Worried about Molting/Dying crabs

[POPPIT]

What is the volume of your main tank?
Current tank is maybe 16l(have a new glass 20l waiting for them)

How many hermit crabs do you currently have? How big are they?
I have 3 hermit crabs which are all small at maybe 20 cent coin size max

How long have you had the hermit crab(s) that you are concerned about?
I believe i got them all on the 13th April 2015

What substrate or combination of substrates are you using? How deep is it?
I am using Pisces Natural Products Quartz Sand in sahara gold colour(says for hermit crabs)

What do you feed your hermit crabs?
Was feeding them a homemade label looking food called Jens crab crunch but stopped that today and made my own food of crushed almond, cashew, walnut with sultana, cranberry and dried meal worms....Today i bought Aquatopia everyday hermit crab food(hermit crab delight)

Do you use distilled, bottled, tap or other types of water?
I use bottled water called Mountain Spring Water.

If you are using a dechlorinator, what brand is it? Does it state to remove all heavy metals, chlorine and chloramines?
Do not use

What brand of sea salt are you using to supply your hermit crabs with salt water?
Unbranded pack with homemade label saying Hermit crab salt from pet store.

What heat source are you using and where is it positioned?
Aquatopia Hermit crab heat pad stuck to the outside of one side of the tank

Have you calibrated your thermometer(s) and hygrometer so that you can interpret accurate readings?
Thermometer is a glass one that seems to be working well...Analog Hygrometer is not correct or trustworthy but going from the salt test it reads 65-75%

What is the air temperature range and humidity inside the tank?
24-25 degrees daily but can reach up to 28 degrees....Can drop to 21 degrees overnight

What is the highest temperature that the substrate near the heat source reaches?
Unknown.....thermometer positioned approx 2inches above substrate

Do you have any photos of your tank or hermit crab(s) of concern? If yes, please attach them to your post.
Yes i have pics but cant figure out how to put them on here( im use to auto buttons saying download image)

Hi All....So i have 3 small hermit crabs that have been buried for 2 weeks and over(this is my 4th lot of hermits)....I got them on the 13th April i think it was and had them in a useless crabitat with wire sides(all i had and remembered how horrible it was after i set them up in there)..On the first night i got them 2(my smallest and only male Gnome and sweet female Gynaveeve) buried themselves in the 1-2 inch sand i had and the very active one(my confident outgoing female Rebel) stayed out and about...I set up a different tank i found which was a plastic fish tank(current tank) on the 16th April...Rebel went straight in with Gynaveeve(who surfaced that night i think) and waited for Gnome to surface so i could also move him into the new tank..He came up about a day or two later...Now Gnome buried himself in the current tank maybe 1-2 days after being in there about the 18th April...has not come up since...Rebel changed her shell about 3-4 times into shells i had my 3rd lot of crabs in(guess she likes used shells) and was very active during the night...She buried herself on the 22nd April and Gynaveeve went down on the 23rd....None of them have come up since....I have smoothed out the sand over the last few days with no tracks at all....I found 2 crabs right at the bottom of the tank but can not see movement but cant tell which part im looking at(shell or body).....I am so worried because one crab in my last lot(had them about 7-8 years ago) passed away while buried(i left this crab for 6 months) and now im paranoid....I have a new 20l glass tank for them(yes i know its small but its all i can fit right now) and i cant wait to set it up with a second level....No bad smell besides the moist smell(kinda moldy) which clears when i air the tank....oh they are in sand of 6cm deep right now...Also the reason i stopped the food i have been giving them this whole time is because in the ingredients i read Chlorine( i thought that was a big no no!!!)

[POPPIT]

UPDATE:I just looked at the bottom of the tank through the plastic and i believe they are still alive...While they havent moved location as such i know from the last photos i took of them that they have moved position in there sand hole not only that but i think i can tell which is Rebel....however i believe there are now two crabs in the same spot(Gnome and Gynaveeve) instead of just the one....Im hoping they dont fight during their molt if that is indeed what they are doing....Gnome buried for 18 days and counting....Rebel buried for 14 days and counting....Gynaveeve buried for 13 days and counting

[emmac350]

Unfortunately, you might not like my answer. BUT...here goes!

18 days isn't that long for a crab to bury. I realize that you are worried and I totally get it. I've lost several underground and not realized it for months afterwards. If your crabs are only about the size of the Australian 20 cent coin you'll be in for shorter molts than with a crab the size of a tennis ball, but I've had tiny crabs stay down for two months or more even though they were about the size of yours.

Are you completely sure they don't come up overnight or while you're gone? If not, smooth out the sand and put food in the bowl neatly so you can notice if/when it changes. That might help your piece of mind - they could just be super shy and wanting privacy while they chow down.

I'm not sure that the Pisces sand is safe - most "hermit crab sand" products actually will harden when wet, entombing crabs, plus the dyes aren't tested on animals like our pets...they're tested for their toxicity to humans. If you know where your crabs are in the tank, remove some sand and test it in a different container - get it really wet then let it dry completely. Does it get hard? Can any Aussies help me out with this product?

What are the ingredients in the hermit crab food you just bought? You want to avoid a lot of ingredients typically found in the 'hermit crab food' products out there...ethoxyquin, heavy metals, etc. are all added to kill insects that might otherwise want to eat the food...but our crabs are vulnerable to anything that will kill insects! Go figure, right?

I would advise you to throw out the hermit crab salt and buy a salt meant for salt water aquariums. The hermit crab salts are a waste of money as they don't provide what our crabs need. The salt water aquarium salt looks pricey, but those packages will last you a while.

Try to avoid looking under the tank as the light can mess up their molts ;give them some privacy and hope for the best. We can't molt for our crabs, much as we'd love to make it all better for them, so give them some space and hopefully you'll be rewarded soon!

[POPPIT]

Thanks for the reply....I have only smoothed out the sand over maybe the last week and no activity at all....no disturbance of food or water/saltwater at all and no tracks....The sand im using is reptile sand however says for lizards, turtles and hermit crabs...we have very little supplies here in Australia for hermit crabs so its either the reptile sand or the so called Hermit Crab Sand which comes in 3-4 different colours(i have read some bad reviews about this) so i tried to get the most natural looking one(being the reptile one)....As for them being shy, Gnome the male one is a very shy guy and i have barely seen him, he buried for three days when i first got him and i moved him to a different tank the night he came up, 2-3 days later buried again and is still down.....The other two usually roamed around at night as i could hear them and see them when i checked the temp late at night.....So for them its not normal for them to bury, however they became less active for a couple of days before they went under and i know this can be a pre-molt sign.....The food i just bought has:Fish meal, Shrimp meal, Flour, Yeast, Cereals, Fish oil, Lecithin, Vitamin C, Amino acids, Multivitamins and Minerals, I havent opened it yet as im still using the food i made for them, also they havent come up for food...Is this food ok to use when they do come up?.....The salt i have is just salt(looks like natural sea salt) in a baggie but i am unsure now considering the food i bought from the same store had chlorine in it....I might buy the aquarium salt just to be safe though....I looked for them about 15 days after Gnome went down, just to see if i could see them and again the other day to maybe see movement...I know they moved in their caves so i had some piece of mind that they are alive for now, I am trying to leave them be as much as i can besides misting the tank and airing it out.....I hope i see them soon!

[emmac350]

I hate when food labels don't actually say what's in it. "Multivitamins and minerals" - what is that? What minerals are they? Some, like iron, are less safe for crabs than others. If the bottle is unopened can you return it?

[POPPIT]

Yes i agree with the unknown minerals which is in almost all pet food....Why cant they just make all natural food as they would eat in the wild without adding any hidden nasties....I possibly could return it, I would just say that im not happy with the listed ingredients that could possibly be dangerous.....What are your opinions on Eco Earth, i have read some bad reviews but a lot of American Crabbers on youtube use it, We dont have it here but its on ebay from the UK....What about the possible insects that hatch in it?..I was thinking doing half sand half eco so they had an option..Thanks for your inputs.

[emmac350]

I know a few Aussie crabbers use coconut fiber that isn't the Eco Earth brand, but I don't know what brand or where they get it. Personally, I've used it for most of my crabbing time with no issues, after expanding it with salt water to inhibit mold. My crabs seem to love it too.

For food, if you eat even semi-naturally you can feed your crabs a lot with only a few supplements from the pet store. Look for a jar of dried shrimp or mealworms, crickets, krill, etc. Those usually have as ingredients just "dried shrimp" or "dried mealworms" and combining that with a cuttlebone or eggshell in the tank and some fruit or nuts or veggies...your crabs will do just fine.

[POPPIT]

The Eco Earth looks like fine fiber which i thought would be easy for them to dig in....Ill think about it for a bit......I have a big bag of dried meal worms that i mixed with crushed nuts and fruit for my home made food and have seen the dried shrimp which i will buy once they are up and about....When i gave them some raw carrot they did drag that around a bit which i assume means they like it lol.....They have a chunk of cuttlebone in the tank and i just crushed some egg shells up the other night to add to the next food change....Thank you for your help and advice.....Love the pics of your crabbies by the way.

[appps]

I would buy aquarium salt too.

We can't get Eco earth over here but you can use this instead http://www.kritterscrumble.com.au
Buy the fine one, most pet stores sell it now days.

[ladybug15057]

I agree with what has been mentioned above. But I would like to also add if you got the hermies April 13th, they may of buried as well to de-stress. But one would actually want them to try to stay above substrtae to help them adjust to proper temps and encourage them to eat.