dead hermits

[troylong45]

i have bought 11 red tip hermits and 1 all white hermits few months back and floated the bag and i think i drip acclimated them. then i did a count and i had a total of 25 hermits which was like 3 scarlets ,3 blue legs 7 red tips, and the 12 new ones

now i still have the 3 scarlets ,3 blues, and like 9 red tip. i seen most of them dieing off a few weeks after i added them and the white one was doing well till it swaped shells then it crawled on a rock and never moved.

then one day a fish swam up next to the white one and its shell fell off but the hermit was still on the rock moving super slowly then he died i guess he fell off few mins after his shell nocked off.

why are most the hermits dieing?
the ones i have now i had for about 9 months and are doing well so in a way i bought 12 and 2 lived ?

 

[Calappidae]

Hermit crabs need new shells as they grow. They'll kill eachother off for new shells if none are provided.

 

[JPF]

Are they fighting? Not enough shells?

 

[troylong45]

Are they fighting? Not enough shells?

Hermit crabs need new shells as they grow. They'll kill eachother off for new shells if none are provided.

Well I had like a hand full of extra shells.
Never noticed them fighting most off them if I remember was dead in there shells few weeks after adding.

Levels then was
Salinity 1.025
Temp 80 f
Ph 8 lights off
Dkh 14
Calcium 580
Ammonia .0
Nitrates 15
Nitrites 0
Phosphates .0

Done with api liquid test

 

[snorvich]

They also kill snails for their shells even if additional shells are provided.

 

[Betta132]

Check to make sure the spare shells are larger than the hermits.
What else do you have? Any sort of large shrimp? What fish?

 

[troylong45]

Check to make sure the spare shells are larger than the hermits.
What else do you have? Any sort of large shrimp? What fish?

I got a verity of shell sizes, Cleaner shrimp, hipo tang, 2 clowns, green Mardin, And duncan coral, mushrooms and star polyps. I never noticed and body attacking one another besides the normal hermit wrestle here and there.

 

[Betta132]

By any chance have you added any kind of meds to the tank? Ever? Could it have been contaminated with any kind of foreign substance?
What size is the tank?

Off topic, but I'm guessing 'mardin' was supposed to be 'mandarin'. How is he doing? What is he eating?

 

[troylong45]

They also kill snails for their shells even if additional shells are provided.

Haven't had a problemwith my snails.

 

[troylong45]

By any chance have you added any kind of meds to the tank? Ever? Could it have been contaminated with any kind of foreign substance?
What size is the tank?

Off topic, but I'm guessing 'mardin' was supposed to be 'mandarin'. How is he doing? What is he eating?

No meds. And yea lol mandarin dumb auto correct on my tablet. He is eating pods there everywhere lol. One of the two reasons I got him.
The tank is a 75 gallon ( I know some of the fish when adults will be to big at that point they will be rehomed if I dont upgrade.) And I couldn't think of any thing that could have contaminated them or the tank.

Maybe poor accumulation ? I heard that could result in them dieing over a day to weeks to months? But since it was so long ago I cant remember how I accumulated them I think I just floated the bag then dumped them in that time cus I read something on a site selling saltwater they just needed to be temperature accumulated.

 

[Calappidae]

He has a cleaner shrimp which would've been first to go if something water quality/contamination wise went on.

Like snorvich said.. even if shells ARE provided it doesn't mean the crabs will like them.. they might like their neighbor's house better.. unfornuantly the ocean's civil rights are opposite of ours..

Pfft.. TBH it's better NOT to acclimate most livestock.. float them for temp and right in.. you can research some of that on your own.. but acclimation or not.. hermit crabs are hardy enough to be thrown right in.

 

[troylong45]

He has a cleaner shrimp which would've been first to go if something water quality/contamination wise went on.

Like snorvich said.. even if shells ARE provided it doesn't mean the crabs will like them.. they might like their neighbor's house better.. unfornuantly the ocean's civil rights are opposite of ours..

Pfft.. TBH it's better NOT to acclimate most livestock.. you can research some of that on your own.. but acclimation or not.. hermit crabs are hardy enough to be thrown right it.

Lol I hear ya, but I dont remember much fighting there all mellow besides these 2 blue legs I got every once and a while they like lock in to each other. Im pertty sure its the bigger blue chasing the smaller one. I separate them on opposite sides of the tank 5 mins later there at it again. Seems like a dominance issue but that was then there all mellow now.

 

[troylong45]

He has a cleaner shrimp which would've been first to go if something water quality/contamination wise went on.

Like snorvich said.. even if shells ARE provided it doesn't mean the crabs will like them.. they might like their neighbor's house better.. unfornuantly the ocean's civil rights are opposite of ours..

Pfft.. TBH it's better NOT to acclimate most livestock.. float them for temp and right in.. you can research some of that on your own.. but acclimation or not.. hermit crabs are hardy enough to be thrown right in.

They could have been killing each other but that would not explain the white one I had.

the white one was doing well till it swaped shells. it then crawled on a rock and never moved.
one day a fish swam up next to the white one and its shell fell off but the hermit was still on the rock moving super slowly then he died i guess. he fell off few mins after his shell nocked off.

Issues with something unknown and molting maybe?

 

[troylong45]

Or atleast at that time

 

[Calappidae]

Probably molting and the pathetic crab was an easy target. Hermits are mainly nocturnal.. they're out during the day but watch them at night when things get real busy.

I had similar behavior with one of mine.. stayed in one spot for days montionless.. I picked him up moved him to the other side of the tank thinking he was stuck.. next morning same exact position..

Crab disappeared days later.. (Blue knuckle btw)


I always see mine one on top of the other or with his legs in another one's shell. Usually peaceful behavior but eventually it'll be a murderous scene over real estate when it's time to upgrade...

 

[troylong45]

Probably molting and the pathetic crab was an easy target. Hermits are mainly nocturnal.. they're out during the day but watch them at night when things get real busy.

I had similar behavior with one of mine.. stayed in one spot for days montionless.. I picked him up moved him to the other side of the tank thinking he was stuck.. next morning same exact position..

Crab disappeared days later.. (Blue knuckle btw)


I always see mine one on top of the other or with his legs in another one's shell. Usually peaceful behavior but eventually it'll be a murderous scene over real estate when it's time to upgrade...

Strange. Lol. Im sure they might habe starved cus they never seemed to eat. Or less I put something in there like algae waffers. At least from what I could tell. But people told me I dont need to feed them and if they die off most likely the tank is not "dirty enough" for them.and need to wait till later to add more but I want to make sure thats it and not my acclimation process. How would you acclimate them ?

 

[Calappidae]

How would you acclimate them ?

Float in bag for 30 minutes for temperature adjustment..

open it.. scoop some water in.. poor out.. scoop somemore in.. basicly until I feel the water is the same as the tank water and it takes no longer than a minute.. plop right in.


Reason is when you open the bag.. the Ph in the water swings and causes ammonia to become more toxic.. surprisely the LONGER you leave them in that water.. the more harm your doing then trying to slowly adjust them.. plus the fish are stressed out so ammonia is going to get worse and worse.. adjust them but do it faster.. for temp you got all day to float so no rush until the bag is open... but those drip methods and such are terrible ideas.

The crabs would scavenge leftovers of what you'd feed the rest of the tank. Even the crap of the other livestock *throws up a little*