Why Won't They Molt

[PhillyCrabbie]

Hi everyone. I currently have 10 crabs in a 96 gallon tank. The setup has plenty of climbs, hides food etc. The humidity is typically 77-88 %, and heat from room temp of 67-77, but I have a couple heating units inside that keep in warmer in some areas certainly. I have a salt & fresh water pool, that are certainly big enough (although I never see them go in). My substrate is 8.5 inches and sand castle consistency, and my largest crab (2 this size) are shy of 2 inch openings. Everyone has plenty of shells to move into, and sometimes they explore a new one and trade right back.

I rescued these crabs 6 weeks ago from a teacher who wasnt going to be able to visit her classroom during this, and the conditions they were in weren't great.

I assumed they all would be molting pretty quickly since they came from not great conditions. I know they will when they are ready, but I wanted to see if there is anything I am not doing that is preventing their progression.

Any advice? Thanks

[Xenpurgisn@cht]

You're doing everything fine! And I was honestly in your position when I was getting into crabbing. Sometimes crabs bought from other people or taken from shops don't automatically molt. One of my mediums took a year and a month to molt, and my largest took roughly 10-11 months I think- It's just a matter of time, be patient!

[PhillyCrabbie]

Ok that absolutely makes me feel better. I was planning on at least 4-5 going down almost immediately bc who knows when they last were able to and they were past due

[Jamison]

I'm no expert, but I would try to get the heat up. Everything else seems good, they'll most when they are ready.

[CrabHappens]

Agreed. Only thing I would do differently is not let it fall under 70° Fahrenheit. Many of the places the crabs are native it is between 72-89° ( this is not at all an exact quote I just remember years ago when I got mine I did a lot of research on their native habitats) all throughout the year. I went through a chart where I could select the dates to look at temperatures and it rarely falls under 70. I know what you're going through though! I just got a couple very unexpected rescues and I just want them to eat a bunch and molt so I can relax about it and put them in the main tank! But your set up sounds just about perfect