Death Smell... now what?

[Kydra]

So I originally purchased two crabs at the boardwalk and adopted a 3rd (he's been sluggish a bit). I just walked into the room where the crabitat is and entire room smelled like fish. Was not the food as I'm on a 2 day stretch of work and just dry hermit crab patch food.

Thought one was molting a few days ago, but wasn't so I pulled up their spiderwood log thing which they have tunnelled under. One under there I put to the side and he ran and hid. Another under a piece of Cholla Wood... he ran and hid. Then the adopted crab who sat for a bit, but eventually moved back to "his" hiding spot.

I know it's not the sub. I feel bad for just stressing out all 3, but same smell as the tiny Petco crab I tried to "save" (which was counterproductive in all ways) that died. Just smells like dead fish, but they are all definitely alive.

I have been asking a bunch of questions, but this one I'm stumped
The whole room smells terrible. It was fine yesterday and because of a previous bacterial bloom, I had dug up opposite corners of sub to make sure still sandcastle and all 2 days ago and no smell there. It is so reminiscent of that poor Petco crab. WTH is going on!?!??

Any thoughts. Thanks again!

Edit: I'm really hands off with them and let them do their thing for the most part. I did just spray the dry top inch or so as it was a bit dry and humidity finally dropped to 70ish. I'll be working tonight, but try to use the wyze if I have time to see if I can spot all 3 moving around. The one under the Cholla Wood couldn't have been molting or could he? He immediately ran and hid. I wouldn't think a molt smell would smell the entire room though, right??

[scuttlecrusty22]

I found this post on Pinterest awhile back, maybe this is the cause of the fishy smell in your home? It obviously isn't coming from your crabs, so you may want to check all the outlets in the room just to be safe.

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[Kydra]

Thanks for the tip. I just checked all outlets and they all looked fine and smelled fine (yeah I smelled them lol). Appreciate trying to help!

I'm about to leave for work so I'll try to keep an eye on the wyze and wait until I get home late after midnight I guess. Can a dying crab smell the room, but not yet dead? Never heard of this, but I have no idea right now!

[scuttlecrusty22]

I am not quite sure if an un-healthy crab can give off an odor yet... maybe somebody with more experience on this can help out.

[Kydra]

Quick timeline if this helps. Slept in room Monday night. Was in room at 2pm Monday with no issues. Family member went in room (wyze alert) at 5am today (Tuesday). Just talked to her and she said the room smelled. I went in around noon and it smells like dead fish.

So, somehow from 2pm Monday to 5am Tuesday (today) the room went from fine to smelling like dead fish. All crabs are alive. None of this makes sense to me. I'm at work now so will get back to room around midnight if I can get out of work on time.

Will keep everyone updated as things unfold, but I'm lost. Any other thoughts? Will check my phone as I can while working. Thanks again.

[gunstreet.girl]

I understand the crabs have only been fed dry food for the last few days, but prior to that were they fed any seafood (fresh raw or cooked)? It could be that a piece of hidden seafood from a previous feeding is finally beginning to go seriously “off” in your tank, causing the smell.

[wodesorel]

Hidden food is a big possibility. Overheated resin ornamentation is another.

It could be something unrelated died in the walls, ceiling or floor. Had that happen to a friend once. It smelled all summer.

[Kydra]

I had some dried shrimp (pet store container) in there last night that I'll give every now and then with the dry mixes usually, but for it to suddenly smell this way in like a 12 hour span of time? Seems weird. I did think maybe there's some food somewhere, but it really went from nothing to smelling the entire room and it's so eerily similar to that death smell.

When I took the rest of the dried shrimp out at noon I specifically smelled it and it was a different smell. I mean maybe there's an old piece from a week ago, but to be so sudden? I just changed all substrate from a bacterial bloom that was about a week or so ago and boiled and baked everything with no smell until 5am this morning apparently.

Thanks for the feedback. See what I can do when I get home I guess.

Edit: Another interesting tip. Never had an issue in that room or house for 10+ years and just got crabs this summer so would be a very, very odd coincidence if somehow unrelated.

[Kydra]

Just getting home from work. It smells terrible still. Really smells like a dead crab in the tank making whole room smell. I guess one could have drug a piece of dried shrimp somewhere in the tank; I really have no idea.

Me being stupid sprayed the top inch so was more sandcastle consistency and the crabs all buried themselves (3 total). Going to have to clean it all out I guess. Not sure how I'm going to isolate where in the sub the smell is coming from unless I see a piece of food. I still find it crazy that maybe one tiny shrimp could be making the entire room smell like dead fish.

I'm now just debating if I start now at close to 3am or just leave it until I wake up tomorrow. Seems like one thing after another lately with the recent bacterial blooms and now this. Anyway, I will update.

I'm going to have to dig around I'm guessing unless I replace all of the sub which I just did which was crazy. Means will be digging them up, but they were all up and out about 12 hours ago before work so hopefully I don't mess any of them up. I really thought maybe the adopted one wasn't making it, but guess a still living crab isn't going to smell like this until gone. Obviously glad nobody is gone, but here I go again...

[Kydra]

I know I'm writing to myself at this point , but... did a search on smells and most advice was to just check the surface otherwise wait it out. Also read about food molding, but have really yet to come across anything of this level of smell. Ugh I have to do SOMETHING about it.

Thinking I'll tackle this when I get up tomorrow afternoon (I work very odd hours). In the meantime, I'll just keep reading through my searches for some more opinions. I think. I really just want to find a piece of shrimp off rotting it's just not there .

Edit: I'm done for tonight. I smelled everything lifted the two coco huts, fake plant, spiderwood... cleaned 22 shells... see nothing on the top of sub combing through with plastic fork. Back at it later tomorrow. Ugh.

Edit 2: From the post above RE electricity and googling... The only thing that has changed post bacterial bloom is that I have added a second UTH with both plugged in to same outlet. I unplugged both and will see if the smell persists. The crabs will not be thrilled, but it's a possibility I guess. Nothing in the tank or feeding has changed except adding another UTH. I left the nightlight plugged into the other outlet and wyze on another, but both UTH now unplugged. Will update as I figure this out.

Thank you all for the feedback/advice. Much appreciated.

[gunstreet.girl]

Sorry to hear you’re going through another stressful scenario with your crabs. Good luck.

[Kydra]

Sorry to hear you’re going through another stressful scenario with your crabs. Good luck.

Thank you. Really much appreciated. Been a rough few weeks with everything (life) including crabs!! Sucks because I had finally got a hamster wheel and mesh off Amazon and wanted to set up that, but priorities here; that's going to have to wait.

Ok so, as I wrote, I unplugged the two UTHs and left it overnight after some cleaning of shells, but never found the actual cause of anything in the tank. Finally getting back to this and went in room and it SEEMS that the smell was not as bad so I opened the door to the room put fan on just to air things out some more while getting showered and all. I don't have the greatest sense of smell, but seemed OKish I guess.

I just shut the door to that room with other miscellaneous night lights and wyze cam unplugged if is electrical (just more precautions). Going to wait a few hours with nothing plugged in to see if the smell returns to the entire room or not.

At this point, part of me would rather it be something in the crabitat, but now I'm thinking not. Had just added the second UTH after recent bacterial bloom and with both plugged in to same outlet thinking it may have actually been an electrical smell. Will update again as I can/have any more information.

[Kydra]

Update: With room closed off after being aired out and everything unplugged = No more dead fish smell.

Prior to bacterial bloom I was using a space heater to keep whole room around 75 at lowest that would auto turn on and off (was on other side of room) for a week or so. After bacterial bloom went out to pet store and bought another UTH which both have been plugged into same outlet for a week or so now as well.

Crabitat is still in the room. I did plug in the wyze cam for now (corner of room on a different outlet). Not sure what breaker turns what on or off yet as I'm waiting for family to get back home. They will not be thrilled. The crabitat still in the room with no heat source at 73 right now. Not sure what I'm going to do with that yet.

Thank you all again. Clearly, things aren't resolved yet, but I'd have still been tearing apart their tank without yall. Do I trust the UTHs elsewhere though?? I had a Zoomed 10-20 gallon and added a 30-40 gallon on the back of the tank with both plugged in. Thinking if I move tank, I'd like to plug in the larger one although everything was fine until I added that. The Zoomed 10-20 gallon just doesn't do much. Had finally gotten perfect temp/humidity, but have bigger problems with the electrical stuff in the room now.

(Sorry for being repetitive if followed entire thread. Just putting everything out there as it all relates.)

[Moe2076]

Thank you for your post and your update! We are out here reading even if we don't post and next time someone else has this problem they can see what you went through.

I'm not an electrician, but I had an outlet in my office that had a wire that came loose and burning the plastic outlet cover. From the outside it looked fine, but underneath the cover plate we could see the wire was loose. If you are trying to rule out your outlet it might not be a bad idea to take the face plate off and give it a look.

Good luck! Let us know what it is when you find it and how you resolved it.

[Sillymel]

Are you able to plug an extension cord into another outlet fora now? At least then you could plug the heaters back in while you figure out what to do.
Glad your crabs are okay.


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