HCA: Hermit Crab Association

While it has seemed like our substrate is “shrinking” I have just been trying to ignore it as we have two crabs molting and don’t want to add more on top while they are down... however my husband just pointed out this dark line along the bottom of the tank- is this water? mold? normal? Are the molting crabs doomed?


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Is your substrate just eco earth? If it is, then I suspect that it is really soaked eco earth, because below it looks like dried eco earth

Edit: So, what you can do: Take a chopstick or a pencil and stick it down the front of the tank up against the glass - go past it down to the bottom to verify it is what I said it is.

Are the crabs doomed? Not yet. BUT really soaked eco earth CAN become an issue. Do you know how long it has been like this? More than likely this has happened due to spraying.

If no crabs are molting, just aerate the substrate and turn it over in the tank. If it smells like rotten eggs you have a problem but it looks like the moisture has settled so with the eco earth alone you should be able to mix it back up, unless it is stinky and has any other visible signs of a bacterial bloom.




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soilentgringa wrote:If no crabs are molting, just aerate the substrate and turn it over in the tank. If it smells like rotten eggs you have a problem but it looks like the moisture has settled so with the eco earth alone you should be able to mix it back up, unless it is stinky and has any other visible signs of a bacterial bloom.

OP stated that she has two crabs molting

GotButterflies wrote:

soilentgringa wrote:If no crabs are molting, just aerate the substrate and turn it over in the tank. If it smells like rotten eggs you have a problem but it looks like the moisture has settled so with the eco earth alone you should be able to mix it back up, unless it is stinky and has any other visible signs of a bacterial bloom.

OP stated that she has two crabs molting

I read that twice and totally forgot while typing. #justadhdthings


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What it looks like to me is dry packed cocofiber at the bottom, and darker wetter cocofiber on top. Definately check it to be safe but I doubt you'll find anything wrong.