Streaking Crab Please Help
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 11:30 am
Hi all-
Just the situation in brief- I woke up to find one of my crabs, Pip, naked in the corner of the tank, his shell only a few inches away. I soaked him in some dechlorinated water and managed to coax him into his shell. I set up an emergency iso tank out of an old 2.5 gal critter keeper (the lid was taped so that it holds humidity) with two inches of EE soaked in dechlorinated water, a small hide, a cup of saltwater, a cup of freshwater, and a small tray with honey and peanut butter. I have to babysit today so I am not able to watch him to make sure he's alright.
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Playsand mixed with EE soaked in dechlorinated water, 8 in 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?
Yes, in the center of the tank. Heat is a constant 80 and the humidity wavers between 75-80%.
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Yes, two 20 gal under tank heaters on either side of the tank with one 5 gal heater on the back end.
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 and fresh water are available, the fresh is mixed with a standard aquarium dechlorinator and the salt is also dechlorinated and mixed with Instant Ocean, 1/2 of a cup per gallon of water.
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed a mix of fruits and veggies including grapes, blueberries, apples, kiwi, strawberries, carrots, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, and spinach depending on what I have. I also feed organic all-natural peanut butter, honey, and applesauce on occasion. Calcium includes crushed eggshells and cuttlebone. For protein, I use organic dried chicken, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and dried mealworms.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
About 8 months, Ecuadorian
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Yes, he's molted about three times with me and just came up two days ago from his last molt.
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
A 29 gal aquarium with a standard 29 gal aquarium hood
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
Three, all small to medium and all E's
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I usually keep about 6 shells per crab in the tank at all times.
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
Not that I know of.
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I spot clean daily using a small scoop and plan to do a deep clean this summer. I've only had this tank set up for about 9 months.
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No
14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
No
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.)?
No
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
Problem described above.
Is there anything else I can do to help him? I do not have a larger ISO tank to put him in. I used the critter keeper because I was in such a rush. I was unable to tell if he was attacked by another crab. He isn't missing any limbs and the only other crab up at the time is incredibly docile and friendly. I did find his shell sitting in one of the fake plants I have in the tank. Is it possible that he could have gotten stuck and needed to release his shell to escape? He responds still to being gently sprayed with water, but did not move at all when I placed him back in his shell and then into the ISO, though he did grip the shell enough for it to stay on. Any suggestions?
Just the situation in brief- I woke up to find one of my crabs, Pip, naked in the corner of the tank, his shell only a few inches away. I soaked him in some dechlorinated water and managed to coax him into his shell. I set up an emergency iso tank out of an old 2.5 gal critter keeper (the lid was taped so that it holds humidity) with two inches of EE soaked in dechlorinated water, a small hide, a cup of saltwater, a cup of freshwater, and a small tray with honey and peanut butter. I have to babysit today so I am not able to watch him to make sure he's alright.
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Playsand mixed with EE soaked in dechlorinated water, 8 in 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?
Yes, in the center of the tank. Heat is a constant 80 and the humidity wavers between 75-80%.
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Yes, two 20 gal under tank heaters on either side of the tank with one 5 gal heater on the back end.
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 and fresh water are available, the fresh is mixed with a standard aquarium dechlorinator and the salt is also dechlorinated and mixed with Instant Ocean, 1/2 of a cup per gallon of water.
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed a mix of fruits and veggies including grapes, blueberries, apples, kiwi, strawberries, carrots, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, and spinach depending on what I have. I also feed organic all-natural peanut butter, honey, and applesauce on occasion. Calcium includes crushed eggshells and cuttlebone. For protein, I use organic dried chicken, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and dried mealworms.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
About 8 months, Ecuadorian
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Yes, he's molted about three times with me and just came up two days ago from his last molt.
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
A 29 gal aquarium with a standard 29 gal aquarium hood
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
Three, all small to medium and all E's
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I usually keep about 6 shells per crab in the tank at all times.
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
Not that I know of.
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I spot clean daily using a small scoop and plan to do a deep clean this summer. I've only had this tank set up for about 9 months.
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No
14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
No
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.)?
No
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
Problem described above.
Is there anything else I can do to help him? I do not have a larger ISO tank to put him in. I used the critter keeper because I was in such a rush. I was unable to tell if he was attacked by another crab. He isn't missing any limbs and the only other crab up at the time is incredibly docile and friendly. I did find his shell sitting in one of the fake plants I have in the tank. Is it possible that he could have gotten stuck and needed to release his shell to escape? He responds still to being gently sprayed with water, but did not move at all when I placed him back in his shell and then into the ISO, though he did grip the shell enough for it to stay on. Any suggestions?