hermits die w/o shells?

[pufferman]

Hey all,
I have started spotting dead hermit crabs around the tank. Is it because they are battling for shells or what. All params are fine, as i m planning to get my first frags. Should i get larger hermit shells?

 

[FlyingL0]

Are you sure they are dead crabs and not molted shells?

 

[pufferman]

they are dead crabs. Colored and everything. Molted shells would be translucent. These things look like dead crabs.

 

[NateNBeckie]

When my hermet molts (he just did the other day) it looks exactly like another crab. Color and all.

Nate

 

[Guest]

OICeeeeeee! so that was thing was a molt in my tank! I lifted a rock one day and found a pale hermit crab without the shell. I thought it was a stowaway or something. Cool. Everyday is a learning process. So should I expect more of this deception from my buddy boy hermit? How often?

 

[pufferman]

alright, i guess no worries then

 

[Hara]

actually molts can have color and can even appear to have the meat attached....

 

[Jason]

Funny story.......

when I first got my tank I got two really big hermits, my wife loves hermit crabs. anyways..... one day she starts screaming about how the crab died, now keep in mind my wife FREAKS out about stuff. She started crying ad asked me to take the shell out of the tank so she didn't have to look at a dead crab's snail. Now at this point in time I didn't know what a hermit molt looked like, so I took the shell out and stuck it on the kitchen counter.

I came back about 15 minutes later and there was a hermit crawling around my counter, I quickly grabbed it and threw it back in the tank............my wife asked me what happened and I told her I guess it had molted....


I think that is my most embarrassing aquarium story

 

[NateNBeckie]

My story was kind of the same way.

We went on a 1 week vacation. Our neighbor was taking care of my tanks. Well, every time the front light bulb blew, it popped the breaker, even after it was blown it would pop the breaker every so often (it was a bad lgiht socket). Guess what breaker was also tied to my fish tanks...

Anyway the neighbor kept resetting the breaker, but it wasn't on enough. When we got home the tanks were at 68*. I was like CRAP!! I looked in the tank and it looked like a dead hermet hanging out of the shell. Double crap!!! I grabbed the shell and went to pull him out and his molt fell off and he popped his head out. Whew!

Suprisingly, all of my fish and the hermet made it though the 68* cold spell.

Nate

 

[seaham358]

having extra shells in the tak is a good idea.. I buy bags of them at the craft store, boil them for a few min and toss in the tank.. The crabs come running to check out the new homes..

 

[pufferman]

a crafts store meaning like Michael's?

 

[msamsonz28]

that's where i get mine. i've got 10 hermits and a few of them have grown, molted and changed shells. i thought i lost a couple, but i counted all 10 the other day!

 

[Bob Z]

What craft store carries them, I have been looking for some for my tank.
Thanks
Bob Z

 

[X the Outsider]

Go to a dollar store. My friend told me that they had a bag of twenty or more shells for a dollar.

 

[j_a_wickstrom]

If you're looking for bigger shells or can't find any at the dollar store or a craft store, try Saltwater Cove, an ebay store. He offers some beautiful shells in all sizes. I've been very happy dealing with him, and all my small hermits and my one large hermit are very happy because of it.

Joleen