Concern for flooding

Please post here if you are having a crab care emergency! Use a real subject and not just "HELP!"
Post Reply

Topic author
Scarletfire
Posts: 317
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2019 10:44 am
Location: ON

Concern for flooding

Post by Scarletfire » Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:52 pm

I'm not sure if this is an emergency, so I thought I'll fill this out in case it is.

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
5:1.3 ratio of playsand to EE

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
27C, 83% currently. Historically, humidity is between 80-85%, but I saw it go up to 90% in the morning after rehydrating moss the night before,Humidity usually only goes up to 85% with rehydrated moss. The gauge is calibrated using the salt method.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
THG thermal tape across the back, hooked to a thermostat controller set at 27C.

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
Fresh and saltwater is available. Both are treated with Seachem Prime. Saltwater is also mixed with Seachem Vibrant sea. Specific gravity is verified with hydrometer.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Different everyday. Last feed was: carrots, sweet potato, seaweed, cod, shrimp shell, egg shell, mix of : grounded almonds, walnuts,toasted coconuts, barley, quinoa, steelcoat oats, another mix of: dried red peppers zucchini, baked wild bird seed,

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
Jul 1, strawberry and purple pincher. A second strawberry was added yesterday, 4 more to be added when they surface.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Not yet. Purple pincher is buried more often than not. Strawberry's are out and about at night times.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
50 gallon aquarium with sliding glass tops

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2 straws currently, 1 PP. PP is tiny, straws are medium.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
At least 20 turbos ranging from 0.25" to 1.25". A few moons.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Remove water bowls, scrub with crabbie toothbrush under hot water, sprayed with dechlor water, water readded, and placed in tank. Moss rehydrated daily (they're placed in front of the heat tape to keep humidity steady. Food dishes repeated as above, but refilled with food

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No.

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
1 straw, an additional net for the moss / shell pit

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?
There's 4 other crabs currently awaiting transfer when they resurface. No isopods, although I'm considering it for a clean-up crew.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I looked under the tank because I saw the humidity hit 90% and that's never happened before. Some spots are darker than others, which is uncharacteristic of EE if it's darkened.There's no smell, and no white stuff. I don't know if this is an initial sign of flooding. I want to address this proactively if this is precursor for a floor.

I do have an extra clean 10gal that I can start an ISO in the mean time if I need to replace soil. I've also noticed condensation on the sides of the tank, which only started recently.

Please advise!! I want to fix this issue if it is one before the new arrivals get in.

Photos below: Left / right side of bottom of tank; current set-up with the arrivals.
ImageImageImage
Last edited by Scarletfire on Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar

aussieJJDude
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 4998
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:12 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Re: Concern for flooding

Post by aussieJJDude » Sun Jul 28, 2019 8:21 am

To me it just looks like EE patches - hasnt been evenly mixed in. A good way to check for flooding is by using a squewer, pen, ruler or chopstick and push it down all the way to the bottom of the tank, creating a small hole. Once removed, if the area fills up with water it's a sign it has flooded.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

|| Avid Aquarist Addict (2007) || Crazy Crabbing Connoisseur (2012) || Amateur Aroid Admirer (2014) ||

"She’s there, she’s upright, and she’s wigged" ~ Trixie
Infrequently on due to studies

Post Reply