NAKED CRAB

[biancaalexis]

My crab recently came up from a molt I am not sure if he was trying to change shells because he has been sitting on shells for a while, but when I opened the tank to change food I saw h was naked, and I think I scared him. I;m scared my larger crab will injure him since he is in a vulnerable state right now. Any suggestions? I'm so scared to try an reshell I've never done it before. I keep opening the tank and moving my large crab to the other side as not to disturb the naked crab in the shell shop

[biancaalexis]

Update: I isoed and attempted to reshell. He left the shell, but did enter another shell! I have him still in iso with calcium and isopod dirt(?) from Hermie's Kitchen

[jclee]

I'm glad to hear he's taking a shell. That's good news.

[GotButterflies]

I'm glad he entered another shell! If he just came up from a molt it's possible he just needed a bigger shell. If you want to fill out the emergency template than we can see if there is anything else that could have caused it if you would like.

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=46102

[biancaalexis]

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

I use only PlaySand and my substrate is 7in 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?

I go have a digital humidity/thermometer gauge. It is located on the right side of my tote on the substrate. It reads 77 degrees with 80% humidity

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

Yes, I have two aquarium heaters. One is located on the back of my tank and one is located on the left side of my 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)?

I have both fresh and salt water pools both with bubblers. I use Aquasafe dechlorinator (2 drops per cup) and instant ocean ( I just use a pinch)

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

I feed a mixture of food packs from Hermie's Kitchen as well as Valley Splendor Mealworm Snack wild bird food (Ingredients: Dried Mealworms, Sunflower Hearts, Gelatin)

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

I've had this specific crab for almost a year it is a purple pincher

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

He molted recently, just came up from a molt maybe three days ago and was just sitting on the shell shop

8 and 9. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

I have a tote that is estimated (based on dimensions) to be 20 gallons. I just used the lid that the tote came with, and drilled some holes in the top. I'm not sure if this is tight? I have 2 small crabs and 3 large crabs. I estimated 4 gallons per each large crab and 1 gallon for each small crab which comes out to just under 20 gallons


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

At least 20+ I lost count to be honest

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

Nope

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

I don't really "clean" the tank, as much as I reorganize. I did have to dig up one molter (not the crab in question) as well as remove my crabs that were up from my tote and removed all the sand because there was a bug infestation that resulted in the death of two of my crabs. That was almost a month ago, and I haven't had any issues since.

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

No sponges are used. I have aquarium rocks in both my pools.

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

I adopted two large crabs about a month ago.

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.)?

I try to limit opening the tote too much. I open it maybe 2-3x a week just to change food and check water levels and just to check up on them in general. It was today when I opened the tank that I found my crab naked. I believe he was attempting to change shells and I scared him. I attempted to leave him alone and allow him to do his business, but I noticed by larger crabs were surrounding him, so I thought it best to put him in ISO where I attempted to reshell, but he came out of the shell and entered a new shell. I added healing powder from Hermie's Kitchen and set him in the the food dish he was eating last I checked. He is still pink form his molt.

[biancaalexis]

I'm glad he entered another shell! If he just came up from a molt it's possible he just needed a bigger shell. If you want to fill out the emergency template than we can see if there is anything else that could have caused it if you would like.

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=46102

Filled it out!

[biancaalexis]

Update: Found her dead at the back of the tank :/

[Hermiesguardian]

Update: Found her dead at the back of the tank :/

That's so sad. I was pulling for both of you.

[biancaalexis]

Update: Found her dead at the back of the tank :/

That's so sad. I was pulling for both of you.

Yah, I think it was just too much stress to be honest. I already thought she came up from her molt too early because she was so pink. I just feel lik such a bad crab mom. That’s the third crab I’ve lost in the past month.


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[Hermiearth]

Everything on your template looks good other than I would strive to keep the tank up to 80 f during the day time and I would be careful about your salt water mixture, a pinch likely isn't enough, what I do is buy a gallon jug of water and pre mix it per the instructions and just fill with declo tap and re mix when it runs out. Sorry about your little guy, my best guess is that it was due to stress from the newly adopted crabs, it happens


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[GotButterflies]

Hello Okay, I replied GB for GotButterflies

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

I use only PlaySand and my substrate is 7in deep

GB: Just a reminder - it should be at least three times the depth of your largest crab. Also - this should be mixed with either dechlorinated fw or dechlorinated msw to make it sandcastle consistency

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 go have a digital humidity/thermometer gauge. It is located on the right side of my tote on the substrate. It reads 77 degrees with 80% humidity

GB: I personally prefer heat to be around 80.

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

Yes, I have two aquarium heaters. One is located on the back of my tank and one is located on the left side of my tank

GB: When you say aquarium heaters what exactly do you mean?

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)?

I have both fresh and salt water pools both with bubblers. I use Aquasafe dechlorinator (2 drops per cup) and instant ocean ( I just use a pinch)

GB: I'm sorry, this method of measurement won't work. You need to measure your instant ocean correctly. 1/2 cup of instant ocean per gallon of dechlorinated fw.

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

I feed a mixture of food packs from Hermie's Kitchen as well as Valley Splendor Mealworm Snack wild bird food (Ingredients: Dried Mealworms, Sunflower Hearts, Gelatin)

GB: Are you providing a calcium source such as cuttlebone all of the time? I recommend cuttlebone, eggshells, coral, crushed oyster shell, shrimp exoskeleton, lobster exoskeleton...etc.
Also, make sure you do food pyramid, give a variety...etc:
Safe food list: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92557
Unsafe food list: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92556
Food pyramid: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92554

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

I've had this specific crab for almost a year it is a purple pincher

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

He molted recently, just came up from a molt maybe three days ago and was just sitting on the shell shop

8 and 9. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

I have a tote that is estimated (based on dimensions) to be 20 gallons. I just used the lid that the tote came with, and drilled some holes in the top. I'm not sure if this is tight? I have 2 small crabs and 3 large crabs. I estimated 4 gallons per each large crab and 1 gallon for each small crab which comes out to just under 20 gallons

GB: I personally think you are overcrowded. Large crabs need more room - perhaps 10 gallons each. Small maybe 5 gallons each. That's my opinion.

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

At least 20+ I lost count to be honest

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

Nope

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

I don't really "clean" the tank, as much as I reorganize. I did have to dig up one molter (not the crab in question) as well as remove my crabs that were up from my tote and removed all the sand because there was a bug infestation that resulted in the death of two of my crabs. That was almost a month ago, and I haven't had any issues since.

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

No sponges are used. I have aquarium rocks in both my pools.

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

I adopted two large crabs about a month ago.

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.)?

I try to limit opening the tote too much. I open it maybe 2-3x a week just to change food and check water levels and just to check up on them in general. It was today when I opened the tank that I found my crab naked. I believe he was attempting to change shells and I scared him. I attempted to leave him alone and allow him to do his business, but I noticed by larger crabs were surrounding him, so I thought it best to put him in ISO where I attempted to reshell, but he came out of the shell and entered a new shell. I added healing powder from Hermie's Kitchen and set him in the the food dish he was eating last I checked. He is still pink form his molt.
Edit: put this inside quote marks so it was in the post
GB: I would recommend opening the tote more often so they have sufficient air exchange. I do it daily for my isopods. My isopods are in a 45 gallon tote. If he was pink from his molt, then it is possible that was was dug up by another crab, or run into by another crab and his shell was stolen. They usually stay under until they are completely hard and have some color to them. I'm really sorry for your loss! ((HUGS))

[biancaalexis]

Hello Okay, I replied GB for GotButterflies

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

I use only PlaySand and my substrate is 7in deep

GB: Just a reminder - it should be at least three times the depth of your largest crab. Also - this should be mixed with either dechlorinated fw or dechlorinated msw to make it sandcastle consistency

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 go have a digital humidity/thermometer gauge. It is located on the right side of my tote on the substrate. It reads 77 degrees with 80% humidity

GB: I personally prefer heat to be around 80.

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

Yes, I have two aquarium heaters. One is located on the back of my tank and one is located on the left side of my tank

GB: When you say aquarium heaters what exactly do you mean?

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)?

I have both fresh and salt water pools both with bubblers. I use Aquasafe dechlorinator (2 drops per cup) and instant ocean ( I just use a pinch)

GB: I'm sorry, this method of measurement won't work. You need to measure your instant ocean correctly. 1/2 cup of instant ocean per gallon of dechlorinated fw.

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

I feed a mixture of food packs from Hermie's Kitchen as well as Valley Splendor Mealworm Snack wild bird food (Ingredients: Dried Mealworms, Sunflower Hearts, Gelatin)

GB: Are you providing a calcium source such as cuttlebone all of the time? I recommend cuttlebone, eggshells, coral, crushed oyster shell, shrimp exoskeleton, lobster exoskeleton...etc.
Also, make sure you do food pyramid, give a variety...etc:
Safe food list: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92557
Unsafe food list: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92556
Food pyramid: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92554

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

I've had this specific crab for almost a year it is a purple pincher

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

He molted recently, just came up from a molt maybe three days ago and was just sitting on the shell shop

8 and 9. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

I have a tote that is estimated (based on dimensions) to be 20 gallons. I just used the lid that the tote came with, and drilled some holes in the top. I'm not sure if this is tight? I have 2 small crabs and 3 large crabs. I estimated 4 gallons per each large crab and 1 gallon for each small crab which comes out to just under 20 gallons

GB: I personally think you are overcrowded. Large crabs need more room - perhaps 10 gallons each. Small maybe 5 gallons each. That's my opinion.

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

At least 20+ I lost count to be honest

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

Nope

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

I don't really "clean" the tank, as much as I reorganize. I did have to dig up one molter (not the crab in question) as well as remove my crabs that were up from my tote and removed all the sand because there was a bug infestation that resulted in the death of two of my crabs. That was almost a month ago, and I haven't had any issues since.

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

No sponges are used. I have aquarium rocks in both my pools.

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

I adopted two large crabs about a month ago.

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.)?

I try to limit opening the tote too much. I open it maybe 2-3x a week just to change food and check water levels and just to check up on them in general. It was today when I opened the tank that I found my crab naked. I believe he was attempting to change shells and I scared him. I attempted to leave him alone and allow him to do his business, but I noticed by larger crabs were surrounding him, so I thought it best to put him in ISO where I attempted to reshell, but he came out of the shell and entered a new shell. I added healing powder from Hermie's Kitchen and set him in the the food dish he was eating last I checked. He is still pink form his molt.

GB: I would recommend opening the tote more often so they have sufficient air exchange. I do it daily for my isopods. My isopods are in a 45 gallon tote. If he was pink from his molt, then it is possible that was was dug up by another crab, or run into by another crab and his shell was stolen. They usually stay under until they are completely hard and have some color to them. I'm really sorry for your loss! ((HUGS))

Thank you for the info. I thought that might have happened since my larger crabs seemed to be acting aggressive towards him. I’ll try to open up the tote more often now


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[GotButterflies]

I posted more things inside of the template - check those out too...I had just edited it to reflect that, so you wouldn't just see that part; but you replied before my edit posted

[biancaalexis]

I posted more things inside of the template - check those out too...I had just edited it to reflect that, so you wouldn't just see that part; but you replied before my edit posted

I use UTH sorry I was a little flustered and forgot the name, but they are on the back and side of my tank. The temp fluctuate between 75 (rarely) - 85 (I live in FL so that’s usually during summer time. Is that ok? As well, my playsand was mixed with dechlorinated FW I know I can used an extra inch or two it was hard to get sand after the hurricane but I will do that ASAP. I eat a lot of eggs, so always give them the egg shells. As well, I have multiple of Hermie’s Kichen’s healing pack which has cuttlebone egg shells and ground up shells I beleive. I will start to use that mixture of water. I didn’t know I couldn’t just put a small amount.



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[LadyJinglyJones]

Heya, just wanted to chime in about mixing Instant Ocean:

If you have a container that fits 1 quart (that's 32 oz., aka 4 cups of water) you can mix 1/8th of a cup of Instant Ocean and have the correct measurement. I prefer this to mixing a gallon at a time.

If you wanted to mix two cups of salt water, that would be about 1 tablespoon's worth of Instant Ocean. Et cetera.


Sorry about your little guy ... I just lost one that wouldnt stay in a shell too.

It's very sad, but your remaining crabs will continue to benefit from the caring home you provide!