Hermit crabs dying..Why???

[Tmaida17]

Can anyone help me and figure out why my hermit crabs are dying? What would be a few reasons, and food isn't one of them I don t believe. I had 10 in a 29 gallon aquarium along with 18 turbo snails, 2 clown, 1 lunar wrasse, 2 itty bitty starfish I just found, and a peppermint shrimp. Water temp is good, food is plentiful but not over feeding. What else could it be

 

[leftyfish]

Killing each other for shells? That's a lot of hermits, they need lots of empty shells to pick and choose from. Could be that.

 

[Tmaida17]

That is possible and I would believe that's why if it was once and a while but 3 died within the last 2 days and I found them all out of their shells. Anybody have any ideas?

 

[Tilo1121]

Really sounds like they're getting killed by other hermits. Was going to throw the idea of fluctuations of water peram or temp. But they don't hop out their shells for that haha.

 

[Tilo1121]

By the way did you buy your snails and hermits in one of those website packages?

 

[joy13]

Are you sure they aren't molts you are seeing? Hermits do kill each other over shells. I have a friend that actually had a naked hermit one night when he got home from work he is guessing there was a fight over the shell and the loser panic and went into a corner to hide. He put another shell next to it and in the morning both shell and hermit was missing from that spot. Make sure you have plenty of shells of different sizes and next time check to see if they are really dead or if they are just molts.

 

[austinsdad]

Depending on the size, you may have way too many crabs in a 29g tank. Definitely too many snails. Wow. And no way should you have a lunar wrasse is such a small tank either. They DO eat crustaceans ya know? Plus, they get up to 10" - if it lives that long. This one, right? Moon Wrasse, Thalassoma lunare, Lunar Wrasse, Crescent Wrasse, Lyretail Wrasse

Your crabs could be dying from getting picked at by the wrasse, they could be starving - by the way, what makes you think they aren't as you said above? They may not have been acclimated well. A number of reasons are possible, but from your inventory of fish and inverts/crustaceans, I can see more problems brewing.

 

[Tilo1121]

Yeah it's a lot of hermits and snails. And that's why I assumed he bought one of those online packages. I think they're starving too.

 

[Tmaida17]

@ Tilo on Saltwaterfish.com I bough a hermit crab special pack where you get 3 different kinds of hermits. Blue, Red and Gray leg I believe were in the pack. When the website sent them they sent them without a heating pack over night but they survived and they was like 2-3 weeks ago. You don t think it could be stress?

 

[Tmaida17]

@ Austins dad
Ya ya could be the Lunar Wrasse and that's what I was thinking should I tried to feed him 1 silverside a day to help hold him over? I feed him Brine shrimp pellets, I have frozen multi saltwater pack and dry brine shrimp that I try and switch up in between feedings. I read on that site that they get between 5-7 inches max I didn't know they got up to 10 inch. Good to know though bc if he gets bigger I have a friend with a bigger aquarium I can alway give him to him I guess. I don't think they are molting bc they are upside down floating when I wake up so I def think someone in that tank is eating them and I'm think the wrasse bc he ate my fire shrimp already.

 

[Tmaida17]

Oh and the reason why I have so many snails was bc I read online someone say that you should have 1 snail & hermit per gallon or is that only when your aquarium full of live stock or just false?

 

[austinsdad]

Those recommendations are not for young tanks. Older, established rock - and enuf of it is needed to sustain those recommended levels of cleanup crew.

Yuo should consider returning the wrasse or giving it away now. Those things swim a lot and it has no space in your current setup. There will be stress to someone in that tank. Someone will get sick. Not enuf room in there.

 

[Tmaida17]

Ohok maybe i'll do that, and I think I may have found the culprit for the hermits. They sent me a larger hermit then most and he has a bigger shell this morning then yesterday so I may have been him. Cool thanks for the advice and not being to harsh on me.

 

[Tilo1121]

I'm glad you found the problem. (maybe) and people make mistakes. I just appreciate the people who take their time to research and ask questions.

 

[austinsdad]

Tilo1121....you said a mouthful there. "Research and ask questions", as opposed to just asking questions. Love it!

 

[Tmaida17]

Oh believe I've done a lot of research. I planned on getting a bigger 75 gallon aquarium eventually bc I m limited on what fish I could put in a 30 gallon tank. I figured 30 was a good starter tank. I expected to give my cousin and his gf's kid some snails bc the web site had a buy 10 get 10 free pack but they ended up getting their own. I agree with to many snails.