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
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
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.
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.
Thanks alot to everyone! Actually I only have one hermit left and I am not even sure if he is alive or not b/c he hasn't been out really at all today, but I hope he is okay...he is one of my favorites.
Thanks again!
Tarah
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