hermits dying during molt

[barnabus's gimp]

I have had a few instances where a hermit crab will start to seem to molt and then just die before the molt is done. I think I might be feeding them too much. I'm not too sure though. I have had 2 species of dardanus die. 2 d. megistos and one dardanus anemone carrying hermit. I have read about iodine and heard they can get that from food. i have peppermint shrimp and other types of crabs who are by no means hardier than a these hermit crabs. if anyone has any suggestions as how to start solving this problem that would be much appreciated.

 

[graveyardworm]

Are you positive they're dying? What have you seen to make think this? Just curious that it isnt the actual molts you are seeing, and mistaking for a dead crab. They do look similar.

 

[barnabus's gimp]

no these are the big hermits, usually about 3"-5" they look like they are about to molt and even dig a little hole, then they just die in the hole. I'm hoping someone can help me out, or has had a similar problem.

 

[graveyardworm]

Wow 3-5 inches, thats a big hermit, and one I have absolutely no experince with. Is there any chance that they are a bit terrestrial, and need to come out of the water for a successful molt?

 

[graveyardworm]

Just did a quick search of one of the species listed. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2158+2213&aid=2111

Do you have them all housed in the same tank, and do you have larger shells available for them to switch to. There is a chance they are trying to molt and either a large enough shell isnt available, and/or they are being attacked and killed by the other hermits in their search for a larger shell.

Can you provide more info on the tank they are being housed in?

 

[barnabus's gimp]

sure, they are in separate tanks first is a 26 gal long all water tested good temp at a steady 77.5 the second tank is a 10 gal long with a temp variation from 75-77.5 all water tested good on both tanks. The only thing I can think of is that I fed them a little too much maybe, which is easy to do because they act like they are starving even if they had just ate. I have one live hermit left and he has tons of shells and space, and he seems like he is about to molt also, he even dub his little hole... so lets hope this one makes it.

 

[graveyardworm]

Is there a chance these guys were collected from colder water, and are having trouble at the close to reef temps in your tanks? They seem to have quite a broad habitat range, and I dont know if they are able to move from one temp range to another wihout consequences.

 

[barnabus's gimp]

yeah I was kind of thinking the same thing. the weird part is, the one hermit crab surived at the LFS for about 7 months with minimal feeding and about the same temps, the only thing I can think of is I am feeding them too much food.

 

[graveyardworm]

Do you do regular water tests? Can you list the water parameters that you regularly measure? I had no idea that a hermit could be overfed as they always seem to be picking without rest. Perhaps just due to a lack of food. 7 months at the LFS is quite a long time and possibly the reason its doing well for you. Collection and shipping might be hard on thses guys. Any idea how long the others had been in captivity?

 

[barnabus's gimp]

by the looks of it not too long, one had a white discoloration on what should have been a ruby red body, I was guessing that was a sign on malnutrition, I test the water once a week and do weekly 10-25% water changes depending on the results.

 

[graveyardworm]

If the others were new arrivals at the LFS then I would suspect something that was out of your hands as you've indicated. I wouldnt be too concerned with overfeeding as long as you're feeding them reasonably and keeping an eye on nutrient levels within the tank. In the smallish tanks you have them housed in there is always a possibility of high levels of ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate. That stuff if it gets too high could certainly spell death for the crabs. These tanks would likely be great candidates for wet/dry filters to keep the levels of ammonia and nitrite down. Regular large water changes will keep the rest in check.

 

[barnabus's gimp]

thanks for the info, I'm fairly new to all this so any information is good. also I took my water to the store and it turns out the test strips i have are not good for PH and Kh so I got some new test equipment. I guess my PH and Kh was really low

 

[graveyardworm]

I honestly have no idea what a hermits hard outer skeleton is made of but I would suspect that bicarbonates are incorporated in some fashion. So depending upon how low it was that could've been an issue. The test strips really arent very accurate, and generally not recommended. There's just too much other chemistry to account for.

 

[barnabus's gimp]

yeah thats what the guy at the LFS said also. I'm pretty new to all this so it's good there are forums like this