PLEASE answer (ok, i messed up...now what)

[adshuraj777]

I got a hermit crab a week ago and he was doing fine, climbing over all the live rock and scurrying on the floor. here in the last day or so, he's been just sitting in one place, hasn't moved at all. he is alive, but i'm concerned.

am i supposed to feed him directly? LFs told me he'll just eat whats on the bottom of the tank.

thanks

 

[Guest]

How big and what type of hermit is it?

 

[d9hp]

How many others hermits do you have, and how big is the tank. Also how long has the tank been running.

 

[Guest]

I had a Hermit that was about 2.5 inches in size. I fed him 1 whole 21/25 size shrimp per week. It was an anenome hermit crab though...He also ate algae...

Hard to say without a description or picture

 

[fishfreek]

Hermits on average are scavengers and do not need to be feed directly. If you dont have anything else in the tank then putting a few food flakes will help.

It could be a mater of inproper aclomation procedures.

How did you aclomate this hermit?

 

[reefrunner69]

Off the top of my head, I'd say it's molting. They will become inactive for a few days when they molt. The new exoskeleton is still soft and they are vulnerable to damage from things that usually are not a problem. What is odd, is they will usually hide when they are molting, it is more common not to see them at all for a few days when they molt.

 

[Guest]

Good call I did not think of that one, now that you mention it,,,,,,duh, could be it...

adshuraj777, hey, where are you??? oh yeah, Welcome to Aquarium Advice

 

[d9hp]

No now, timbo, he/she will be back, it has only been a few hours. Jk WHERE ARE YOU!!!

and welcome to the site, I hope your crab is fine.

 

[Guest]

I know patience,,,right?

 

[adshuraj777]

ok, thanks yall...

tank is about 2-3 weeks old, just two damsels. feeding flake and brine every now and then. LFS recommended a hermit along with turbo snails and a fighting conch. that's all i have. he actually IS hiding, kind of, under a bridge like formation of live rock.

thanks for responding you all...

 

[d9hp]

I bet you feel a whole lot better, knowing he is molting

 

[adshuraj777]

woke up this morning and the we thought the crab was crawling out of his shell to search for another one. Instead he crawled ot and died...

...or so we thought. The body that came out of the shell was whole...eyes and all. so I reached in the tank with my net and had a ceremony over the toilet. Came back to the tank and the shell was moving.

The crab "shed" its exoskeleton. Now, wishing I had looked it up before flushing, everything I have read says don't discard the exoskeleton because the crab will eat it as it contains necessary calcium to replensish the new one...

so...where can i get an exoskeleton, or is ot ok?

 

[fishfreek]

Dont worry about it.



Now you know what a shed skin looks like. This takes many beginners by suprise.

 

[d9hp]

Thats a good story, at least your crab is fine, you should be back on track with the algae control now.

 

[Guest]

I read that about the crabs too, however, mine molted many times to reach the size of 2.5 inches and never ate its skeleton....now, that may be because of the 500 mark of calcium in my tank, don't know..just never ate it...

 

[loganj]

This is a little off subject...but you mentioned the tank was 2-3 weeks old? Have you been testing for ammonia/nitrite and watching the pH? Was your live rock already cured?
Logan J

 

[Guest]

Good call Logan, I totally missed that one...Falling down on the job