crabs dieing?

[BBReef]

we've had our tank setup and running now for about 3 months, and put 3 scarlet crabs, about 20 blue legs, 8 astrea snails, 10 bumble bee snails, and 10 nefarious (or whatever they're called) snails in within about a two month period. we put em in to control the algae and to get little critters to look at instead of just a pile of rock. however, all 3 of th scarlets have died and we are noticing empty crab shells from the blue legs. any idea as of why they may be dieng?

 

[reefrunner69]

"Are you sure they are dieing and not just molting and moving to larger shells?

 

[bizzybeas]

I keep a lot of empty shells, and my hermits move all of the time. They also molt like once or twice a month. I thought they were dead for a few minutes until I did a count of them.

 

[BBReef]

well i know for a fact that the 3 scarlets died because i discovered them being eaten by the other crabs and snails. after each had died i saw that blue legs had taken their shells, but now they are all abandoned and and have found small shells abandoned too. so there are more shells and not enough crabs. we checked the ph ammonia nitrite nitrate temp and everything else and they are all perfect. we havn't been feeding them anything because we have no fish yet and we were told that they will survive on algae alone, which we have plenty for them to munch on. is this just a normal thing in a new tank or is something wrong?

 

[bizzybeas]

Boy, that is really strange. I have not had any problems with crabs killing each other, but I am not familiar with scarlets. I did feed my crabs a little, I do not think this is absolutely necessary. :

 

[Sam]

I am not too sure that the crabs can survive on just algae, I would definitely check into that I think they need meat as well. Remember they are scavengers. I suspect that they are starving to death and the fact that the others are eating them, sort of point to the fact that they are not happy to eat just algae.