new Aussie crab owner

[aussieJJDude]

hi,
this is how my "crabbies" live there day to day life.
What is the volume of your main tank?
45 - 46G

How many hermit crabs do you currently have? How big are they?
3 small Aussies

How long have you had the hermit crab(s) that you are concerned about?
1 week and 1 day

What substrate or combination of substrates are you using? How deep is it?
the deeper end is 7 - 8inches and the shallow end is 6 - 7inches and it is a mixture of paysand and cocofiber

What do you feed your hermit crabs?
hermit crab food, cat and dog food (got no preservatives), veggies and fruit and nuts

Do you use distilled, bottled, tap or other types of water?
rain water for my water tank

If you are using a dechlorinator, what brand is it? Does it state to remove all heavy metals, chlorine and chloramines?
don't need any.

What brand of sea salt are you using to supply your hermit crabs with salt water?
hermit crab sea salt

What heat source are you using and where is it positioned?
heat mat on the back wall

Have you calibrated your thermometer(s) and hygrometer so that you can interpret accurate readings?
dont have any, but arriving via post.

What is the air temperature range and humidity inside the tank?
i know that the temp is 26 - 28C the humidity looks about 80%.

What is the highest temperature that the substrate near the heat source reaches?
28C.

Do you have any photos of your tank or hermit crab(s) of concern? If yes, please attach them to your post.
don't know how to upload sorry

[Wai]

Depending on where you live, the rain water might be poluted, especially if you live in a metropolitan area. For this reason, I use plain bottled water (not distilled). Although it is recommended by some crabbers to add dechlorinator to bottled water, I haven't been doing so and the hermit crabs appear to be doing fine so far. Welcome to Hermit Crab Paradise, it's good to see a fellow male crabber, also from Australia like me!

[Purple pinchers]

I would get arid of the hermit crab sea salt. Most hermit crab sea salt do not give the crabs what they need. So the best thing to use is sea salt from a salt water tank. Like instant ocean is a good brand. Looks like your off to a good start on your crabs !

[aussieJJDude]

thanks
many of my animals fish, birds, cat dog has turned out fine... jokes
when they drink the water.
one of my birds has lived for 10 years on tank water (raised from chick).
and i didnt know that you dont meant to use the hermie salt.

[Wai]

Hermit crabs are very different and much smaller than the animals you mentioned. For example, dogs can easily tolerate tank water, but some marine species of fish probably can't even if you add sea salt to it. Say if the tank water contained a certain concentration of pollutants, the pollutants would reach toxic levels much faster in smaller animals such as hermit crabs than in larger animals who have more body water to dilute the toxins. The hermit crabs are yours; therefore it is up to you if you want to keep using tank water, but I personally wouldn't. Bottled water from ALDI is cheap anyway.

Hermit crab salt is different to sea salt as the former lacks a lot of the other elements found in the latter. Sea salt is often better value for money and is superior in quality, so there is no reason to use cheap hermit crab salt.

[aussieJJDude]

ohh...
it is just i have raised fish and manage to get them breeding along the way.
most are just catfishes, but manage to get some Colombia 95 tetra breeding, and then the other fish ate the eggs or fry (got a densely planted tank).
and many bottled water that i have seen has got flavorings or chemicals of some point.
i would like to show my crabbie tank (but it says It was not possible to determine the dimensions of the image. has this happen to anyone of yous)
http://imageshack.us/f/844/dsc06903g.jpg/
sorry i suck at taking photos.

[Wai]

Bottled water is not meant to be pure water. I'm talking about things like Mount Franklin. A small amount of dissolved cations and anions is fine. Water from the wild contains such ions too.

One thing that concerns me from the photo is the painted cholla logs. They are potentially as dangerous as painted shells. I'm not sure which state you are from, but if you are from VIC, you can buy unpainted cholla logs from Garden World in Springvale South.

[aussieJJDude]

really are the painted cholla that bad?
these ones were way more cheaper ($1) compared to the natural ones ($5) and they were both the same size. also i have read somewhere that the hermies like colorful things.
about the water issue, i drink the water when i am helping in the garden (and when no one is looking ) from the hard work of course and i have lived (i know hermies are smaller ut if polluted i would of being sick)
thanks for helping me out.

[Purple pinchers]

Yes the cholla logs are that bad. Its just like the painted shells only is on a cholla log and not on a shell.

And because i dont live in AU i cant realy help with the water :/

[ladybug15057]

Welcome to HCP aussie JJ Dude. I totally agree with Wai as well as part of the advice purple pinchers gave. Have you read the Crab Care section yet?
Please do not take offense to advise or suggestions, we are here to help. Sometimes things are ok for one creature, but are also harmful/lethal to another. There is a lot of time and many crabbers experience put into the Crab Care section, as well as replies here in the forums from some.