possible flooding/bacterial bloom

[kfinnz]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

The substrate The Hermit Crab Patch sells, 6" deep

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?

Digital gauge center of the tank roughly, reads 81-88 humidity and 80-84 temp

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

Heat lamp overtop and heatpad on the side of the tank next to a water pool

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)?

Both salt water (mixed with instant ocean, 1/2 cup for a gallon jug of water) and fresh water (both waters dechlorinated using a drop or two of Stress Coat for each gallon jug of water)

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

THCP Basic Mix w/their soil, and frequently changing other dried foods supplied by them. Supplemented with fresh foods which vary based on what I have on hand. Diet almost always include some dried red shrimp or dried insects. Calcium sources are coral and cuttlebone.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?

I have had them a little over a year and they are PPs

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

A couple came up from molts a few months ago. I suspect one has been down for one cause he's been gone for quite awhile. Another might be, I would see him from time to time and he was just digging but now he's been gone a few weeks now so I'm not sure anymore.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

21 gallon long tank. Screen lid that is mostly sealed (on the top) with press n seal to keep in humidity (opening for air circulation). Hides such as a moss pit, log, etc.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

Four. I'm not sure how to describe their sizes. They're not tiny, but they still fit in the palm of your hand if you decided to hold one easily.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?

A lot. Usually ten extras. Sometimes they bury one without me knowing and dig it up later so sometimes more if one gets dragged back up.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?

No. No candles are burned in the room. No hair products are used. I make sure nothing that can hurt them is used in the same room.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

I go in and pull out any food that's been dragged around when I see it so it doesn't get hidden and mold, I change water pools once a week and boil things once a month (plastic things like the pool containers get cleaned with vinegar)

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

No sponges are used

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

Nothing new

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.)?

Nothing else

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

A couple weeks ago I had posted in crabitat conditions with a concern about the substrate at the bottom of my tank (viewed from the front, it is not on a fish tank stand so I cannot see the underside) seeming darker than the rest of the substrate, as if it was wet. At the time there was not really a smell so as advised I made sure to limit water hitting the substrate, I resealed my tank lid so it was good and tight, etc. Over the past few days though I've noticed two things. The darker substrate has not gone away and in fact, is seeming to spread across the bottom to the other side of the tank. There's also a smell that I wouldn't call horrific but it's....not normal? It's different from how I know the tank usually smells and how it smells when there's molting happening. It's not the most pleasant smell. I cannot find leaks in either pool although under the fresh water pool it's VERY WET. Which shocks me as that is DIRECTLY next to the heat pad and sand over there has always been on the dryer side. I've been unable to find leaks or anything else that could cause this and with it seeming to spread and an unusual smell starting I'm starting to get very nervous. I had been told a smell constitutes an emergency and the wetness of that sand feels wrong.

I am unsure of what to do at this point as within the year I've cared for them I have not encountered anything like this. My two bigger crabs are still active topside (although I've only seen my biggest the past couple nights, but they're digging holes all over so I know they're there) but one of the smaller one has been gone for a few weeks now and the other small crab I haven't seen in a long time. The two smaller guys are the ones I'm most worried about.

[kfinnz]

UPDATE: As of this morning I have noticed all the water from the fresh water pool is gone despite filling it last night. I still can't find a leak (I'm setting the container in the bathtub to see if I can see any water exit it over a few hours) but I'm assuming something must be wrong with it because there's no water and the sand under it is soaked? If it's been leaking somehow I'm unsure how long it has been going on for.

[GotButterflies]

Hello To be honest - I would just replace that bowl! Nothing is wrong with your template! The only things that I can recommend is that substrate should be the minimum of 6 inches or three times the height of your largest crab (whichever deeper is what you go with). The second thing is to make sure that your crabs have calcium in your diet (cuttlebone, exoskeleton, coral, oyster shell). Obviously those things don't have anything to do with flooding!!

Perhaps that bowl just wasn't meant to hold water, or the clear coat has just worn away over time. That is why I love the tupperware method with the double bowls. You have a bowl underneath just in case.

Good luck!!

[kfinnz]

Yeah I can replace the dishes easy so I'll be sure to do that asap. What can be done (if anything) about overly wet sand at the bottom like that if it's flooded possibly? I still imagine it's not good especially if water has been getting down there for an extended period of time?

[GotButterflies]

If it were me, I would replace it.

[wodesorel]

Yep, if it were me I would dig. That is way too much water and that you are smelling it is not good. Anything that does smell needs to be thrown out. If it doesn't you can mix well and add in some dry substrate to even it out.

Similar replacement sand can be made using playsand and cocofiber block. They also add a little bit of calcium sand or crushed oyster shell but those are optional. For a 20 long you would need two 50 lb bags of playsand and one block of cocofiber, totalling about $11.

Be prepared to isolate either of the two you find underground. Plastic containers like sour cream tubs work in a pinch. Put some clean substrate in them about 3/4 full.

Are the crabs piling sand against the pools? Sand acts like a wick and wil pull the water right out, no holes needed.

[kfinnz]

They were piling sand yeah, I guess that's why it was gone that's wild it wasn't much sand.

Digging down it's DEFINITELY flooded. The bottom is soup and there's standing water at the very bottom
Could a large amount of moss in the sand cause that by holding water in it by chance? They scattered A TON of moss and I'm finding it mixed all over the place and was curious.