ago. My house is ridiculously dry even by human standards. Canadian prairie weather (or old housing lol) means a dry and cold house which makes it quite novel to try and gain humidity and heat in a specific spot.
As much as i was annoyed at how they ended up in my care, their antics, and reaction to my talking definitely won me over and has garnered my fussy overbearing care.
Thank you for your help

User avatar

Motörcrab
Posts: 2378
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2017 9:56 pm
Location: Coal Region in Pennsylvania
Contact:

Re: (Heating) New, confused and trying

Post by Motörcrab » Sat Apr 11, 2020 12:35 am

You are welcome. That's what we are all here for. The one thing I'd like to mention is that smaller tanks are generally a bit more problematic when it comes to finding the a happy balance between heat and humidity. One goes up and the other goes down. Fluctuation in room conditions can really throw things off inside the tank too. Knowing how to manipulate the tank conditions is about 50% knowledge, and 50% luck! Every tank can act differently too, Bumping the temperature or humidity a few percentage points can be as simple as covering the top with a towel or blanket. What in one region may not work in another. It's really hard to to pinpoint one simple solution because there is more than one correct way to do things.

If you are interested in some good information I highly suggest reading over all of our care guides. They cover a lot of common questions and are really helpful. I refer to them all the time especially when I'm helping someone. There is a lot to learn and you can easily be overwhelmed. The basic car, Humidity, and substrate should help you get your tank set up. If you have any more questions feel free to ask. Welcome again!

Care Sheets Main Page
viewforum.php?f=120&sid=188a880f5ce7f55 ... 69a117db05

Basic Care
viewtopic.php?f=120&t=119273

Humidity
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92544

Substrate
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92542
Coenobita Curiosities offering crabby decor
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CoenobitaCuriosities

User avatar

curlysister
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 4602
Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:54 pm
Location: Manitoba, Canada

Re: (Heating) New, confused and trying

Post by curlysister » Sat Apr 11, 2020 1:17 pm

Canadian prairie girl here too! And an old farm house too!
You can seal up the entire top of the tank with Saran wrap. They will get enough air exchange when you go in to change food and water.
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers


Topic author
Hesitantcrabber
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2020 10:30 pm
Location: Calgary

Re: (Heating) New, confused and trying

Post by Hesitantcrabber » Sun Apr 12, 2020 3:14 pm

Thanks, i was a little worried about covering the whole lid, but with it covered there humidity has been so much better. The shy guy has actually been more active which is nice to see.

Post Reply