Attention all hermit crab lovers.....I need help with setting up my crabitat.?

When I bought the two hermit crabs, my little boys chose to get the Giant Little Crab Shack starter kit. It has palm trees, food bowl, sand, sponge, climbing toy and mister. Anyway we set it up and it looks great, but I don't think it is suitable based on what i have read on the internet. This crab shack can been seen if you do a search for it. It has a plastic base and cover, but it also has metal climber and metal bars. I read that metal is not good for hermit crabs. I also read that play sand is best for the crabs but it is a good idea to layer the play sand with calci sand. Is this true and if so, which layer goes on bottom and which on top? Basically, I need to know specifically what to purchase for a suitable crabitat- what type and size cage/aquarium, what kind of sand, toys, greenery, etc. Information on food would be great as well. I want the crabitat to be interesting for my boys but suitable for the two crabs. Help me please.Attention all hermit crab lovers.....I need help with setting up my crabitat.?
Housing/Crabitat:

no smaller than a 10 gallon glass tank, is preferable. A glass or plexiglass lid is also preferable, to keep proper temperature and humidity.



Temperature: 74-78 degrees F (thermometer)



Humidity: 70-80% relative (hygrometer)



Substrate:



Playsand, Forestbedding (Eco-Earth, Bed-a-Beast, etc). Moss and calcisand may also be added to the tank, however it is not recommended as a main substrate.



Diet:

Commercial crab foods, Vegetables (favorites include-carrots, lettuce, parsley, spinach, and corn), Fruits (favorites include-coconut, mango, apples, grapes, and pears), Meats (seafood, silversides and chicken are favorites), Grains, Peanut butter, eggs, seeds, algae and seaveggies. Please see http://www.epicureanhermit.com for a list of other edible foods.



Purple pinchers need both fresh and salt water (dechlorinated %26amp; salt water made with a good marine salt like Oceanic).



Shells:

Turbo, pica/magpie, Sharks eye. Shells with circular openings are favorites



Molting:

-Lethargic before and hyper after molting

-Legs tend to be dry and ashy pre-molt

-Will sometimes molt without a molt sac or other pre-molting symptoms

-Are thirsty and hungry pre-molt and post-molt



Other Characteristics:

-Sweet/nice temperament

-Love to climb

-Love to crowd into piles

-Not as active as other species such as the Es

-Like to hide during the day and are most active at night

-More willing to pinch if they feel threatened/scared

-Females seem to have larger eyes than males

-Love to change shells

-Love to eat and climb on wood such as cholla/choya and corkbark
calci sand is th best for the crab- they eat it too and this helps them greatly when they molt- the cage you have is fine but we used our old 20 gallon fish tank and made sure the drift wood etc was not too high in case they fall- (crack the shell) and make sure you have plenty of empty shells for the crabs when they molt they like to change their homes! and this helps when you have more than one crab so they do not fight over it! They like to be misted too with water( I just use a 1.00 plant sprayer from the dollar store) They are great pets for your boys and learning adventure too!Attention all hermit crab lovers.....I need help with setting up my crabitat.?
i have 6 crabs in a four foot tank with the heat mat positioned on the inside wall i use play sand and havent any probs,you need a hygrometer to measure the humidity in the tank, mine eat crab food and corned beef and have been ok for a few weeks now (as im new to hermits) i have the water bowl filled with salt water and a peble so its esier for them to suck off the sponge mine have a hidey cave and selection of shells xx