Chlorine

[Emeraldroots]

Hello all,
I have no Hermit Crabs....I will get that out there right away =). I am doing what I always do. Learning about the animal I am interested in, and then over thinking and obessing about every detail like a freak =). That said, do any of you test the water AFTER you use a dechlorinator like API Tap Water Conditioner to verify it worked? Am I being a freak? Probably.....

[abegie]

Definitely not being a freak. Obsessing over all the details BEFORE you get the crab is a good thing. So many people do it the other way around. Now I have to answer no to your question, I have never tested after using a tap water conditioner. This is because I don't quite trust them so I don't use them. I use reverse osmosis purified water for my fresh water and I use the same water to mix with Oceanic for my salt water mix. I would also be curious if anyone has done before and after tests after using a tap water conditioner.

[MomofFive]

It is a habit from my Betta days. I test after adding dechlorinator and then again after 24h.
I started doing so, because most water conditioners don't give you a dosage for 1 gal. of water.

[Emeraldroots]

Thank you for the replies! I read it takes about 5 minutes for the Dechlorinator to fully do its job. Quite curious now.

[ladybug15057]

Congratulations on researching first. Many of us didn't research first, or didn't have the opportunity to do so. (like here they were given to daughter as souvenirs for somebody when they came back from vacation)
Anyway..
It is suggested to let the water sit for a couple days after using a dechlorinator. But in U.S. we also have chloramine and heavy metals in our public water. There is also fluoride added to tap water and there is no dechlorinator sold on the market that removes this from tap water. (fluoride is known to cause defects in zoea but no testing to date to my knowledge has been done on adult hermies)
So I and many others use distilled water for the hermies drinking ponds. But do use the dechlorinator to boil certain items or rinse them after washing in hot tap water.
The dechlorinators sold on the market are made also for your basic every day tap water, and do not take into consideration when the lines are flushed with chlorine to kill bacteria within the lines after X gallons of water go through. Has there been any testing? A crabber from London had done this a few years ago too:
http://crabbywiki.com/tiki-index.php?pa ... ity+levels+

[Emeraldroots]

Thank you ladybug =). Of course I only find that wiki article to be disturbing. Is our best option to call the city we live in and ask specifically what is used to clean the water? It probably doesn't take into account the plumbing at the individual house. Thats another thing I was confused about.

Heavy metal. Does it come from home plumbing? City plumbing? It probably depends on several variables. Just curious on its source as I have seen it mentioned numerous times but I'm still not sure I know what its source is.

When you asked if there had been any testing, were you asking if I had tested the tap water available?

Should I invest in Reverse Osmosis devices? I don't know anything about any of that. We use plastic water jugs which hold 3 gallons each for drinking water you can buy from the machines outside of some grocery stores so switching to something like that would give me more piece of mind knowing that the water is being filtered as thoroughly as possible not just for the Hermit crabs but also for our family.

[MomofFive]

Why not call the water plant for your area!
When we moved to the states, I called them up to find out if fluoride was added to the water and about the ph level etc (in an area with hard water, it makes sense to add some water softener to your washing machine, dishwasher, etc... saves a bunch on repairs b/c of lime build up)
They have to give you that kind of information!!!
Our water department goes as far as giving out warnings over the phone when their tests show the slightest imbalance. Not even contamination, just a tad bit off
At least you will find out what kind of water your family (and crabs) get out of the faucet!

[emmac350]

You don't need to purify the water yourself (i.e. buy all the equipment, etc.) - you can get reverse osmosis-purified water by the gallon (or the 5 gallon) at most grocery stores and even large chain stores like WalMart. Just check the labels first to ensure there are no "minerals added for flavor" or anything like that because without knowing what minerals were added you have no way of knowing if they are safe for your crabs.

[Emeraldroots]

I will likely just buy distilled water. Seems the easiest way to do it water wise.

I was planning on buying 2 Flukers medium sized pools for them but was curious how you all do it water wise. Do you provide equal sized pools of both kinds of water ( fresh and salt) or one larger then the other? I wasnt sure if they had a preference. Meaning if they prefer to take dips in the salt water. I spos its kind of off topic for this thread.

Anyway thanks for the feedback!

[ladybug15057]

Heavy metal. Does it come from home plumbing? City plumbing? It probably depends on several variables. Just curious on its source as I have seen it mentioned numerous times but I'm still not sure I know what its source is.

Both, the public water pipes as well as the water bringing it to our homes, and in our homes.
The older our homes can also mean more leeches into the water too, as well as when the public water lines were put in.
Either or, as long as the ponds are large enough that the hermies can climb in (and out) with ease to fill their shells with water or soak if they want to. Preferably able to completely submerge for bathing.