New Crab Destressing Location Concern by KyMart

[KyMart]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
I have aquarium sand in my tank at the moment (I am switching subs with tank moved to play sand and EE and plan on using this Aquarium for fish or other aquatic animals so I have not mixed any EE or play sand into the substrate). The substate is 5-6 inches deep on the high side and 4-4.25 inches deep on the low side (my new tank is going to have deeper substrate as well).

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?
I have a temporary thermometer in the top back left corner of the tank at the moment. The tank is roughly 80° F all around constantly give or take a few degrees in some areas but it is never under 75° F in any spot in the tank. They have two pools, and I mist regularly, my new tank is going to have a moss pit to help with humidity.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Yes, a UTH on the back left side of the tank.

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 fresh and salt water are available at all times. I use Prime for fresh water, and Instant Ocean in Primed water for salt water.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I make my own food mix that provides all of the needed nutritions for my crabs (I have talked about this before), it is replaced every few days or as needed (if they dump it over I give them more, etc.).

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I have had Frog and Bug since April 30th, so about two months. And I adopted another crab, which is yet to be named yesterday, they are all PPs.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Frog dug a whole under a painted hide (which is now removed) and blocked the entry way on June 6th, he switched shells many times before doing this. He came out of the hide on June 11th, which was too soon to be a molt, so he might have just been destressing. He is very dull in cover, and I think that once I put him into the new crabitat with deeper substrate he will burrow down and molt. He has been looking lethargic for the past week, and I think he should molt soon. Bug dug down on June 25th and has not been seen since, I believe she is molting, she is covered by the sand, no other crabs have bothered her. The new crab burrowed down this morning by the front glass, did not cover the top of it's shell, but is very brightly colored, I think they are destressing.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
A 10 gallon aquarium with a mesh lid wrapped in cling wrap on the outside.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
I currently have three crabs in my tank. Frog is medium, Bug is, teeny, and I believe the newbie about the size of Frog, but I have yet to measure their shell opening and legspan.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
Right now there are 17 extra shells in my tank, there where 19, but two are now occupied, one by Frog, and one by the new crab. They changed out of their painted shells into the natrual ones, so I removed the painted ones from the crabitat.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Once every week if it is really messy, and once every two weeks regularly as long as their are no molters.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No, but one is left in dry for munching and rolling around (which they do very often).

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
The new crab was added to the crabitat yesterday.

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.)?
The new crab seems to love exploring, climbing, and talking dips in the pool.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I am worried about my new crabs destressing position in the tank. They dug in the front left corner of the tank (the low end of substrate debth), and did not fill in behind them, I can see a bit of their feets from the outside of the front of the tank. They are not protected from the other crabs, but they are about an inch and a half down so I can't do anything in fear of disturbing the sand around them. They pushed their salt water bowl over to get to where it was sitting to dig down, and the bowl is slanted above their tunnel with the sand they dug up next to the bowl. I am worried about Frog getting in the water bowl and causing the sand to shift and the bowl to fall on top of the new crab causing them to be trapped. I don't want to disturb them, but I am leaving for work I'm about two and a half hours and I don't want to not be home and something bad to happen. The substrate is sand castle constancy so I'm not worried about it not holding it's shape. Any suggestions on what to do?

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[KyMart]

Update! Just got back from work and they just came back up to the surface! They dug farther down while I was at work, almost to the bottom of the sub (about 1-1.5 inches under them).