Hermit Crab Setup

[sunstar93]

Howdy!
So after the Christmas break I'm thinking about buying the 5.5 gallon tank from Petsmart for Toby and converting my 10 gallon tank into a "crabitat" for 2 (or 3!) small hermit crabs (:
I haven't had a hermit crab since the 4th grade (let's just say the poor thing didn't last too long...). So this time I want to do it right!! But I do have a couple of questions so if anyone who has/had hermies can help me out I'd appreciate it!

1) Can I use only the Eco-Earth coconut fiber as substrate, or should I mix it with sand? If so, what sand would you recommend?

2) What water dishes should I buy? The guidelines for hermies say "nothing too deep where they can drown"...but how deep is too deep?
thinking about this one for food
Would any of these be suitable for water dishes?
**I do know they need salt water as well as freshwater so I plan on getting 2 water bowls(:

3) What kind of top should I get? I know they have to have a certain humidity level (already planning on buying a humidity gauge) but I am unsure how to maintain that level. I will already have the hood from the 10 gallon tank, but should I consider getting another? Or will the plastic wrap method work?

4) Do they need lighting? I know this sounds like a silly question but I will already have the 10 gallon hood and it comes with two 15 watt light bulbs. Should I forget those or would those be safe to use? (They don't give off very much heat).

5) What is a good brand of an under the tank heater?? Not really sure how to go about that lol.

6) What are some good "toys" for hermies? I know they need something to hide under (like one of those coconut huts) but what are some other things they need in way of "accessories"? Lol

Sorry for such a long post!! I won't be getting my hermies until way later on down the road, and I won't even get them until I have their tank all set up and put together so I can make sure I can safely monitor & maintain the temperature and humidity. Like I said, I wanna do this right!!

Any and all information would be extremely appreciated!! So excited (;

~Sunstar~

[finnfinnfriend]

Im sorry I don't know all the answers, but I DO know that they like to climb! They have artificial vines you can put in their habitat. A good under tank heater is the zoomed reptitherm heater, but you need to also get a thermostat to regulate the temp. Also you will want to put the heater on the side of the tank because they could burrow down and burn themselves if the heater is under the tank.

[sunstar93]

Didn't know that about putting the heater on the side! That would be bad if they got burned! They have a few of those humidity gauge/thermometer combos...are those any good? I will look into the vines and the heater you suggested. Thanks!! (:
(I figured someone with a reptile could recommend a good heater lol)

[finnfinnfriend]

Lol ;). I don't have any humidity gauge/thermometer combos, but a good way to see if they are any good is to shop online and look at the customer reviews. Glad I could help some.

[sunstar93]

Lol these little guys really add up...but they are so cute haha.
Ive been reading that a moon glow bulb (25 watt) might be safer in order to heat the tank...but I'm going to research more about it lol. I've read some reviews about the combos and the one by zoo med is supposedly really good. But I still have a while before I start buying stuff haha.
And thanks again for helping! (: