HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi, I been taking care of two tanks of hermies for over 8 months now. Both tanks with hermies that have been molten and being well. But recently I saw some worms on one of the tanks. With some inside research over HCA, those seem to be the nematodes. Will these be any harm or benefit? Should they be removed? Will these effect long term, short term?

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Nematodes are a rough bunch because they encompass so many species that make meals of so many different things. My guess is that they are a soil or plant nematode since they are obviously reproducing and have not harmed the crabs. These types should not bother living things, but the only way to be certain is to leave them be and see what happens. Personally, I'd try to do a good clean and changeout of the substrate to be safe, but only if it won't put molters at risk.

One crab is down, he/she could be molting. A waiting might be wise at the time. Thank you for the reply.

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Nematodes have also been known to wipe out colonies of isopods. I also heard somewhere on here that they live in moist substrate.

Where do they come from?

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Xenocrab wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 05, 2019 8:04 am

Where do they come from?

Can be form natural products, like leaf litter or tree branches. Can be food, can be the hand - aka, digging in the garden, and then putting your hand in the tank without washing it (or washing it properly)... Basically, there's many ways for a way to make one in, and then all they do is divide an conquer!

AwesomeHermit wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 05, 2019 6:50 am

Nematodes have also been known to wipe out colonies of isopods. I also heard somewhere on here that they live in moist substrate.

Remember, it depends on the species. Some solely eat microbiological life/plant matter, others can predate on other organisms. The species I studied in the lab C.elegans, we fed them bacteria - I think it was E.coli off memory, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something else we had growing for it to eat...

The worms seem to slow down with a temperature change. But they are still there. My crab Eddy was digging out where most worms I can found in my tank. I wonder if he tried to eat the worms...

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found a dead mite in my tank. it was on the food, but after a thoruogh check, there was no more. strange.