I will recommend the aquarium fan that you buy it comes built in with a switch for ON/OFF.

The hermit crab natural habitat on the beach, has winds that is not constant and varying wind speed. You can replicate this condition by having a fan fitted to the tank, and only turn it on occassionally.

The fan don't need to be ON all the time. However it is better to have the fan ON during a very HOT day, to keep the condition in the tank cool.

well, that is because hermit crabs live on the beach where water supply is abundant. And because of that, humidity is quite high.

Plus in Malaysia, a tank's temperature wont suddenly increase or decrease drastically. They will more or less mantain at the same temperature, unless your tank is placed near the window.

PS: blitzboy, i have some comments (post 40) on your previous hermit crab tank. Please have a look.

For keeping land hermit crabs.

You need 2 dish of water. 1 dish for fresh water and 1 dish for saltwater.

When i used to keep hermit crabs, i give them filtered water that is left over night before giving to them. And the salt water mixture I mix it with sea salt , the brand is Red Sea, at salinity of 1.023 to 1.025 specific gravity, same as the sea water.


Land hermit crabs drink more fresh water than saltwater. So be sure to have more fresh water for them.

He made a good point there and you posted faster than me

Anyway, will post update on the crabs activity with a fan turned on.


And Prophet007, with all due respect, forum is a commuity of sharing information but not knowledge bashing. Also, 40 crabs is possible but you have to judge the size of every crab before putting them in.

yes! exactly! But from your picture (first page), I can only see one water dish.

And fresh and salt water should have the equal amount. Not because they drink more, then you provide more. Drink more or less, they themselves will decide, we as keeper should only prepare whats best for them.

of course you can put a fan on it. But just make sure you have a lid to cover your tank. maybe some plexiglas or something that dont have too much holes. And I dont think I am knowledge bashing. I am just sharing my point of view.

But regarding the population, I cant deny that 40 in a 2ft tank is really too much. And overcrowding will promote fighting (I am not saying your crabs were fighting). Even they are tiny or micros, 40 is just too much and they dont even have enough sand to dig in.

This post has been edited by prophet007: May 15 2008, 01:21 AM

Hi there i appreciate that comments.

I had placed more sand in the tank. than you saw in the pic. It was because the crabs dig dig and dig so the sand becomes very uneven, some corners of the tank have higher ground level.

Yes I have 40+ hermit crabs. Do that tank looks overcrowded?

It is because the hermit crabs i keep mostly are small to medium sized ones, and most of the time i am always watching them, and handling them. Only a few are large sized ones. I kept them this way for 3 years, they are all healthy, although some died in the molting process; i released them back to the beach.

That water puddle is freshwater, and i have a smaller dish for saltwater, not so visible in the picture, it is behind that drift wood.

If there is no aireation, the tank sometimes smells due to hermit crabs excrement and dampness. The air movement not only keep cool, and also can help reduce foul smell. If you on the fan all the time surely it will be dry inside the tank. You don't have to keep the fan ON all the time.

And I now no longer keeping land hermies, because no time to take care of them, now I am keeping marine hermies and i set up 1 saltwater aquarium just for them.

well, hermies' poop dont really smell. And yes, your tank looked overcrowded to me. Also, at least have 3 inches of sand for them ma...dont be so stingy la. haha. Cause some hermies hide in the sand to relieve stress.

The fan thing should be ok provided you have a proper lid. Perhaps next time you would want to prepare a larger salt water dish as wild hermies live beside the beach and there is not such thing as fresh water beach.

I dont have any experience in keeping marine hermies, so all the best.



And oh, onscreen, there is something I dont really understand. I have seen golf sized ruggies and medium sized straws/PP. So is there any particular reason you mention the size beside the hermit crab species?

Hi Blitzboy!

Thanks for your thoughts. No one likes dirty sands filled with rubbish ... I bet my crabs would not appreciate that as well. I don't think i would have the guts to scoop the dirty, smelly sands and drive 2 hours home with the sand.

I've not read / heard about aquarium fan or giving some breeze to my crab. Will do more research, but thanks for your shared info.

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Added on May 19, 2008, 5:58 pmHi Prophet007!

Thanks for asking ... answering to your query:
1. I have 2 water dish, both filled only with SPRITZER Mineral Water (not drinking water).
2. One dish with salt and the other without.
3. Most of the time, the water dish with salt would finish first without fail!

Here's a picture of my crabitat with their dishes.

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Added on May 19, 2008, 6:09 pmHmmm ... somehow, i do not agree. My hermit crabs drink more of salt water than freshwater. Their salt water dish always, without fail dries up first.
Maybe it's just my crabs

By the way, any food suggestion for land hermit crabs are most welcomed. I'm running out of ideas to feed them . Over the years, i've been feeding them:

1. Apple
2. Banana
3. Papaya
4. Honey
5. Weetbix !!!
6. Corn (cooked ... from corn in the cup seller)
7. Fresh grated coconut
8. Dried shrimps



This post has been edited by hyrl: May 19 2008, 06:09 PM


Attached thumbnail(s)

1. Apple
2. Banana
3. Papaya
4. Honey
5. Weetbix !!!
6. Corn (cooked ... from corn in the cup seller)
7. Fresh grated coconut
8. Dried shrimps
9. Hagen CrabWorX
10.Bread

You menu of food for the hermit crab is already very complete. Add Hagen CrabWorX and bread to the list.

However, you feed them corn that cooked from the corn in a cup seller,
normally cooked with butter (oily substance) not advisable to feed the hermit crabs oily food.
Land Hermit crabs breath with modified gills that can breath air when remain moist. Oily substance
can kill it, if it got into the gill chamber, mixed with the moisture inside, due to disrupted breathing.


You can buy fresh sweet corn from the market,
peel of the leave and scrubs cleanly and wash in tap water, and wiped it dry with clean cloth.
The cut the corn out into cilinder shaped blocks. Feed them raw sweet corn.
Feed them 1 block and keep the rest wrap up in plastic transparent food wrap,
in the fridge for next feeding in future.
You should see how the hermit crab pluck the corn from the stem. Interesting to watch.
You can collect the stem later, when they finished plucking off every corn seed from the stem.

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Added on May 20, 2008, 1:15 amhyrl

You tank looks very nice. Looks like you even have a tray for them to select the empty shells. More like a wardrobe for them.

When i used to keep hermit crabs , the empty shells are littered every where in the tank. LOL.

This post has been edited by blitzboy: May 20 2008, 01:16 AM

9. Hagen CrabWorX <<< need to get them a.s.a.p
10.Bread <<< they like toasted bread, not burned toast .. but just toast

However, you feed them corn that cooked from the corn in a cup seller,
normally cooked with butter (oily substance) not advisable to feed the hermit crabs oily food.
Land Hermit crabs breath with modified gills that can breath air when remain moist. Oily substance
can kill it, if it got into the gill chamber, mixed with the moisture inside, due to disrupted breathing.
>> I knew i would have comments on this! FYI, i always asked for just steamed corn ... no added Marjerin/butter or salt. Just plain corn.

The cut the corn out into cilinder shaped blocks. You should see how the hermit crab pluck the corn from the stem
>> Interesting idea! I should try this today. THANKS!

Looks like you even have a tray for them to select the empty shells. More like a wardrobe for them.
>> Hahaha ... yeah! something like that. But it could only last couple of days. Few days later, all the shell submerged under the sand. And i had to pick up each shell, dust off the sand and place them back again. sometimes, the shells are even deeper under the sand.

This post has been edited by hyrl: May 20 2008, 05:44 PM

you can also give them chicken breast, peanut butter (without vege oil or any preservatives), pumpkin, rose petals (without pesticides), bell peppers, mangos etc.

Hey blitzboy, i tried putting a timed fan blowing into the tank and yes, the crabs respond to wind. For the first time ever, they make chipping sounds during the night and their activity is greatly improved. Sleep in the day, playing hard at night and it fixed my super high humidity as well.

Anyway, my girlfriend brought me to a shop at SEA PARK by the name Irine Aquarium, they recently have alot of aquarium stocks and price isnt expensive compared to most current pet shops. If any of you want to expand their crabitat and staying rather near or in PJ, give that shop a go.

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Added on May 21, 2008, 4:08 pmAh those, there are a size comparison thingy for people to imagine how big would those be. Though i do notice the size are varied but those indicated in the bracket is mostly the common size you can get in the petshop.

This post has been edited by onscreen: May 21 2008, 04:08 PM

noob question here...

what are ruggies?

any pic for how the timed fan is attached to the tank?

This post has been edited by blitzboy: May 21 2008, 04:34 PM

Why ruggies? Its a nick name to that specific type of crab rather than going through its long species name.

7 species over all:
Ecuadorian
Ruggie
Strawberry (a.k.a land strawberry)
PurplePincher (a.k.a Carribean Hermit Crab)
Viola
Cavipe
Indo

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Added on May 21, 2008, 5:07 pmThe pics, i will take it this weekend as i am moving them to a new tank so its a best time to "show off"

This post has been edited by onscreen: May 21 2008, 05:11 PM

This is sea hermit crabs in my newly set up marine aquarium. Taaa daaa...........

Notice one of them is the largest at size of a tennis ball.

Please lower your sound volume settings, because the surrounding background noise is very loud. Thank You.


This post has been edited by blitzboy: May 28 2008, 01:08 AM

This post has been edited by angelfish84: Jun 2 2008, 04:55 PM

woah, what pet shop is that.. i did pay a visit and do a revolt on no colored shells for hermit crabs

yeah colored shell are nice to see , but not good for the hermit crab's health.
colored shell are painted, and the chemical composition in the paint is toxic to the hermit crab.

This post has been edited by blitzboy: Jun 4 2008, 01:53 AM

call for all hermit crabs keepers in lowyat.net ...
anyone keeping marine hermit crabs like me ... pls post your pics here...
and let's share knowledge...

hello there.... new here..
any hermit crab 4 sale?..