substrate and plants

Question
I am about to buy about 3-4 hermit crabs and i have done allot of in depth research so find myself fully qualified for them. I have looked all over the Internet however and have not gotten a proper answer on a few of my questions. What type of substrate is better, playsand, coconut fibre or Eco earth? Also for growing plants how do I continue to grow them and am able to clean my tank? I know that you have to clean your tank at least once a month but I have yet to meet a plant that grows in one month. A final troubling question is where should I put the tank heater and what type of lid should I have? I am converting my old 25 gallon fish tank into one and I don't think the fish tank lid is suitable but i don't know which would be. Please help me out as I want to provide the best home i can for my Hermies. Thanks for reading this looking forward to your reply :D

Answer
Ok, let me break your questions down.

What type of substrate is better, playsand, coconut fibre or Eco earth?

Ok, first coconut fiber and EcoEarth are the same thing so that narrows things down. Personally I enjoy a mix of the two. Playsand has less mold issues but it doesn't provide an organic environment that breaks down hermit crab poop and other matters. You can also do a mix of the two or even add some moss into the mixture. I'm very fond of the coconut fiber bedding (also called coir) but it's really personal preference.


Also for growing plants how do I continue to grow them and am able to clean my tank? I know that you have to clean your tank at least once a month but I have yet to meet a plant that grows in one month.

I am not sure where you read you have to clean your tank once a month but it isn't true. Hermit crabs can go quite some time if you are diligent about watching for mold and keeping humidity and temperatures stabilized. I have a 90 gallon terrarium that I do a complete deep clean about once every 18 months. A 25 gallon aquarium could easily go 6 months or more without being cleaned.



A final troubling question is where should I put the tank heater and what type of lid should I have?

I'd put the heater on one end underneath to give your crabs zones of hot and cold. Your glass aquarium lid will do fine. I would maybe add a clamp light with a 15-25 watt sunglo bulb that is only on during the day.