Ocean Water Pond
Why is a salt pond needed?
All
hermit crabs require some access to salt in their diet, no matter what
species. The habitat of land hermit crab species differs from
location to location, and they have adapted to the environment
they live in.
A brackish (between
fresh and sea water) solution is recommended for the "Ocean
Water" pool within your tank. If you are using distilled
or spring water it may have varying amounts of salt already
within the water, so take that into consideration.. It is important
to note which type of water you use.Varying
habitats of land hermit crab speciesIt
may surprise you to know that the habitat of land hermit crabs
is rather diverse. Some live in rainforest areas while others
exist on coral atolls or inland areas. If you have many species
within the same crabitat then you will notice that some will
drink more sea or ocean water than others. It is important that
you provide an ocean or sea salt water pond within your crabitat
so that each crab can take what it needs and lead a happy and
healthy life.
"Although
there are relatively few species of Coenobita, individuals are
numerous in tropical and subtropical maritime regions particularly
supralittoral areas and small islands, although some penetrate
further inland. Certain species are restricted to beaches (e.g.
C. perlatus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837), C. scaevola (Förskal
1775), C. spinosus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837), C. cavipes (Stimpson,
1838) while several other species may penetrate long distances
inland, e.g. C. clypeatus (Herbst, 1791) on Curaçao,
C. rubescens (Greeff) and C. brevimanus (Dana, 1852) in rainforest,
C. compressus (H. Milne Edwards) (de Wilde; 1973; Burggren and
McMahon, 1988). Coenobita rugosus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) may
live on the beach or penetrate inland in situations where fresh
water is available (Yamaguchi, 1938; Vannini, 1976). stages."
Greenaway (2003 p. 13)
Beach-dwelling Land
Hermit Crabs Some
hermit crabs live on or close to beaches and would have access
to seawater and a diet high in salt. In captivity they will need
access to sea water. You will often find hermit crabs which have
been denied sea salt water solutions spending a lot of time in
the ocean water dish once you get them home. Within the United
States C. perlatus and C. cavipes are available in some pet stores
and mall carts. According to Peter Greenaway, these species are
beach-dwelling land hermit crabs and would require access to sea
water to survive.
"Certain
species are restricted to beaches (e.g. C. perlatus (H. Milne
Edwards, 1837), C. scaevola (Förskal 1775), C. spinosus
(H. Milne Edwards, 1837), C. cavipes (Stimpson, 1838)... Beach-dwelling
coenobitids drink seawater or extract it from damp sand and
often immerse themselves to flush the shell.. " Greenaway
(2003 p. 13-16)
Other land hermit crabsDespite
living away from beach areas most hermit crabs will drink the
sea water from time to time or access salt through their diet.
You may find your Carribean (Purple Pincer aka C. clypeatus) hermit
crabs drinking the sea water. While they may not have ready access
to seawater in the wild they do drink it while in captivity, and
there is often a link between excessive drinking of sea water
and an impending moult.
"Coenobita
spp. that live away from the beach do not usually have access
to seawater and indeed these species prefer dilute water unless
they are depleted of salt (de Wilde, 1973). " Greenaway
(2003 p. 16)
How to create 'Ocean
Water' from Synthetic Sea Salt
The
following synthetic sea or ocean salts are mixed with a quart
(or litre) of water.If you want to make up a gallon then
multiply by four. Water can be kept for a week or more but
make sure to shake or stir the solution before use after storage.
Philippe de Vosjoli recommends 5 tablespoons of synthetic
sea salt (such as Instant Ocean) per Gallon of dechlorinated
water.
Instant
Ocean
From
the Aquarium Systems website:"Instant Ocean® synthetic
sea salt contains every necessary major, minor, and trace
element and has no nitrates and no phosphates. It was developed
through sophisticated biological and chemical testing, and
every batch is analyzed to assure consistent high quality.
Exceptional solubility, uniform particle size, and outstanding
package value have made Instant Ocean® salt the choice
of aquarists for over 30 years. No other product outperforms
Instant Ocean® salt. Our guarantee of quality is supported
by a history of proven usage. Instant Ocean® is the world's
most popular brand of synthetic sea salt." Add 1 1/4
tablespoons of Instant Ocean to a Litre of dechlorinated water
Tropic
Marin
"Tropic
Marin sea salt is manufactured from pharmaceutically pure
salts and is based upon the most recent scientific analysis
of the tropical oceans. It is free from synthetic additives
and contains no nitrates, phosphates or silicates. Tropic
Marin Sea Salt turns fresh water into salt water, which is
practically indistinguishable from natural seawater."Add
151 grams or four heaped teaspoons of Tropic Marin sea salt
for 1 gallon of de-chlorinated water.
Read
Rob's Product Review on CSJ
Articles:
Greenaway, P. (2003)Terrestrial adaptations
in the Anomura (Crustacea: Decapoda).
Memoirs of Museum Victoria 60(1): 13–26 (2003).
Websites:
Aquarium
Systems:: Salts
http://www.aquariumsystems.com/salts.htm
Tropic
Marin
http://www.tmc-ltd.co.uk/aquariumproducts/tropicmarinsalt.asp
