All my crabs are dying :(

[chelsealace]

Background: I got a tank first, before I even had any idea what to get in it. After months of deliberating and researching I settled on hermit crabs, and got it set up.

3 weeks ago, I purchased 6 crabs. 3 seemed to be fine, crawling around and eating and such, while 3 didn't move after I put them in the tank and they went off to hide. I left everyone alone for a week, and the 3 still seemed to be okay, while the other ones were starting to stink. One had crawled out of his shell and died, another started dripping brown liquid, and another smelled awfully fishy. I thought it was just PPS, but a mortality rate of 50% within a week seemed high.
Since it had only been a week, I "exchanged" them and picked up 3 more. When I got back, another of the original group wasn't moving, but I decided to leave him alone. I put the new 3 in a smaller tank, so I could slowly increase the temp. and humidity from what it was in the store.
One of the new ones died, and the old one that wasn't moving did too!

So at this point (last week) I introduced the 2 surviving new crabs to the 2 surviving old crabs and they all seemed fine. They were all eating and drinking and moving around a lot. This was all good and fine for a week, but this morning one was just sitting there, not moving at all. I let him be until just now, I picked him up and a leg fell off

Please help!! I have no idea if I am just unlucky or if I am doing a terrible job at crab keeping! Out of the 9 crabs I've ever had in the past few weeks, 6 have died; is this unusually high or what??


What is the volume of your main tank?
50 gallons.

How many hermit crabs do you currently have? How big are they?
4, probably just 3 now, one is very likely dead. All pretty medium, the biggest one is golf ball sized.

How long have you had the hermit crab(s) that you are concerned about?
2 to 3 weeks.

What substrate or combination of substrates are you using? How deep is it?
Sand, 3-4 inches.

What do you feed your hermit crabs?
a dry food combination of bloodworms, cuttlebones, oatmeal, rice. Different fresh food every day, seem to like grapes, applesauce, lettuce, spinach.

Do you use distilled, bottled, tap or other types of water?
Tap, but dechlorinated.

If you are using a dechlorinator, what brand is it? Does it state to remove all heavy metals, chlorine and chloramines?
TetraAqua's Aqua Safe

What brand of sea salt are you using to supply your hermit crabs with salt water?
Instant Ocean

What heat source are you using and where is it positioned?
None right now, I live in Texas and don't often run the air unless I have to, I keep my room around 75. Will probably get a heat source when the weather gets cold.

Have you calibrated your thermometer(s) and hygrometer so that you can interpret accurate readings?
No

What is the air temperature range and humidity inside the tank?
76 to 78 for both.

[abegie]

One question? Somebody else can chime in if I'm wrong but are you boiling your green leafy foods? Apparently if you don't they can inhibit calcium absorption. Don't think that is your problem, I suspect PPS is at least in part to blame which is really sad but often the case. Its also very important if you aren't already doing it to wash all your fresh foods very thoroughly. Directly from the store there can be residual pesticides left on the surface which will poison your little guys in a hurry. And probably a good idea to calibrate your hygrometer and thermometer, instructions for doing so you should be able to find in the crab care section of this site.

[CrabbyJo]

I'm so sorry to hear of all the trouble you're having with your crabs. Hopefully we can help you get this sorted out.

A brown liquid generally is associated with heat damage. You say you have no heat source though. What are the conditions at the pet store? For them to die so quickly after coming home makes me wonder if they are not fatally ill by the time you pick them up from the store.

You also state that you have sand for a substrate. What kind of sand? If it is playsand, I highly recommend you replace it immediately. There is no way of knowing what sort of contaminants can be in the playsand, as it is all milled in different places, isn't really sand but pulverized rocks (made into sand, so not natural sand) and it depends on where the rocks were quarried from that determines the type of minerals and contaminants (oils, odorless chemicals, etc) are present. You take a chance when you use playsand.
if you cannot purchase Aragonite Sand (Carib Sea is the most common brand) because of availability or price, pick up some compressed coconut fiber (Eco Earth is a common brand) and expand it with ocean salt water.
you don't mention having salt water for your hermies - do pick up some salt meant for marine fish tanks (not hermit crab salt) as it has essential nutrients your crabs need that are not present in "hermit crab" salt.
I'd also recommend using distilled water for a while (mix your salt water in it too) until you've got this sorted out. The ocean salt will replace any minerals that are not present in the distilled water.

Do you have a thermometer in the tank? You mention the temp you keep your room, which is a common mistake many people make when they don't have a thermometer in the tank. It really is important to know what temperature your hermies are experiencing, which could be different than the room temp, esp if you have a lid on the tank to keep in humidity.

Also, you should calibrate your humidity gauge. I believe there are instructions in the crab care section on how to do that. They can be off as much as 20%.

Don't purchase any more crabs until you get this sorted out, ok? I would also ask the pet store if they have had a lot of hermit crab returns from these batches, or people complaining of deaths.

[ladybug15057]

I am so sorry to hear of the losses and complications you are having with your hermies.
Along with what has already been replied, if you look under "Description" of the water conditioner:
http://www.petco.com/product/3996/Tetra ... aSafe.aspx
It states

The formula neutralizes chlorine and heavy metals, removes chloramine and toxic ammonia and provides a slime coat to heal and protect fish.

It is recommended to use a dechlor if one opts to that does not have a slime coating within it. There is the possibility that the slime coating could interfere with the hermie absorbing valuable nutrients from the foods they eat.
In the diet you are offering, there is one protein source, but hermies also need a chitin source in their diet. (the more variety the better, hermies are known not to eat the same food for a week or two that they have already eaten)
As mentioned, some do go by the air temp of the room. But one does also need to monitor the substrate temp for a warmish and cooler side to the substrate due to hermies being cold blooded creatures.
The brownish fluid, is it coming from within the shell or from towards the upper part of his body?

Somebody else can chime in if I'm wrong but are you boiling your green leafy foods?

I realize this has been said for a couple years not. (since about 2005?) But we have offered green leafy veggies for a decade now and I do not cook for our hermies? No ill effects noted from not doing so.
Do these hermies have a night and day cycle to their life?
And depending on the degree of PPS, sometimes it does take longer than a week.