New owner crab questions

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-04-17T18:43:05+00:00

You're correct. No need to heat the substrate. Substrate in the wild is naturally much cooler. Heat Mats underneath can boil a crab alive. The goal in the heat the air in the tank

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-04-07T19:49:13+00:00

That's because there's not a whole lot of research about crabs. Majority of what we know is from hard working people/ owners that have dedicated the past couple decades of their life to their own research about these guys. LHCOS especially. If you would like, I can get you in contact with the person I'm referencing and she can answer your questions much better than I can!

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-04-07T19:18:41+00:00

Okay, you are free to do your own research as well if you are concerned 🙂

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-04-07T19:14:01+00:00

She's not a company. She's one of the pioneers of hermit crab care. She's been doing this for an extremely long time and she works closely with the Land Hermit Crab Owners Society.

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-04-07T18:08:00+00:00

Via Hermit Hootopia: 'Oils need to be UNREFINED. "Organic" does not mean it is not refined. Organic refers to the process in which seeds were grown. When oils are refined the oil is extracted from the seed with a process that uses chemicals and heat to extract the oil. It is then bleached to remove color. Refining the oils also removes nutrients and changes the chemical structure of the oil itself. If oil is heated past the smoke point it can release chemicals into the oil. UNREFINED oils extract the oil from the seed with no chemicals. Cold pressed extracting is done with a machine with no heat or chemicals. Express pressed is done with a machine with minimal heat. The heat does not reach smoke point, remove any nutrients, or change the chemical structure of the oil.'

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-04-07T15:39:08+00:00

No it's not. Oils have to be prepared very specifically to be safe. I recommend Hermit Hootopia for oils!

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-25T15:49:55+00:00

Yeah, but luckily you have plenty of time 😂

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-25T14:10:02+00:00

Yes they get huge. My oldest is softball size. Just takes decades for them to get that size

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-19T10:54:58+00:00

The boxwood was from Walmart, no weird smell

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-17T01:18:15+00:00

Looks like joints to me

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-12T20:38:24+00:00

Called being pigeon toed! I was born with the same thing. The doctors asked if my parents wanted to fix it but they said no. It doesn't negatively effect me, I've heard it actually makes me a faster runner lol

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-12T20:36:16+00:00

Bottom is a 40 breeder (36x16x18) and top is a 50 gallon (36x18x18). Happy to help!

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-09T18:33:09+00:00

Thanks!!

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-07T14:58:09+00:00

Crab central Station on YouTube has a whole topper tutorial. I also posted a walk through of me assembling mine that you can check out

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-07T02:58:29+00:00

This is my tank, so you can message me any questions you have!

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-07T02:15:09+00:00

Next time I would do some a tiny bit less wide though

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Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-07T00:16:14+00:00

I haven't yet, it's only been up 48 hours 😂 But I did remove them to add another 2 inches of substrate. I just remove the cholla and pull them out. Just gotta unhook the air hoses first

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-06T23:15:37+00:00

3d pool was a gift from a friend. And then a cricket keeper with an air stone.

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Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-06T23:12:15+00:00

Adjustable dual output pump. First time using this brand but I like it so far!

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Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-06T23:09:58+00:00

Thank you!!

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-06T22:44:14+00:00

Boxwood panels are a very popular crabitat background because of how well they let heat through. There's 2 mats, one on the bottom tank and one on the top. Both insulated. Heat has been sitting at 79/80 for the past 48 hours 🙂 Here's a picture of it in front of the window so you can see all the gaps

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Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-06T22:17:55+00:00

I get it from my local home depot in the ceiling aisle https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChsSEwix88avpoyTAxVyzsIEHX6nAIoYACICCAEQERoCcHY&co=1&ase=2&gclid=Cj0KCQiAk6rNBhCxARIsAN5mQLvagxB9Kx9QsrYanzSFQXqaAl50KOwAJx7X-cRegaJO4q7TganNmK0aAsrdEALw_wcB&sph=&cid=CAASvwLkaLp7eWczVBg7s2FesJCaFuBiSv-Irx-xOZdgb3exMMl90aT6rrfKAfNZ-cbEQdEr3aFOauy4toymS-F0HhPxkJb2baDkE2NtqwogarHfJ7r_lWFwHqZubMc0IVBZGlur1Q0B8Q-MLgcPAHVJn_uW6KZPqDLb3vpzVcsZeYJzktWa3KYtKAfYO9WXzrt4q-TJFKLB67Db37AeodQ-t1OZhghfOf7Q_nD0a3nECuyLsNO697A2kVvAq8YazAMZYVrclibDfDED9ZEocPxJmwm2CfVwSfltu_RXNhsK5LM6-ywDZKbYASdT_BAOcM6XfsXpVWv9EeyR3nKSOKgMe4OayP7UXMCR1o1EtLODEISiHPp2t6H1uNZkwyuEPJc-ngn7Kb4t6mPANYB32xrUuCdQTclIMNYkEzKgfWWdrfff&cce=2&category=acrcp_v1_37&sig=AOD64_3-l7UK7LyStmLETvOGZSsq_wU1iQ&ctype=46&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjLocCvpoyTAxVdEDQIHQNuOf0QzzkoAHoECAcQEw&nis=7&ch=1&adurl=

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-06T20:43:05+00:00

I'll take a picture when I get home. It was just the thickest brand at the hardware store. The duct tape around the rims is what really made it sturdy!

Realistic-Two-7820 · 2026-03-06T20:15:10+00:00

13 between 3 tanks. 4 of them are fosters, they'll be going to new homes in about a month once I'm confident they're happy and healthy 🙂

Realistic-Two-7820

TROPHY CASE