WTH is going on with my Hermit Crab?

Cunni7 · 05/13/2015, 03:26 PM

Hello,

So, I have a red striped hermit crab in my tank and I haven't been seeing him around lately. I was beginning to think he was dead. Then, yesterday, I saw his shell in a crevace of my live rock. He didn't seem to be in it and I figured that he found another shell. I moved the shell to the ground. Today, the shell was in that crevace again so I thought, okay?! Later on today it was gone again so I figured okay he's still alive in the shell. Well, I looked in the crevace and he was in this small little hole in the crevace and without a shell on it looks like, because all I see is his little legs and whisker things.

Do any of you know what I should do in this situation? Is he dying? Should I put another shell in this crevace to see if he will crawl in it, I don't see his original shell around. This just seems bizarre to me. Anyone have this happen to them before? Sorry if it sounds confusing, I'd take a picture but I have a hard time seeing him let alone a picture.

ScienceAchieved · 05/13/2015, 03:47 PM

that is pretty wierd lol. theyre pretty picky about shells, mine change them a few times before they get the one that they stick with. theyll only choose cone or conch shells. you can get them pretty cheap at an arts and craft store, or free from a lfs if they have those shell types. mine moved into a shell that was too large for him to move, i put about ten appropriately sized ones around him. after a day of magical chairs, he settled in.

Cunni7 · 05/13/2015, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScienceAchieved

that is pretty wierd lol. theyre pretty picky about shells, mine change them a few times before they get the one that they stick with. theyll only choose cone or conch shells. you can get them pretty cheap at an arts and craft store, or free from a lfs if they have those shell types. mine moved into a shell that was too large for him to move, i put about ten appropriately sized ones around him. after a day of magical chairs, he settled in.

That is hilarious, I don't know what in the world is going on with him. I have a few shells in my tank and my blue striped hermit is in a conch shaped and that is what most of my shells are. I can't find his original one anywhere and it's a cone shaped and the only one in my tank. I really hope he doesn't die! I'm already dealing with 40ppm nitrate and haven't been able to get that down since I was given the tank.

ScienceAchieved · 05/13/2015, 04:28 PM

id read up on lowering the nitrate. do some water changes, get a skimmer if you dont have one, watch how much youre feeding. i usually hand my hermits a small piece of krill every couple days with tweezers. i remembered when i was a kid i tried to set up a saltwater tank, it was a huge disaster. i lost a bunch of hermits (along with everything else) and they died in their shells, so maybe its not an indication of certain doom. if youre not using ro/di water, id look into getting water from your lfs, or buying a unit.i have the "ro buddie", it was like 80 bucks with the di cartridge, and works great for me. inverts dont like tap water.

Cunni7 · 05/13/2015, 05:55 PM

I have an RO machine not an RO/DI. I do 20% water changes every week and limit the amount of food I give them. I feel like giving up, my nitrates don't move.

amber3k · 05/13/2015, 07:22 PM

I have a thin striped hermit the wedges himself into a tight spot when molting and I wont see him for a few days. Are you sure you are seeing him and not his molt?

IDreamOReefin · 05/13/2015, 08:17 PM

Wierd. First instinct is to offer him more shells to chose from. But maybe just the molting thing. They can be picky about their likes and dislikes in shells, i have astrea shells all over but only one hermit will wear them, see if you can get a larger shell of the same type of snail he was in. Maybe he's very picky lol GL.

ScienceAchieved · 05/14/2015, 03:22 AM

Hope im not coming off arrogant, I just dont know what your equipment/maintenance is. Do you have a skimmer? You could even get a in tank or hob fuge and chaeto while you identify the issue. U mentioned someone gave you tge tank? How Were the rocks/sand transported? I was thinking about how the majority of my biomass is composed of tubeworms and critters in my sand bed. If they died off, id have like close to a quarter pound of rotting meat I couldnt see in there. Also, I bought a large branched rock once. Over the next day my ammonia skyrocketed. There was a huge black encrusting sponge that was putrefying and invisible deep in the rock.I think everyone hits some problem that makes them want to give up at some point. My Dinoflagellates just reappeared seemingly for no reason, for a moment I wanted to just tear it down. But for me, building a little window into a dynamic alien ecosystem cant be beat. And its very satisfying when you overcome the struggles in the hobby. If you havent, id make a post about the nitrates listing every irrelevant detail about your tank possible. Someone will beable to help

05/13/2015, 03:26 PM	#1
Cunni7 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Michigan Posts: 70	WTH is going on with my Hermit Crab? Hello, So, I have a red striped hermit crab in my tank and I haven't been seeing him around lately. I was beginning to think he was dead. Then, yesterday, I saw his shell in a crevace of my live rock. He didn't seem to be in it and I figured that he found another shell. I moved the shell to the ground. Today, the shell was in that crevace again so I thought, okay?! Later on today it was gone again so I figured okay he's still alive in the shell. Well, I looked in the crevace and he was in this small little hole in the crevace and without a shell on it looks like, because all I see is his little legs and whisker things. Do any of you know what I should do in this situation? Is he dying? Should I put another shell in this crevace to see if he will crawl in it, I don't see his original shell around. This just seems bizarre to me. Anyone have this happen to them before? Sorry if it sounds confusing, I'd take a picture but I have a hard time seeing him let alone a picture.

05/13/2015, 08:17 PM	#7
IDreamOReefin Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Reno Posts: 76	Wierd. First instinct is to offer him more shells to chose from. But maybe just the molting thing. They can be picky about their likes and dislikes in shells, i have astrea shells all over but only one hermit will wear them, see if you can get a larger shell of the same type of snail he was in. Maybe he's very picky lol GL. __________________ For us it is a tank upgrade, to them, it is, the apocalypse. Current Tank Info: Freshwater 55 that revolves around my spotted Perch. 28gal bow front saltwater for sexys and a pod nation.

05/13/2015, 03:47 PM	#2
ScienceAchieved Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 102	that is pretty wierd lol. theyre pretty picky about shells, mine change them a few times before they get the one that they stick with. theyll only choose cone or conch shells. you can get them pretty cheap at an arts and craft store, or free from a lfs if they have those shell types. mine moved into a shell that was too large for him to move, i put about ten appropriately sized ones around him. after a day of magical chairs, he settled in.

05/13/2015, 04:28 PM	#4
ScienceAchieved Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 102	id read up on lowering the nitrate. do some water changes, get a skimmer if you dont have one, watch how much youre feeding. i usually hand my hermits a small piece of krill every couple days with tweezers. i remembered when i was a kid i tried to set up a saltwater tank, it was a huge disaster. i lost a bunch of hermits (along with everything else) and they died in their shells, so maybe its not an indication of certain doom. if youre not using ro/di water, id look into getting water from your lfs, or buying a unit.i have the "ro buddie", it was like 80 bucks with the di cartridge, and works great for me. inverts dont like tap water.

05/13/2015, 05:55 PM	#5
Cunni7 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Michigan Posts: 70	I have an RO machine not an RO/DI. I do 20% water changes every week and limit the amount of food I give them. I feel like giving up, my nitrates don't move.

05/13/2015, 07:22 PM	#6
amber3k Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Post Falls, Idaho Posts: 251	I have a thin striped hermit the wedges himself into a tight spot when molting and I wont see him for a few days. Are you sure you are seeing him and not his molt?

05/14/2015, 03:22 AM	#8
ScienceAchieved Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 102	Hope im not coming off arrogant, I just dont know what your equipment/maintenance is. Do you have a skimmer? You could even get a in tank or hob fuge and chaeto while you identify the issue. U mentioned someone gave you tge tank? How Were the rocks/sand transported? I was thinking about how the majority of my biomass is composed of tubeworms and critters in my sand bed. If they died off, id have like close to a quarter pound of rotting meat I couldnt see in there. Also, I bought a large branched rock once. Over the next day my ammonia skyrocketed. There was a huge black encrusting sponge that was putrefying and invisible deep in the rock.I think everyone hits some problem that makes them want to give up at some point. My Dinoflagellates just reappeared seemingly for no reason, for a moment I wanted to just tear it down. But for me, building a little window into a dynamic alien ecosystem cant be beat. And its very satisfying when you overcome the struggles in the hobby. If you havent, id make a post about the nitrates listing every irrelevant detail about your tank possible. Someone will beable to help