I just saw little mites all over my hermit crabs and shells!

[SonnyRayTWH]

Hey everyone! So just this afternoon I was checking on my hermit crabs when I realized that there where mites just hanging out on my one of my hermit crabs! I've also seen them all over the extra shells. They are really small and tan colored. I'm going to be upgrading my tank to a 37 gallon this Christmas and my best friend is giving me her hermit crabs. I really don't want my new tank to have all these nasty critters in it. How do I get rid of them and prevent them from coming into my new tank?

[emmac350]

Are you sure they were mites? If they weren't on the soft parts of the crabs, they might not be. You're going to need to do some work setting up your new tank to prevent whatever they were from getting in. You'll need new substrate (or to VERY THOROUGHLY wash and bake your current one), to bake/boil/long-term saltwater soak all ornaments, and to thoroughly bathe your crabs in salt water. Set your new tank up as far away from your old one as possible to avoid them being able to move between them on their own.

[aussieJJDude]

They could be food mites or like Emmac said, a similar species of insect. A photo could help.