HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I've gotten a few small white bugs in my tank a while ago. I did a little research, and came to the conclusion that they weren't harmful. Recently, I've seen the bugs just jump into my saltwater dish and drown themselves. My crabs aren't drinking from it anymore, and haven't come out in a while. Did I majorly screw up, or should I not worry?

I assume you have food mites. Bugs in the tat will periodically drown in the salt pool. This happens regularly in the tat I have wood lice in ( i.e. rolly polies that don't roll up... not actual lice).

You just need to make sure you change the pools every day to avoid amonia build up as their bodies decay.

As for the crabs, they're probably just in a lower gear right now - I'd be suprised if the two things were related.

LadyJinglyJones wrote:I assume you have food mites. Bugs in the tat will periodically drown in the salt pool. This happens regularly in the tat I have wood lice in ( i.e. rolly polies that don't roll up... not actual lice).

You just need to make sure you change the pools every day to avoid amonia build up as their bodies decay.

As for the crabs, they're probably just in a lower gear right now - I'd be suprised if the two things were related.

Thanks for the really quick reply! This really puts my mind at ease.

Is their any cheap way to get them out of the tank? We're a bit low on money at the moment.

Usually the bugs that jump are springtails Still not harmful though....

Pick up food when it's not being eaten. Also, feeding dry foods helps

Edit: For example, pick up the food during the day

The problem with harmless bugs like mites and springtails is that they are already in our homes. No amount of cleaning will keep them from coming right back. The good news is that they break down waste and the springtails eat actual mold so they can really help with the cleanliness of the crabitat.