Mites

[hermie_lover3542]

Ok I'll try oh and this is off topic, but I have bad news from 5-26-08 to 7-7-10 my 3 yr old hermie has past. I am so sad I believe it was stress from the mites and he was sick(when he fell out of his shell so did this ''black'' water come out. He also had a dark abdoman, with black legs, the ones that hold his shell, and black tufts of fur on his claws that as you know should be blonde. So it has been very tuff because that was my first crab, oh the memories i've had with him...sorry oh and Also my jumbo is about to molt!

[hermie_lover3542]

Also I wanted to mention that I will be cleaning the whole tank tomarow! Yes I'm looking foward to 60 gllons of hours of cleaning! I also have to prep my jumbo big daddy for molting, along with my medium crab Mr. crabs. I know the basics for a deep clean, i've done it a few times but mites keep coming back but something i've noticed was in the past the mites were smaller and now I have small ones and a couple od huge ones! My mom sugested something smart actually, she said in stead of baking the sand take a garbage bag or 2 and cut them into a ''sheet'' then lay the sand thinly on it in the sun. Leave it there as long as possible and it will be like an oven. Although it depends on where you live because here it has been in the high 90's! But anyway if you guys could send me some tips on preventing mites or stories of mites in the past that would be great!!!

[CrabbyJo]

hermielover, I am going to suggest, since these mites have been a real issue for you, that you purchase someHypoaspis Miles. These are predator mites. They will not bother your crabs at all. They only eat other insects and mold, etc.

I have found them VERY cheap at Evergreen Growers.

Tell him you want them to rid your hermit crab tank of mites, and ask him if he can send them USPS. The shipping will be less than $10 or $15. it is WELL worth it. I've had mites twice, and have used this both times. It cleared them out within a month or two. I don't know for sure how long it took, because I still saw the hypoaspis miles in the tank for a while after, but it did get rid of the others. Introduce them after a deep clean if you can. I was unable to, and just treated as an emergency measure.

I did not bathe my crabs to rid them of the mites (except when I first discovered the mites, before the hypoaspis miles arrived), and had very much a peace of mind about the whole thing.

They come in a wood chip medium - I recommend you do not put this directly into the tank where the crabs can access it, as we are unsure as to what kind of wood it is and could be harmful to the crabs. Place it into a small bowl out of reach of the crabs or at least with tall enough sides. Leave it for a few days, the hypoaspis can climb out. A half cup or so of the medium should be enough - if you aren't comfortable with the progress of the mites after a week, add more. The tube you are sent is meant to treat a WHOLE greenhouse of a large size. So i fyou put it all in your tank, you are going to have bugs for a while lol.

The hypoaspis only reproduce when they have a protein source - ie the other mites you don't want in the tank - and when those are gone, they will eat vegetable matter (think eco earth, coconut fiber) but cannot reproduce without the protein source, and will all die off within a couple of weeks after all the bad mites are gone.

Edited to make embedded link click-able Bracket at end] was wrong way

[hermie_lover3542]

Thanks I will have to try that!! That is like the best thing ever!!!! I will order some after I go to camp this week, but right now the crabs are in a seaf place mite free on ''vacation'', um i bathed the crabs in salt water, got new sand wiped the tank down with vinigar water, um boiled everything, washed moss, boiled my little gravel pit, and threw away all wood items. Sighhh exhausting!!!