How to Prep:
Add dechlorinated, fresh water until the substrate sticks together when squeezed, but no water runs out.
Then this bag should be mixed with one 50 lb. (0.5 CuFt) bag of Quikcrete Play Sand before being added to the enclosure. Add mixture to the enclosure to a minimum depth of 3 times the height of your largest hermit crab. Do not use without sand.
Don't want to go to a home improvement store and haul large bags of sand? Check out our premixed 4qt!
10 quart bag measures ~12 x 3 x 14". This is enough for a 20L with smaller crabs or a a 20 Tall with larger crabs.
Recommended Animals:
Hermit Crabs
Recommended Plants: Air plants and other bromeliads, spider plants, and parlor palm are great for hermit crab enclosures. For plants with large root systems, we recommend using pots with no holes to keep roots out of molter's tunnel systems and for targeted watering.
- 18x18x18 (20 Gallon) Hermit Crab Vivarium Plant Kit
- 24x18x24 (40-55 Gallon) Hermit Crab Vivarium Plant Kit
Suitable for Misted Setups? No. Hermit crab enclosures do not need to be misted when set up correctly with a glass lid. Misting can cause flooding or overly soggy conditions that can harm molting crabs. Bromeliads and air plants can be misted outside the enclosure if possible. Potted plants sunk into the substrate can receive a splash of water when dry.
Care: Hermit Crab BioBedding is a naturalistic vivarium substrate and is meant to house a bioactive clean up crew! Stir the surface of the soil every 1-2 weeks with a fork, or if waste is visible. Burying waste allows microfauna to process it quicker. Hermit crabs will eventually eat some of the ingredients in this substrate so providing calcium supplements and leaf litter in your hermit crab's diet are highly recommended. Please note that Hermit Crab BioBedding is designed to grow fungi - this is not a sign of a dirty tank, but of a healthy, clean bioactive environment.
Recommended Clean up Crew: Springtails are helpful for eating mold. Mold is common in warm, humid, low ventilation environments and springtails will keep it from becoming unsightly. Isopods eat droppings and pieces of food hermit crabs will try to bury. Ideal isopods are not picky about their environment and will not bother soft molting crabs. For these reasons, the best candidates are Porcellionides pruinosus (Powder Blue, Powder Orange, White Out, Oreo Crumble), Cubaris Murina, Cylisticus convexus ‘Ukraine Pied’ and Dwarf Tropical Whites. We do not recommend any Porcellio laevis.
WARNING: This product can expose you to a chemical (silica), which is known to the State of California to cause cancer. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.