I keep losing my hermits, whats going on?

[castrojc]

I few weeks back I found a hermit, with no shell, on top of my mini carpet anemone, dead. I though nothing of it and moved on... a week later I found another in the tank... Today I found another, in total I probably lost 4 in 4 weeks. I have other inverts (lots of snail, sexy shrimp, cleaner shrimp) and havent seemed to have lost any of them (unless I just havent noticed any snails being dead) but my two shrimp are certainly alive and well. Any thoughts on this? Checked nitrates today and it was about 10-20ppm but that wouldnt be enough to kill them would it? First time nitrates started creeping btw

[mrbigshot]

are you sure there not the molts. they would be in there shell if dead. the molts look just like them.without shells

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[sporto0]

Forget the nitrates, I would agree with Mr. Big shot on this one, Hermit Crabs will molt & it looks just like a dead crab, just no meat, but they are so small it's hard to discern the difference. I suppose there is a chance that the carpet anemone is stinging them but thats seems like a long shot to me.

[castrojc]

lol, i guess I never thought about that... I feel dumb now haha, I will assume for now that this is the case, I will inspect it more closely next time I find one. Thanks guys

[Arc Drafter]

I thought I lost a cleaner shrimp the size of a fat thumb but it was a molt. Doh!

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[hossa81]

My hermit crabs disappear and come back every few days. Mine survived a completly new aquascape TWICE!! And they are still alive. Best of luck. Oh and by the way, mine climb all over my coral.

[acrab78]

I wouldn't worry about it they are molting.

Also whenever crabs etc molt they are usually not very active/hide for a few days. This is because the new exterior is very soft after the molting and it makes them more vulnerable to predators.

I love my hermits!!!

[Fish doctor]

Yes don't worry about it,mine do the same thing. Then when I least expect it they show up again.

[Biocubehqi]

Mine do the Same thing. Mine die as well... With no shell. I've been looking for the answer since. Started this hobby, if you find it pm me, I would love to know. Mine are not molts. None believes can take the dead bodies out for me, I'll make you a believer.

[ArrowCrab]

Originally Posted by castrojc

lol, i guess I never thought about that... I feel dumb now haha, I will assume for now that this is the case, I will inspect it more closely next time I find one. Thanks guys

I used to think I was losing mine all the time too. IMO don't do a body count, just go by how many you can actually see crawling around on average. You will probably have a couple above that number.

[Mr. Bill]

Originally Posted by Biocubehqi

Mine do the Same thing. Mine die as well... With no shell. I've been looking for the answer since. Started this hobby, if you find it pm me, I would love to know. Mine are not molts. None believes can take the dead bodies out for me, I'll make you a believer.

The two main reasons hermits die in our tanks are:

1) Starvation. They're not little vacuum cleaners that can sit in the corner for days waiting for a morsel of food; They're living, breathing organisms that demand a certain amount for their own survival. FWIW, I overfeed my tank to insure that my CuC is well fed, and I have no nutrient or algae problems. I also target my hermits with a small piece of raw shrimp or fish 2 - 3 times per month.

2) Outgrowing their shells. As hermits grow, they get too large for their shell and need to change. Being forced to leave their home, thus exposing their soft body, is usually fatal. In such cases, you'll find them without a shell. Keeping a handful of slightly larger shells available will remedy the problem. You can find replacement hermit shells at the LFS or from several online aquaria vendors.

Hope this helps.

[Biocubehqi]

Originally Posted by Mr. Bill

The two main reasons hermits die in our tanks are:

1) Starvation. They're not little vacuum cleaners that can sit in the corner for days waiting for a morsel of food; They're living, breathing organisms that demand a certain amount for their own survival. FWIW, I overfeed my tank to insure that my CuC is well fed, and I have no nutrient or algae problems. I also target my hermits with a small piece of raw shrimp or fish 2 - 3 times per month.

2) Outgrowing their shells. As hermits grow, they get too large for their shell and need to change. Being forced to leave their home, thus exposing their soft body, is usually fatal. In such cases, you'll find them without a shell. Keeping a handful of slightly larger shells available will remedy the problem. You can find replacement hermit shells at the LFS or from several online aquaria vendors.

Hope this helps.

Half my sandbed is shells, which I hear they canbepickylittle critters so I can't really rule it out. But my tank is def over feed lol...
I kinda putiton having fully mature bull crabs, having one that is massive and ruling the system.
But that isn't always the case. I lose the most little you can imagine to the biggest. Sometimes I can a month without a body. But then it picks up again.

P.s. when I find a body. 9 out of 10 tens that shell never gets occupied again. Which makes me think I have a predetor that will occupy the shells....

[godsdoc]

I would guess they are molts but make sure you have extra shells for the hermits as they grow because otherwise you will have a bunch of dead snails because the hermits will take the snails out of their shell and make it their own.