Hermit Crabs Dying

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

ericsze

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Sep 23, 2003
Messages
38
Location
Bethlehem PA
Well, my water parameters are right on the money, zero ammonia, zero nitrites, 15 nitrates; my hermit crabs seem to be dying slowly. Every few days or so I will see one out of it's shell just dead.

The tank is still fairly new, probably 2 weeks out of its cycle. I've done two large water changes already, but still have some brown algae growth. So there is technically stuff for the crabs to munch on. Why are they dying?
 
What is your SG?

Mobile inverts really need to have a SG of 1.025-1.026 in order for them to survive for long periods.
 
an SG of 1.025 to 1.026? Isn't that really high? Will my fish be able to survive that? I thought you wanted your SG at around 1.023!
 
I thought you wanted your SG at around 1.023

This is a general area for salinity and is in no way too low for the Hermits to live a long life...

Fish will live in higher salinity however, they have to process the salt more. I don't know how it affects the long term longevity of them..

Most people keep there salinity at 1.025 in a reef environment and has not shown any bad effects... I have tested Sea water out off of the coast here in Florida and it is around 1.023....where I frequent, it is 1.024 fairly constant...

Hermits need larger shells to move into... When the molt, they grow bigger...If they cannot fit into their old shell they are left to pick another. If there isn't one, they are subject to predators...and can be killed..let alone die from the molting process in itself.. It is a very stressfull thing to them when they molt....
 
I should have worded my response like Timbo did. Yes, 1.023 is a good salinity for just about anything and yes hermits will live in it. But I think over the long run, running a higher salinity for inverts will benefit them more than running at a lower salinity.

FYI, I run my tank at 1.025-1.026. From the reading I have done, these are the SG of quite a few of the oceans's reef.
 
You said your water peratmeters are "right on the money"...but your nitrates are at 15ppm. That is a little high, and possibly why your hermits are dying. Nitrates should be less than 0.25ppm or immeasurable, for everybody for be comfortable, especially inverts.
 
Back
Top Bottom