Anyone into hermit crabs?

[fishb0ne]

I realize I'm pushing it off-topic here I'll try to keep this short and sweet because I have a tendency to write on and on and on.
I kinda want to try something new and expand my experience and knowledge. I love fiddler and red claw crabs so naturally hermits would be the next best thing I have a 75g crabitat that I am wondering if I can use as it is for hermits and if not, just looking for general guidance on how to best start it. For those that haven't seen it yet, here are some pics
Picasa Web Albums - fishbone - Crabitat

Essentially, the 75g is divided in half: sand beach and brackish water. The sand I have used is pool filter sand. Ambient temp is never below 72*F and usually hangs around 75-76*F or so. Brackish gravity is around 1.004-1.006. Humidity is around 75%. I can easily raise both humidity and ambient temp by completely closing off the covers; right now they are about a quarter open on either side of the aquarium light to allow fresh air in and avoid mold. So as you can already tell, it's a pretty darn good candidate for a hermit crabitat. Once the crabs are gone, I plan on tearing down the divider and spreading the bed of sand evenly, which will be about 3 inches deep I think. Species? Well, I am open to suggestions, but the most common encountered one is the typical carribean hermit (coenobita clypeatus) found at PetCo and Petsmart. I understand these guys can live to 20 years, so I am aware this would be a long-term investment and I am fine with that. If there are any other species better suited for a beginner, feel free to recommend

From what I have read, the ambient temp should not go below 72*F and should be somewhere around 75*F consistently, is that correct? Humidity should be no lower than 70% preferably around 75% or higher but no more than 90%? With the risk of being flamed to oblivion, I don't suppose I can introduce hermits in the crabitat as it is, can I? I will venture a guess that the answer is no primarily due to the fact that they can easily venture into the water area and drown. But since these guys venture in water on their own, wouldn't they be able to freely go in and out as they please? How many crabs can I get for the 75g? I figured I can get at least 4 or 5? I basically want the ideal number, not too few but not too many either. If the palludarium as it is right now with some minor modifications (such as the introduction of fresh and saltwater dishes) is fit for some hermies, that would be very very cool.

I think that's what I have as far as questions go for now, as I get into this more and more with my beforehand research, I'll come back and post. Thanks everyone for your anticipated insight and advice.

 

[fishb0ne]

No input? Anyone? Pretty please?
It wasn't something I said, was it?

 

[Drewbie]

not my cup of tea personally but I am sure if you wait a little longer you will get a few replies

 

[fishb0ne]

I hope so, don't wanna do anything stupid

 

[gzeiger]

In the wild they live right on the beach. I can't imagine they would be likely to drown by going into deep water. Yours doesn't even have giant waves. It might not be impossible, but they can probably breathe completely submerged the way your fiddlers can.

I doubt half a 75 gallon tank is necessary for the pool, unless the fiddlers are staying and use that much. I don't think it necessarily hurts, but I think the hermits are mostly terrestrial and you could provide more habitat for them and get more crabs by filling in some of the water.

I have no idea how densely hermits can be stocked. I can tell you the fiddlers are not very territorial beyond their own burrow, and can live quite happily at 4-5 per square foot (based on counting burrow densities of local wild populations) when the food supply is adequate.

Hermits don't burrow, and actually like to climb, so the more driftwood and rocks you have the happier they'll be. It looks like you have a good amount from the pictures, so I'd say you could go ahead and put some in. I have no direct experience mixing hermits with fiddlers, but I have some experience with hermits and I've studied wild fiddlers a fair amount and don't think they have any behaviors which would make them incompatible.

 

[fishb0ne]

gzeiger, thanks for the input.
Hermits do burrow, completely, when they moult. Other than that, you are right, they are climbers, so I will provide them the means to do so.

My plan is that once the fiddlers die off, I will completely eliminate the brackish part. But what I want to find out if I can get the hermits now. I am getting some good feedback on the Hermit Crab Association forums. People are saying I should be OK with 4 small hermies. The land area is 24x18 inches, so it's decent. I will have to measure it again to be sure.
Since you mentioned you've studied fiddlers in the wild, do they spend, based on your experience, most of their time in water or land? Mine spend about 70% of their time completely in water, if not more. But maybe they are coming out at night and spending the entire time on sand and I don't know During the day though, hardly one ventures outside.

 

[gzeiger]

It's not fair to say I was studying the crabs exactly. I just make a hobby of keeping native fish and I was studying the habitat which included some crab burrows. I have no idea how much time they spend in the water. Most places I see them I would describe as blackwater, so tannin-stained that you would never see submerged crabs. Generally they make their burrows in intertidal areas of rivers or brackish swamps where the burrow itself is submerged for some part of the day. My reading suggests that generally individuals do not venture far from their burrow, so they may be adaptable based on which part of the beach ends up being their territory.