Baby German cockroaches in tank??

[Makayla6676]

Hello I am a new crab owner and I recently purchased 3 crabs two weeks ago. I have all the right conditions and I feed them a lot of varieties. Recently I saw a few baby roaches in the tank (we had these pest ever since we moved in 5 months ago and they’re hard to get rid of when you have a dog and now hermits) I have killed at least 4 and I put a Vaseline barrier on the outside of the tank but my main question is will they harm my crabs? We don’t spray for them bc of our dog. Do I need to clean out their habitat often because of this??

[LadyJinglyJones]

Roaches (like crickets) can reproduce at great volume swiftly. These guys reach sexually maturity at about the 6th instar (moult), and they can attain that in six weeks easy where it is very warm.

Crabitats, being warm & moist, are ideal habitats for them. Their numbers can become extreme, with females producing like 40 eggs every 6 weeks. Also, roaches that breed in the tat can get out into your house, making them harder to get rid of.

I doubt they would harm your crabs... but if none of your crabs are underground I would honestly take them out, pop them in a container somewhere warm & moist, then systemically bake everything, including the top couple inches of sand. Plastic decor can be washed, just to be sure no little ones are hiding. The good news is that unlike crickets, they hold on to their eggs, and don't lay them in the sand.

The more time you give them, the bigger the pain in your butt they can become.

I am not someone who dislikes insects (the contrary, I think they're awesome! ) but after one insect explosion in my tat, I don't mess with insecta anymore.

[Makayla6676]

Do you know any way I could keep them out of the tank ???

[LadyJinglyJones]

I imagine that vasaline would work from the bottom. I'd be tempted to run tape around the rim till the problem subsides. But I don't truthfully have experience with roaches. I think you may do best to research what works with roaches & come up with a household-wide plan of action. Otherwise they just continue to increase gradually.

[wodesorel]

I kept exotic roaches for a few years as pets. The vaseline should contain them so long as it a wide enough band.

Germans do lay their eggs right before they hatch and they can become sexually mature in as little as two months. It's why they are so hard to get rid of.

I agree, if you can gut the tank do so, it will save you the headache later.

Please find some way you are comfortable with to deal with them in your home. They are not something to mess around with and soon a few will become an infestation. They eat anything organic including the backing to drywall. I liked my pet roaches but I would never stand to have unwanted ones in my house. Plus, allergies to them are common and it doesn't take much exposure before asthma and other serious health problems crop up!