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My hermits keep dying

4K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Tarah 
#1 ·
Hi all,
I am very sad, my hermit crabs keep dying..my levels are all good so I can't figure it out..also what is their normal behavior..do they spend more time in or out of the shell? Please help!!!!!!
Thanks, Tarah
 
#2 ·
Hi Tarah,
Hermits, like most all inverts, are sensitive to changes in water quality, particularly pH, salinity and temp. What do you test for and what are the readings? Have these been in the tank a while or are they new introductions? Hermits should be acclimated slowly, just like snails, dripping tank water into the bag over a period of a couple of hours.
Has the tank ever been treated with copper medications?
Dick
 
#3 ·
Tarah;

Hermits are hardly ever out of their shell as it is their only real defense. They need larger ones to accommodate them as they grow or they will die. Have you ever seen them investigate a possible new "home"? They inspect it very thoroughly, turning it this way and that before they finally try it on for size. This way they spend no more time than is absolutely necessary outside of the shell. About the only other time they are outside of the shell is when they are moulting and they usually do that while in hiding to minimize the chances of themselves ending up as reef snacks.

Give us a little more information and we'll try to help.

~Alice

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Reefkeeping is my life; I can't afford a hobby too! My specs: www.thereeftank.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000029.html

[This message has been edited by Alice (edited 02-10-2001).]
 
#4 ·
Ummmm...just a thought here. Do you know how many hermits were in your tank? Can you try and count them to see if the number matches up? (I know it's hard; they don't hold still for long
)

If you are seeing hermits "out of the shell" you may be seeing the moulted exoskeletons floating in the tank and not really dead ones.

~Alice

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Reefkeeping is my life; I can't afford a hobby too! My specs: www.thereeftank.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000029.html
 
#5 ·
Hi Tarah
Here are a couple of links to some info on inverts and crustaceans and such.

http://www.austmus.gov.au/science/division/invert/cru/

http://www.crustacea.net/

some of the info is a little thick but it may link to more comprehensible material with a bit of surffin


and any one interested I got this from google check out the thread on links to coral and such it is a terrific search engine


hth
mini mee
ooops had some fresh water stuff up there had to edit

[This message has been edited by mini mee (edited 02-10-2001).]

[This message has been edited by mini mee (edited 02-10-2001).]

[This message has been edited by mini mee (edited 02-10-2001).]
 
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