ANTS IN THE TANK

[lolomo12]

It would certainly be amazing if removing the food would be all it took to get the ants out of the tank? So you have sifted through the substrate and all to make sure they are gone and no eggs were laid?

I tried searching for ants in the tank even in the substrate but there's none my tank is located outside in our garden maybe they won't build a colony inside the tank if their hill is just outside I put baby powder outside the tank sorounded before putting the food

[emmac350]

Your tank is out in the garden? If it has direct sunlight, it could very easily overheat the crabs. Even in the shade outside, it's much harder to keep a tank at an even temperature. I'm not sure what the temperature range is in the Philippines, but even in the southern areas of the United States, an outdoor tank would allow too much of a temperature drop at night or in the winter and too high of a temperature during the day and even at night in the summer.

[lolomo12]

Your tank is out in the garden? If it has direct sunlight, it could very easily overheat the crabs. Even in the shade outside, it's much harder to keep a tank at an even temperature. I'm not sure what the temperature range is in the Philippines, but even in the southern areas of the United States, an outdoor tank would allow too much of a temperature drop at night or in the winter and too high of a temperature during the day and even at night in the summer.

It's near our door with the roof covering the sunlight it only gets sunlight in the morning but not too much. This time it's rainy season temperature ranges are 25-28 in summer 27-32 only one part of the tank gets direct sunlight.
also we don't have winter only summer and rainy hahaha

[CrabbyJo]

I realize you do live in a tropical climate, but would you humor me and look at the temp on the tank when the sun is on it? 34* is pretty warm, and if it's that hot out, and the sun is shining on the tank (at all) then it's likely several degrees warmer in the tank itself than the air outside.

In the wild, the crabs will find a cooler place to be, such as shady damp sand, or perhaps a breezy spot up in a shady tree. They can't do that in a tank, so it might be a good idea just to be sure of the temps at the hottest part of the day?

[lolomo12]

I realize you do live in a tropical climate, but would you humor me and look at the temp on the tank when the sun is on it? 34* is pretty warm, and if it's that hot out, and the sun is shining on the tank (at all) then it's likely several degrees warmer in the tank itself than the air outside.

In the wild, the crabs will find a cooler place to be, such as shady damp sand, or perhaps a breezy spot up in a shady tree. They can't do that in a tank, so it might be a good idea just to be sure of the temps at the hottest part of the day?

At morning they stay on coco huts at night they party i don't see something wrong about them sometimes at day I can see them eating or drinking or just staying in one side as I say only 1/4 of the tank is affected with direct sunlight

[emmac350]

CJ, 34C is cooler than the highest that my crab tank got during the move. The poor guys had to sit in the car a whole day in the Alabama summer (hubby had to leave early that morning to get his car shipped, and we had to move the tank to the car before he went...we'd expected the movers to be done by mid-afternoon, but they took 10 hours to pack up our 4 room apartment...gah...). Max tank temp (I covered the tank so it wasn't in direct sunlight but it was in the car with the windows down) was about 110F. The crabs were all on the surface, but just kind of hanging out in the tank corner. The tank humidity was over 90% the whole day, too. The crabs were super active while I was driving, even though the tank never went below 80 until late that night.

I was really worried about that temperature, but couldn't do anything about it. By the time the crabs got to their final destination (spending a total of 4 days and 2 nights in the car, with 3 days/nights in my parents house in OH but they don't have A/C and the crabs were yet again in the 80s all day), they were WAY more active than normal. My sister says that they are still doing fine, over two weeks later. I was worried about heat damage, but so far everything seems fine. It makes me wonder whether the temperatures we recommend are too low, or if we should perhaps raise the higher allowable temperature? Of course, I wouldn't want to change anything until after all of the crabs molt at least once after this ordeal, but it's worth discussing/thinking about.

[lolomo12]

There back again! How'd do I get rid of those ants are not in a line they are just in the substrate I tried removing the food still nothing happends any suggestions where to put the ant trap it's a borax

[CrabbyJo]

If you don't have any molting crabs, it's time for a deep clean.

Everything has to be removed and cleaned to remove all traces of any pheremones the ants have left behind that will attract more ants. Everything should be boiled and sterilized.

Once you've done that, then you should surround the tank with boric acid, not baby powder. I haven't heard of using baby powder as an ant deterrent before, and am not sure it would work.

As the ants have already pinpointed that area as a place to get food, then you should put the tank in a different area of the garden. It should not be sitting on the ground.

As for the ant trap, I'm not sure where you should put it, does it attract ants? If so, I wouldn't put it near the new location, but perhaps in the old location, although I don't know how much that would help anything.

Also about the temp: Do take the temperature of the tank that is affected by the sunlight so you KNOW what the temperature is. When crabs are heat damaged, it can go several weeks before they show any symptoms.


Emma: as to the temperature - I'm thinking that perhaps that high temp may not be too hot for short periods, such as a daytime to night time temp shift. Also, you said the humidity was up there. When a hermit "cooks" itself on a UTH for example, I would think the damage would be a dry heat damage - one that sucked the moisture out of the hermie.
Just my sense of it - and maybe we are worrying too much about the top end of heat - but I think those temps shouldn't be too often. I don't worry too much when one end of my tank reaches 84*F, and the crabs don't seem to mind either. They stay in the warm end and don't move to the cooler end, and they are actually still all over the tank. Sometimes they will even go for a perch closer to the heat lamp, as if they wanted a good warm toasty resting spot.

[lolomo12]

I still have one molting crabs what now I will try moving it