Ants killing my crabs

[cthom3]

So somehow I ended up with an ant infestation in my crab tank and at first it wasn't bad so I just let it go and started taking their food out as much as I could. But then it got so bad that the ants were completely swarming the crabs and I'm pretty sure that one of them is dead from it because he's not moving and I can't get him to move he is completely limp. So I had no choice but to remove the sand but one of my hermit crabs was buried in it he is still alive but I don't know what to do with him I just put him back down in the sand but it really needs to be cleaned too.

[Scarletfire]

From the insects page, if ants are in your tank, you need to dig out your substrate. Post this in the emergency forum, and fill out the questionnaire.

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[aussieJJDude]

You really what to get all those ants - so that means substrate) out... if the queen is in the tank, you want her gone as well.


Clean the tank out well, all decor either needs to be baked - wood for example - or throughly washed - shells, rocks, water/food dish, plastic decor. Anything that may harbor ants, I'd leave them to soak overnight, or if it's safe to do so, boil them in some water.


The crabs may have ants, so if they arent moulting, I'd also give then a bath, ensuring water gets into their shell to wash off any ants if they are inside. They will float to the surface, so pour off the water - and try not to pour out the crabs, keep them in there so that way you dont have to worry about ants attaching again when trying to take em out.


Anything that cant be washed well, or baked should ultimately be tossed. If needed, keep the crabs in a temp iso for a couple of days until you can fix the tank.


To stop ant comming, add a rim of petroleum jelly on the top outer ring of the tank, ensuring no ant can climb a cord up to the top (of plant, or drop down on the lid) to keep ants out.

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