LOL..i thought in malaysia only got ruggies? got straw or PP?

and btw, do you really think the wind thing is a good idea? well, aeration is good. but hermies need high humidity (75-78 %) in order for them to breath easily. They cant breath well from dry air. So the whole wind thing will just make the air even drier.

This post has been edited by prophet007: May 15 2008, 12:33 AM

well, maybe the hermies DO react to the wind. so what? i mean in the tank, they need high humidity and IMHO, the wind will just decrease the humidity drastically.

hyrl: just asking, i saw only one water dish in your tank. Is that fresh water (tap water) or salt water?

blitzboy: seriously, your tank was very nice. But do you know that you were keeping them in a wrong way?

First of all, there was too little sand, and I dont think the hermit crabs can have a nice dig and molt perfectly.

Secondly, 40 crabs in a 2 ft tank? That was seriously overcrowded.

Thirdly, you only had one water dish inside your tank and I have no idea whether it was salt water or fresh water. But FYI, hermit crabs need both salt and fresh water in order to survive.

Fourth, the cover of your tank cant even contain humidity. and if you put a fan on it, I must say that your hermit crabs were suffering as they cant breathe easily.

No offence, but if you really want to keep land hermit crabs next time, please do a bit more research.

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

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.

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

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?

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

tap water will be fine as long as you add anti chlorine into it. And you dont have to buy salt water. You just buy the sea salt. Pets Safari got sell Red Sea Salt.

Is your tank have enough substrate? What is your tank's humidity and temperature.

Dont always feed them commercial food. Add some fresh food into their diet.

The crabs may be destressing right now. Given the correct temp and humidity, they will be fine. And normally they are active during the night .

For fresh food, of course you have to take it out after 24 hours or it will start to smell, especially in a humid condition. And yes, the substrate is a MUST. How small your plastic container is?

Well, maybe if you dont know anything about hermit crabs, you shouldnt take them from the beach. Did you wash the sand from the beach? And you will have to change the water every 3-4 days. As mentioned, Red Sea Salt is the best so far. And dont you ever you table salt cause they will sure die.

Speaking of food, it is better if you provide some fresh food. I dont think hermit crabs will eat grass. If you consider preparing fresh food a hassel, then you should release them back to the beach. And try not to feed too much cheap fish food, cause sometimes the quality is not so good and there are certain preservatives in the food.

Well, so far, I noticed most ruggies like to wear D-opening shells. PPs and Straws prefer turbos. And I think in Msia, we still cant get PPs or Straws. Straws need a higher level of humidity to survive well. They are also quite destructive.

And for the substrate, do not use anything that you are not sure of. And of course, sand by the road side is a big no no! We cant get playsand in Msia, so get coral sand instead.

IMO, the best is 50% sand and 50% forest bedding. But I dont know if there is still forest bedding available in Msia, so just stick to coral sand.

I dont think exo terras's forest bedding is ok to use for hermies.

If you cant boil the wood, you can also soak it in concentrated sea salt water. Can prevent the growth of fungus. And as for the second level, can DIY one using plexiglas.

no. no one has ever succeed in breeding them.

blue salt? is it the RM1/ packet for the fresh water aquarium one? If yes, better throw it away.

By the way, how big the D shaped shell you need? I mean the opening.

2 inches? i look around first. btw, is there a fish picture on the salt packet? Anyway, I dont think you should use it. It could be dangerous. Why not buy a big packet? They last for a very very long time. Or you could share with your friends.

no. The RM20++ one is the smallest package. Around 2 kg I guess.

No, they dont eat while molting. But do prepare some good food after they resurface. Some good food to boost their energy would be cuttlebone or honey. Give them some meat as well. (Shrimp / Chicken).

Some hermies molt underground. So make sure your sand is deep and moist enough. Sometimes, hermies do surface molt. You sure yours is molting? Does he has cloudy eyes?

This post has been edited by prophet007: Jun 26 2008, 10:03 PM

When he was naked, that doesnt mean he is trying to molt! There were problems already. What you should do is put the empty shell together with other similar size shells and the naked crab into a small container. Then leave them in the tank. In this way, the crab will crawl back into his shell (hopefully).

And why on earth you left him for two days? Did you leave it in the tank? When crabs die, you should just bury it or fo whatever you want.

oh..I totally forgot about this thread. haha.

btw, straws need high humidity. And they are certainly good diggers and climber. So make sure your substrate is DEEP enough.

If you want them to retain their red colour after every molt, you should feed them carotene rich food. such as dried hibiscus flower/rose petals etc etc which includes fruits also. Just make sure the flowers are free from pollution.

And last but not least, can post some pictures of your babies?

and onscreen, I must say your tank looks very lovely. I am happy for your crabs.

This post has been edited by prophet007: Jan 3 2009, 03:21 AM

speaking of crabs with missing limbs, just wanna remind the owners to put some rocks in the water dish cause one of my crabs died of drowning... I am using the exo-terra water dish and there is a slide for the crabs to climb up but maybe that crab cant find the way of something...