Need help with hermit crabs

[reefy1]

HI,
have bought a couple of hermit crabs a couple of weeks ago to put in our mirine tank, we were told they wouold be suitable. They were really active the first couple of weeks but now over the last couple of days they don't move around at all, staying in their shells but hide everytime someone goes toward the tank!
Could any one help and give us some answers as to why as we have treid lots of different fact site to no avail!
cheers :?

 

[porter_painter]

hermits are pretty hardy mate, but best to check your water parameters to make sure all is well

what other livestock have you got?

have you been feeding them anything?

 

[reefy1]

HI Thanks for your reply

We bought biorb 30L and converted it. we waited 1 week and got some live rock (which is doing fine with loads of little things about on it)
then we waited for another week and got 2 x red legged hermit crabs. this is all we have

i regulary check the salt and the Ph. and have used a PH buffer as it was quite low.

Food wise we were told just to feed it the same as fish (a couple of pellets of the marine fosh food)

he/she is moving about inside the shell and does come out but just doesnt move with the shell.

i have also done a 20% water change a couple of weeks ago but i completely followed the instuctions on how to do so.

and advice would be great

 

[northernmonkey]

Try a bit of frozen mysis or brine shrimp mate .

 

[porter_painter]

hi,

do you have other test kits? nitrate, nitrate, ammonia, etc? these things really need to be tested and near zero before any livestock is added.

cheers
andy

 

[reefy1]

Hi,
have been taking our water samples to our local fish shop and all been ok, apart from the Ph level which is now fine... How long do we leave food in before removing?
Thanks to all replies

p.s
we have read about bioorbs not being suitable for fish just clean up crew has anyone got any suggestions or advice for suitabiltly

cheers

 

[Realist]

I would say feeding a few new era pellets will be fine for the hermits. Just 3 or 4 will be fine.

The bio-orb is not ideal however people do put fish in them but they would have to be very small and I would say 1-2 max.

The way the bio-orb is shaped it may make them a little more jumpy than normal.

HTH

 

[porter_painter]

if you're putting in soooo much food that it's lying around un-eaten then you're feeding too much. that will affect your water quality too.

how much live rock have you got? the hermits should be able to feed alot from the rock - 2 or 3 pellets every 3 day should be enough.

 

[reefy1]

Hi,
we have 1kg of live rock in the tank, as im typing the crab moved onto the rock and the other one started to attack and they seem to be fighting, is this normal?

 

[reefy1]

UPDATE

ok last night i moved the one that wasnt moving!!! the other one looked like it was attacking it and the one that wasnt moving came into life.]

This morning the one that was fine before had moved to the other side of the tank. on closer inspection it had come out of it's shell and died......

when i got the shell out of the tank and the body i put it into a container and was going to take it to a fish shop as i had read this is what you do!

I LOOKED CLOSELY AT THE SHELL AND SAW A LITTLE HERMIT CRAB INSIDE,,,(fully moving)
i now have 1 x hermit crab (orriginal) 1 x dead crab without shell & 1 new crab in old ones shell


IS THIS POSSIBLE WHAT HAS HAPPENED

ANY HELP PLEASE FROM YOU GUYS THAT KNOW ABOUT THESE THINGS

 

[Realist]

Are you 100% sure the crab has not just moulted? They shed the skin and the old skin can look like a crab, they often go a little quiet when they are doing this.

Thats what I suspect has happend

 

[Whipitup]

UPDATE

ok last night i moved the one that wasnt moving!!! the other one looked like it was attacking it and the one that wasnt moving came into life.]

This morning the one that was fine before had moved to the other side of the tank. on closer inspection it had come out of it's shell and died......

when i got the shell out of the tank and the body i put it into a container and was going to take it to a fish shop as i had read this is what you do!

I LOOKED CLOSELY AT THE SHELL AND SAW A LITTLE HERMIT CRAB INSIDE,,,(fully moving)
i now have 1 x hermit crab (orriginal) 1 x dead crab without shell & 1 new crab in old ones shell


IS THIS POSSIBLE WHAT HAS HAPPENED


ANY HELP PLEASE FROM YOU GUYS THAT KNOW ABOUT THESE THINGS

I think you will find that the "dead" crab is in fact just a shed (old skin) from one of the original crabs.

 

[lucycat]

im always finding spent crab skins in the tank and it does look like the crab has died ,but just before and after the crabs become very quiet and dont move ,they are normally stay still afterwards as well for a while until the new skin has hardened.wait untill a shrimp has done it and you find the skin feelers and all.it maybe an idea to get some spare shells for when yours outgrow theirs

 

[reefy1]

Hi, thanks to every one for their replies it really helped as they have done exactley what you said! We also went and got some spare shells today,
Thanks again for all you advice
cheers

 

[Realist]

Hi, thanks to every one for their replies it really helped as they have done exactley what you said! We also went and got some spare shells today,
Thanks again for all you advice
cheers

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