HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


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1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Play Sand & Eco Earth 5:1 Ratio, 3in

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
Yes. On tank floor. 77°F & 75% RH

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Yes, a heating pad on the side

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
Fresh & Salt both treated with Prime. Salt has Reef Crystals added.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
All purchased from Etsy seller BioactiveFX. Work castings, fish mix, Passion flower, roses, freeze dried fruits and veggies.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
1 PP & 1 Ecuadorian, 4wks & 2 weeks

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
I’m not sure. I made the mistake of putting too much substrate in ISO tank and they both went down to molt. Pp went down 4 weeks ago and E went down 2 weeks ago

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
New crabs in 10 gallon ISO tank

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2, tiny

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
15-20

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
N/A. This is a new setup.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
No

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I had 1 PP in ISO who I believe is now deceased. He wasn’t in great shape when I got him. Two weeks after getting him I added 1 new Ecuadorian to ISO. Having had hermit crabs for 8+ years, I definitely recognize the scent of one deceased. I am trying to figure out how to locate and remove the hermit crab, if he is in fact deceased, without injuring the buried, potentially molting, crab.

Thank you!


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If it died underground there’s no way to find it without digging up everything.

If you leave it it’ll probably just break down on its own.

If you do dig you’ll have to go slowly so you don’t accidentally scoop into a crab. Honestly I’d just leave it for now.


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JoeHermits wrote:If it died underground there’s no way to find it without digging up everything.

If you leave it it’ll probably just break down on its own.

If you do dig you’ll have to go slowly so you don’t accidentally scoop into a crab. Honestly I’d just leave it for now.


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Thanks for the info, really appreciate it!


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JoeHermits wrote:If it died underground there’s no way to find it without digging up everything.

If you leave it it’ll probably just break down on its own.

If you do dig you’ll have to go slowly so you don’t accidentally scoop into a crab. Honestly I’d just leave it for now.


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[mention]JoeHermits [/mention] Wondering if you might have some further insight into this evolving situation...

The other hermit crab in the tank, the Ecuadorian, came up from molting that next morning. So I isolated him in a separate tank and went to (carefully) digging to find the suspected deceased crab. I followed the scent, it got stronger as a dug, and I eventually found him. The smell was stronger than any deceased hermit I’ve encountered.

Now here’s where is gets strange, he is alive and does not appear to be molting. But he most certainly was in the center of the area the strong scent was coming from. I figured maybe there has been some kind of mold outbreak that I can’t see. So I started another ISO tank and put him in it. I disposed of the sand from the original ISO tank and confirmed the sand is what had such a horrible smell, not the crab itself.

Fast forward approx. 24hrs. The smell is back. It’s coming from the plastic moss pit in the new ISO tank. I gently dig through the sphagnum moss and the same hermit crab is in there. So from what I can tell, it is not him that smells but a scent he is somehow leaving on the areas around him. Do you have any idea what this could be? I am genuinely stumped.


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Your crab isn’t carrying food around, is it?

You can always pick up the crab and see if it’s producing the smell itself, but don’t get pinched.


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JoeHermits wrote:Your crab isn’t carrying food around, is it?

You can always pick up the crab and see if it’s producing the smell itself, but don’t get pinched.


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No, I don’t think so. It would be where I could see it, right? Not behind his claw?


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Usually, yes. I would continue to monitor as needed if the scent continues but I’m not sure what more can be done.


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JoeHermits wrote:Usually, yes. I would continue to monitor as needed if the scent continues but I’m not sure what more can be done.


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Will do. Thanks for the help!


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Just wondering why all these crabs are in iso? E's like really deep sub, like 12 inches. Why not just put them all into your main tank?

curlysister wrote:Just wondering why all these crabs are in iso? E's like really deep sub, like 12 inches. Why not just put them all into your main tank?

Because they are new hermit crabs. I’ve had my hermit crabs for over 8yrs and just got a few more, including these two, recently. I wanted to isolate them first to make sure they do not bring any diseases into my main Crabitat.


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