Little black bug in my tank

[ladybug15057]

Thing with the vaseline is it is odorless and also will not attract other pests towards the tank due to any scents it will give off. Vaseline can be a bit messy too though. If you have any packaging tape, or scotch tape, or another tape that will come off easily off of glass you may wish to put that on it first then put the vaseline. Will be much easier to clean when you no longer need it.
And sorry to say that washing fruits and veggies are good to do, but not a full proof guarantee that all larvae will be washed off. If you have a way to boil dechlor water, maybe give the fruits/veggies a 3-5 second dip in boiling water to kill what maybe on it? Or give it a nuke in the microwave with a couple drops of dechlor water?

[CrabbyJo]

OH darnit I forgot about the tape suggestion! I have big thick lines of vaseline in my tanks now that I'm going to have to wash off next clean lol.
I didn't mess around, my husband is squeamish about the idea of bugs getting out of the tank into the house, so the lines are at least 1 1/2" to 2" wide. Tall. high. lol.

I'm still trying to figure out where I got my grain mites from again. I set my ground flax meal out in the warm instead of in the fridge and keep checking the container every week or so to see if there's any bugs in it. Nothing so far.

[PiccoloPrincess]

So, as you may know, I currently have a sick little crab on my hands, who is still alive and seems to be doing better. The other day, I found a single black bug in my tank, it was extremely small and hard to see. It doesn't match the description of any crab pests that I've heard of. Anyways, I stared into my tank for a good twenty minutes...and didn't see any more. So I scooped the bug out, flushed it down the toilet, and let it go, thinking it to be a stray bug. I kept a close eye on my tank the next few days, and today...I found and killed two more. I'm not seeing any more- but I know that they must be there. There's almost certainly more than three.

I'm wondering if they're little bugs that hitched a ride on my sick crab- and that would be the cause of his lack of activity. There are absolutely none crawling on my new crab (at least none that I can see). I did give my crab a bath as soon as I brought him home- but its quite possible that I missed something that could have been deep in the shell. They don't seem interested in the food or my crab, they're just...crawling around minding their own business.

As its late at night, I can only move him into a rediculously small container I use for taking new crabs home (as I don't want to put him in with my other crabs if by chance he is carrying bugs) for the night and leave the problem alone for now. I can't do anything about it until tomorrow.

Can anyone help me identify them? I don't have pictures. I can only describe them as teeny-tiny black bugs, no wings.

[ladybug15057]

Without pictures it would be hard to do, but above postings may give some ideas?
When you first bring hermies home, do you iso them for a week or two to observe them for any illnesses or pests? It is highly recommended to iso newbies for this as well as to help them adjust to proper conditions.

[PiccoloPrincess]

I already read this topic and didn't find anything useful...
But yes- I do iso my crabs- and the bugs are all over my iso tank. That's the problem. My crab is sick, and I bought her sick so I could get her back to health...and the bugs are really no help, as she's very stressed. She's been in iso for two weeks now, condition only slightly improving...

Sorry, I should have mentioned the fact that it was my iso tank- not my main tank.

[CrabbyJo]

Piccoloprincess,
Have you taken steps that are needed for ridding the tank of mites? If you are worried about stressing your new crab too much, you can also order (if its in your budget) some predator mites which will not bother your crabs but will eat any other small insects in the tank, then die off when they are all gone.
It can cost you between $40 and $50 if you order them from Evergreen Growers Supply in Washington state. He is very good about sending them USPS to save you money on shipping so you don't have to worry about paying the FedEx fees.

Otherwise, you'll have to do some deep cleans. Completely toss the old substrate (I suggest purchasing some coconut husk bricks, known as Eco Earth by brand) and replace it, boil/sterilize all decorations, and give your hermie an ocean salt water bath. Be sure to place her in the bath upside down so she is forced to right herself and this will help flush old water and anything else out of her shell. Have her do it twice during the bath. Do make sure the water is tepid, not room temp, as room temp is too cool.
Be sure also that you are using ocean salt water, and not hermit crab salt water, as it is not a suitable product for hermit crabs, in spite of it being made especially for them.

In the interim, it's helpful to use tank decorations that are easy to clean. When I had mite issues I used small, cheap plastic planters with a doorway cut in them, placed upside down, and some fake plants I could clean easily.

Good luck, hope your little crab makes it!