New, and could use a bit of advice.

[KellyCrabbieLove]

Salt water is about 1-1.5" deep. Didn't want anyone drowning. I'll make the substrate deeper. Flame has molted before for sure. Haven't seen proof that Gabby ever has, but she's buried herself for a few weeks and could have molted. Not in a while though.

I have crabs that even with multiple ways out of my 2.5 gallon salt water pool will climb in and sit for hours on end on the bottom. 12 hours at a time

[cswan81]

That's crazy! In all my research it always said land crabs could drown so you should keep water shallow. It's crazy how much misinformation is out there. I researched the crap out of hermit crab care before getting them, as I don't believe in getting anything new until you know how to care for them. They were in a tiny tank when I got them with little substrate no heat or salt water. So the first thing I did was upgrade everything. I've had then for years andnever had problems until now.

[aldebaron0626]

They can drown if they don't have a way out...the information was just incomplete, not wrong. They can't stay under indefinitely.


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[cswan81]

I'm going to be cleaning the tank tonight and filling with 7" of substrate. They are between medium and small crabs, so I figure that will be plenty. I'm also going to set upand sink a temporary plastic dish of deep salt water, but wondered what wouldbe the best thing to put in there so he can climb out easily? I hate to sink wood, as it will rot, I have some various large sponges, and some rocks. What about dropping a piece of coral at one end that extends above the surface?

[megmaholm]

I'm going to be cleaning the tank tonight and filling with 7" of substrate. They are between medium and small crabs, so I figure that will be plenty. I'm also going to set upand sink a temporary plastic dish of deep salt water, but wondered what wouldbe the best thing to put in there so he can climb out easily? I hate to sink wood, as it will rot, I have some various large sponges, and some rocks. What about dropping a piece of coral at one end that extends above the surface?

Coral would work fine. Quite a few crabbers use something like this: http://www.michaels.com/darice-plastic- ... as&start=1 It's cheap, you can cut it to fit, and then ziptie it to the edge of the container to hold it in place. There are a lot of options! I would avoid sponges, simple because they can harbor bacteria and are a pain to clean and sterilize.

[cswan81]

Coral would work fine. Quite a few crabbers use something like this: http://www.michaels.com/darice-plastic- ... as&start=1 It's cheap, you can cut it to fit, and then ziptie it to the edge of the container to hold it in place. There are a lot of options! I would avoid sponges, simple because they can harbor bacteria and are a pain to clean and sterilize.

I totally understand! That's why our sponges are not in there now. They came with the set up, I'm assuming to add humidity, but cleaning them was a nightmare and as long as we misted, I found we didn't need them. I just wanted to make sure he could climb out. I'll use coral for now, and a rock, but will grab the stuff from Michael's next time I'm out and about. Also, I'm out of saran wrap, which I use to cover the mesh lid, and the one that's on there now is getting raggedy, so I'm going to have to use aluminum foil for a night. :s lol

[cswan81]

And I guess if Gabby turns out to be dead I'll be buying a replacement this weekend and starting the ISO process, so that Flame doesn't have to be alone for long. Is it recommended I assume to get a crab that is close in size to one you already have?

[megmaholm]

No need to iso a newbie, just give him/her a quick dip in freshwater and you're good to go.

I have various sizes of crab in my tank, from teeny to large, and don't have any problems. I think the same is true for most people. I think you'll be fine if you get one a different size, but it's up to you!

[aldebaron0626]

I use plastic canvas. It's cheap and effective. Eggcrate is also a good option.


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[aussieJJDude]

Personally I would leave her, stressing her out could make it worse. As long as you keep the humidity & heat at the proper levels - along with offering the other crab dishes of water (both SW & FW) I would leave the crabs be. If possible, maybe move your active crab to a temporary container like totes, spare fish tanks, ISO tanks that offers the right conditions. Once the crab pulls through - or sadly dies due to the stress, moulting is a tough time for a crab - then I would suggest redoing the tank. Otherwise, like i mentioned, it will just add onto the already high stress levels.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When getting a newbie, it is advised to bath her/him in a SW bath to see if there is any mites that hitched a free ride. Mites will "abandon ship" and float to the top of the water where you chuck it out & bath him until no mites are present. Many advise after a SW bath to dip the crab(s) in FW as they believe that SW is too salty for him. Whether you do this is up to you, I haven't observed any problems just using a salt bath, but for your ease of mind, you could bathe them in FW as well.

Many people have noticed that hermit crabs will get along better when they are different sizes. This is due to crabs of a similar size competing for shells, hiding placed & other positions. However, if you want to keep all your crabs the same size it is up to you, however it will increase the chanced of aggression IMO.

[cswan81]

Well....there's an update. Somehow, overnight, Flame dug under the two liter and I woke to findhim in with Gabby. Her shell is now empty and there is evidence of either parts, or I guess exo in there around them. So I'm assuming he ate her??? They've been together for art least 4 years, and NEVER competed for shells, or fought at all. They will eat a dead companion, I know that. Smelled her yesterday and there was no odor. I can't imagine he would eat her alive after so long together, so she must have dead regardless of the lack of smell, right? Whats everyone's thoughts?

Also, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to respond, and answer my many questions. It's greatly appreciated!

[cswan81]

As for getting Flame a friend, the only placearound here that I trust, (good quality, healthy) only has big ones right now. I only have a 10 gallon tank, with 6" substrate now, and I'm not sure that would work for a big guy. The place in town has babies but their tanks are completely inadequate, no heat, no salt, and I'm iffy on how healthy they'll be.

Not sure why they bother with gauges, as they show the temp and humidity as low and still offer no heat, etc. ,

[megmaholm]

Well....there's an update. Somehow, overnight, Flame dug under the two liter and I woke to findhim in with Gabby. Her shell is now empty and there is evidence of either parts, or I guess exo in there around them. So I'm assuming he ate her??? They've been together for art least 4 years, and NEVER competed for shells, or fought at all. They will eat a dead companion, I know that. Smelled her yesterday and there was no odor. I can't imagine he would eat her alive after so long together, so she must have dead regardless of the lack of smell, right? Whats everyone's thoughts?

Also, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to respond, and answer my many questions. It's greatly appreciated!

So the shell is completely empty? What kind of parts are you seeing? I really don't want to guess one way or another since I don't have experience with it, but honestly if her shell is empty it doesn't sound good. I suppose if she had died overnight, he could have eaten her and if there isn't much left, she may just not be putting off an odor?

Also, as far as a new friend - yes, if you just have a 10 gallon, you'll probably want a smaller crab. Obviously they'll grow and you'll have to upgrade eventually, but for now the smaller they are the longer they can stay in a 10 gallon. I have quite a few crabs that are the same size and they all get along great, but what Aussie said about increased aggression makes sense. I suppose you can lower the chances by offering plenty of awesome shells, good hiding spots, etc.

Edit: Have you looked into adoption for a new friend? Posting on Craigslist, in the adoption forums here, etc. That way you can avoid giving the crummy pet store your money, and help a crab out in the process. It's worth a shot!

[cswan81]

It appears to be completely empty. Now, I suppose it's possible she could be WAY up in there. I didn't pick up the shell. But it's on its side, and I can see the entire opening and a good half inch in, and it looks empty. The parts are harder to identify... There's a leg or two andwhat MIGHT be part ofan abdomen, it's very pale and not whole, so it's impossible to tell. It's been fed on pretty extensively.

[cswan81]

Here's a pic. Her shell is the hideous pink one..