Land hermit terrarium

**Justikanz** · 28th Sep 2005, 14:40

Hmm... Since a terrarium is a type of vivarium, maybe I can post this to share my experience...

Recently did an overhaul of my 2ft hermit terrarium. The old concept was just putting a layer of substrate (gravel) and then plonk some driftwood and a small water dish in the tank, together with the animals. Then I added emersed java moss, some air plants and 1 earth star in a plant container. Never did I realised that the substrate, without some form of drainage, stays very damp and will not dry up. This attracts ants and some mysterious white worms. Also,the hermits will dig around, destroying all forms of plant life.

Old look:

So, I decide to do an overhaul.

After emptying the tank of the previous contents and drying it, I put down a layer of undergravel filter plate, followed by some clay pellets. These serve to provide drainage from excess water. The bad thing about this design is that there is still no place for accumulated water to run to. So, I stuff dried moss at the sides.

My idea is the moss will absorb the mositure from the drainage layers and allow evaporation to occur. I certainly hope this is true!

**Justikanz** · 28th Sep 2005, 14:46

I then topped the clay pellets with another layer of undergravel filter plates, arrange the wood and water dish and add on the dried gravel.

I decide to retain the plant container as the hermits seem to love digging inside it as it contains soil... One fella molted inside the container!...

After placing the tank back to its intended location, the 7 inhabitants are set free.

They are very naughty and active and started climbing and attempting to tear through the arrangement immediately! Luckily, all the moss at the side fit tightly in and they only managed to pull some out.

Final look:

**Fei Miao** · 28th Sep 2005, 15:56

Well thought out, can be a mangrove habitat

I think this set up would be great for those colourful fiddler crabs as well

**avant** · 2nd Oct 2005, 00:05

nice setup!!
tempting to set up a similar one like yours.. where did u get your hermits from? i saw them on sale when i was at taipei months back.. cute and active and not as shy as i had expected..

by the way, what are those orange pieces? fruits?

**Justikanz** · 2nd Oct 2005, 01:16

Yup, saw them at Taipei, they are also on sale here... .

They can be shy, if you suddenly appear...

Otherwise, they are extremely active, always making a lot of noise when they move about cos their shells knock on the tank glass and climbing all over... They are also landscapers... Always trying to re-arrange anything they can move... that's why I had to place rocks around the glass container...

The orange pieces are carrots. They quite love carrots and apples. When hungry, they will go for pears and Hikari Crab Cruisine... Heard they will take rice too...

**avant** · 2nd Oct 2005, 11:58

i visited a shop at DanShui which was selling all kinds of creatures (bugs and such) which also had the hermits on sale.. . the shop has some nice open concept with insects making their homes at some plant setup. quite amazed that the creatures didn't try to escape.

so i guess they are quite adaptable and easy to feed?

**Justikanz** · 3rd Oct 2005, 23:33

Btw, mine will try to climb up the wood and try to escape from the tank (think they are just being overactive)... That's why I lower the braches...

C328 and 328Aquarium selling them now... Anyone interested can go get them... But please dop not soak them in water like they do (told C328 Aunty to place them in a dry tank liao). Their leggs are dropping due to the wetness... They will die soon if their environment is not dry...

**looloo** · 5th Oct 2005, 12:01

Hi guys,

They are also selling them at Bishan Junction 8 (level 2) with assorted equipment (e.g. different shell patterns and sizes). Quite a popular booth with brisk business.

By the way, just a question, how do you clear the hermit's "business" i.e. their urine or manure? I am thinking of getting some but want to make sure it is of as little hassle as possible (have too many committments to maintain liao) : )

DesmonD

**avant** · 5th Oct 2005, 14:25

is it a permanent booth? only selling hermit crabs or other creatures as well?

i would think that their "business" won't be as complicated compared to terrapins.. should not be much of a hassle.. the waste products would probably be merged with the base layer...

**Justikanz** · 5th Oct 2005, 17:21

Originally Posted by looloo

Hi guys,
By the way, just a question, how do you clear the hermit's "business" i.e. their urine or manure? I am thinking of getting some but want to make sure it is of as little hassle as possible (have too many committments to maintain liao) : )

I never see any real poo like the newts or terrapins... Perhaps their poo merged well into the substrate!

Please provide a dry land area with a drinking plate rather than a land to water environment... The really do not like being too wet. Not very troublesome to keep them... I now have 12 in the 2ft tank!!

**looloo** · 5th Oct 2005, 17:22

Not sure if its perm, but its the open air type next to Bata I think.

Now that's the part which I am puzzled about, if the business gets mixed up with the base layer, how does one clear it? Take the hermies out and wash the base?????

Been surfing the net for more information but search turns up nil on the cleaning up part : )

DesmonD

**Justikanz** · 5th Oct 2005, 17:34

Let them be?

After a while, some natural sanitary engineers will take over. In right conditions, the tank won't smell... Mine never smell... But most important is to keep the substarte as dry as possible... Just feed them carrots and apples, mist once a couple of days and top up the water dish. Alsp, provide hiding places and climbing places...

**avant** · 5th Oct 2005, 19:06

natural sanitary engineers???

reminded me of the dung bugs that i saw in a documentary of the amazon forest

looloo, we can look at justikanz setup and wait to see if any foul incidents occur haa...

**looloo** · 6th Oct 2005, 07:50

Darn, such a good deal

? Even lower maintainance than my hammies or moss tank ha : )

But I do think one has to change the "bedding" once a while or else hhhmmm, the crabbies sleeping on a "waste" land... : )

DesmonD

**Justikanz** · 6th Oct 2005, 09:56

Oh well...we are all trying out and learning... That's what this forum is about...

I certainly hope to be able to find the BEST way to keep these fellas... Perhaps a bare tank might be good... But they like to dig around... So...

**jtean** · 7th Oct 2005, 16:30

just curious, what do they feed on? they look cool to keep.

**Justikanz** · 7th Oct 2005, 22:29

I feed them carrots, apples, pears and Hikari Crab Cruisine. But note that they prefer carrots and apples. And they dun like the skin... Yes, they are very choosy...

An update, the new ones I 'rescued' from drowning from the LFS are rather fierce... And 1 of them still dropped 2 legs... *Sigh*... I hope they will settle down...

**planters** · 8th Oct 2005, 04:12

cool looking hermits!

**stormhawk** · 8th Oct 2005, 04:41

Kanz, nice looking tank! I got a spare tank lying around so maybe I might do something similar.

I think yours are a terrestrial species of hermit crab, that might explain why they dislike a very wet environment. There's the aquatic species but they're usually from marine or brackish habitats.

**avant** · 8th Oct 2005, 14:20

hmm.. i've seen them along the shore near the mangrove side of pasir ris beach a few years back.. i guess those are the brackish version that stormhawk mentioned... i think most ppl do not know that there are the water-loving and the water-hating versions

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