Correct heat and humidity ranges

[Wai]

Hermit crabs seem to have random sleeping patterns. They're active whenever they want to, so they certainly aren't nocturnal like owls (who are only active at night).

[babesbarn]

WAI... I noticed last night that it was cooler and really the tank is warm during the day plenty but nightime not really. I put another 8 watt UTH on the bottom of the tank but not too close to the other ones. The hygrometer is baloney..it is NEVER right. And I have a second one that shows the humidity is raised to 83% where the one from PetSmart shows 75%.
I was hoping not to have too much UTH's since they need some cool spots but seems that a ten gallon tank with one 8 watt pad underneath and then two side heaters (which barely do anything) just aren't enough to raise the humidity and warm the tank when my house is 68 degrees at night.
I am more or less using this tank as a practice tank I guess because I can unplug whatever is necessary to gain or reduce the heat and humidity.
Boy once I put the other 8 watt UTH on the bottom three crabbies three came topside and climbed around chit chatting. Hey they don't chirp at all, they make funny noises that sound like conversations from the darkside...lols. Picture me at 3 am checking them out every night.
Anyway Popeye slept while the other three Jumbo (MY GOD HE IS BIG) and Spiderman (who I have not seen in two or three weeks) and Hercules, (he is out all the time checking the food and showing himself at me.
Point is I find that a standard suction cup kitchen 3 dollar mercury thermometer is better than anything I wasted my money on in the pet stoe. And I am currently looking for a home style suction cup style hygrometer. The store ones are no good.
I will keep you informed but I think that since Spiderman Ted came out of the substate to visit the others, its safe to say, he is not molting.

[EventHorizon]

Heyas, all. First post here - I've been doing a lot of reading since we picked up two hermit crabs from a mall kiosk - and promptly swore 8 hours later to never go back to that place AND to properly care for the hermits we picked up.

I snagged a 33gal glass tank with a plexi lid (cut to size by me, with air/ventilation holes drilled in) from Kijiji. There was a UTH already on the bottom, but it didn't seem to do much when the substrate was all in, so I bought another (a Zoo Med Large) and stuck it on the side, however, it doesn't seem to really do much for the crabitat - I've managed to keep the humidity within range (80 to 85%), however, it's the temperatures I'm worried about. I'm in Edmonton, Canada - and the outside temperature dropped to lower than 30C, and the inside temp is set to 70F (21C). I've managed to get the crabitat to 70-75F, however, I can't seem to hit that 80F sweet spot.

I put my hand on the heater I purchased (on the inside of the glass) and it really doesn't seem that warm - do these malfunction often? It was newly purchased...if I have to bring it back,I'll have to peel if off the tank...I should be able to feel the heat from it, correct?

More posts (and pictures) forthcoming (in the appropriate newbie area), however, I *think* I have a good handle on their care - I just want to be sure of their environment that we set up for them.

Thanks, all.

[ladybug15057]

You should be able to feel the warmth from the UTH, especially when mounted on the outside floor of the tank. Heat rises and an UTH on the side of the tank really doesn't do much for warming. If you attempt to peel the UTH off, be very careful, any bending of the wiring inside will break the UTH.
When striving for a temp, please do monitor the substrate temp. It is not uncommon for a crabber while attempting to raise the 'air' temp of the tank end up making the substrate temp entirely too hot. (sometimes 100*F and 100*+) Make sure to have a 80*F warm as well as a 71-73*F cool side to the substrate so the cold blooded hermies can regulate their body temps.
UTH's can take up to 3-5 days to warm the substrate on their own or longer depending on how cold the substrate is. For this reason when we change the substrate we always warm the substrate that will be going over the warm side of the tank. (just to take the chill off of it, but not to cook the hermies) This way the UTH can keep the substrate warm instead of taking so long to warm it up.

[CoolBlue]

I have a pair of crabs and the heat is always on the low end of optimum. On the cool side, the temperature is so cold the crabs rarely visit. I have a 10 gallon tank and a 10-20 gallon heater, Zoo Med UTH size small. I have it mounted on the side. Should I buy another heater? If not, what should I do?
Cameron

[ladybug15057]

I have a pair of crabs and the heat is always on the low end of optimum. On the cool side, the temperature is so cold the crabs rarely visit. I have a 10 gallon tank and a 10-20 gallon heater, Zoo Med UTH size small. I have it mounted on the side. Should I buy another heater? If not, what should I do?
Cameron

Did you read my reply to another right above the post you just did? A UTH on the side of a tank is about useless for warming the substrate of the tank where the hermies are. Actually a ZooMed UTH rated for a 10-20 gal tank if mounted correctly would be plenty big enough to warm the substrate.

[CoolBlue]

Thanks, when I scanned through, I didn't see your post.

[llmercll]

Hey everyone, since I've been crabbing I've used my homes "central heat" as a heat source and the temp stays around 73-74. I know this is on the low side and have decided to finally set up an UTH. From my reading I see there are a number of choices to make, and have a few questions to ask.

Should I mount it on an outside wall or bottom? My crabs spend most of their time up in their net/coco mat and less time on the ground, from what I've noticed, which makes me think air temp is more important. I know that UTH can be dangerous if underneath too, so would need to look into thermostats and aquarium gems if I went that route. Putting it on the side wouldn't warm the substrate much though, so I'm not sure what to do =/

I'd appreciate some input =)

thanks!

[Wai]

Put the UTH on the bottom and control it with a thermostat. It may not necessarily heat up the air to a great extent though, but you do have a very small tank. Give it a try and see how the air temperature goes.

[llmercll]

Sounds good, how does this pair look?

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiTher ... M1WGY7OVX4

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPRTC- ... M1WGY7OVX4

thanks!