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Crab trying to eat other while molting
Posted: Tue May 24, 2022 5:27 pm
by Goomboi
Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? play sand, about 5 inches 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
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? no
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
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? flukers buffet blend every day
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? about a year and a half
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? yes last year
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
10 gallon mesh lid covered with plastic wrap
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 2 one is bigger than the other
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 6
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? no
12. How often do you clean the tank and how? spot clean when I need to
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.
So one of my crabs is molting and he was doing fine but my bigger crab started to try to get to him I took the molter out and put him in a 5 gallon but I had to take some sand from the main tank to make him a little mound about 3 inches deep on one half of the cage with water and food on the other half I put a cup over him while he buried down there was no exo when I dug him out anything else I need to do?
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Re: Crab trying to eat other while molting
Posted: Tue May 24, 2022 7:04 pm
by curlysister
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? play sand, about 5 inches deep
Curly - Is it at least two to three times as deep as your largest crab?
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
Curly - What are the readings?
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? no
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
Curly - What brand of dechlorinator and salt do you use?
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? flukers buffet blend every day
Curly - Crabs do best with a variety of foods. They also need sources of protein and calcium daily. They can eat many of the same things as we do, so you don't need to spend a lot of money if you don't want to.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? about a year and a half
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? yes last year
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
10 gallon mesh lid covered with plastic wrap
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 2 one is bigger than the other
Curly - What size of shells are they in? Or can you approximate the size of the shells - like a ping pong ball or golf ball or smaller?
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 6
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? no
12. How often do you clean the tank and how? spot clean when I need to
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.
So one of my crabs is molting and he was doing fine but my bigger crab started to try to get to him I took the molter out and put him in a 5 gallon but I had to take some sand from the main tank to make him a little mound about 3 inches deep on one half of the cage with water and food on the other half I put a cup over him while he buried down there was no exo when I dug him out anything else I need to do?
Curly - Did you bury him with the sand in the new tank? Or did he bury himself? If he is in a tank alone, you don't need to put a cup over him. But if he didn't bury himself, you will need to uncover him again. Are you able to keep the heat and humidity at the correct levels in both tanks?
Re: Crab trying to eat other while molting
Posted: Tue May 24, 2022 8:20 pm
by Goomboi
curlysister wrote: ↑Tue May 24, 2022 7:04 pm
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? play sand, about 5 inches deep
Curly - Is it at least two to three times as deep as your largest crab? Yep
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
Curly - What are the readings? 80% humidity and around 76 degrees Fahrenheit
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? no
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
Curly - What brand of dechlorinator and salt do you use? Flukers and I use purified water
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? flukers buffet blend every day
Curly - Crabs do best with a variety of foods. They also need sources of protein and calcium daily. They can eat many of the same things as we do, so you don't need to spend a lot of money if you don't want to.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? about a year and a half
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? yes last year
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
10 gallon mesh lid covered with plastic wrap
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 2 one is bigger than the other
Curly - What size of shells are they in? Or can you approximate the size of the shells - like a ping pong ball or golf ball or smaller? One is about the size of a ping pong ball but shorter and the other is a little smaller
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 6
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? no
12. How often do you clean the tank and how? spot clean when I need to
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.
So one of my crabs is molting and he was doing fine but my bigger crab started to try to get to him I took the molter out and put him in a 5 gallon but I had to take some sand from the main tank to make him a little mound about 3 inches deep on one half of the cage with water and food on the other half I put a cup over him while he buried down there was no exo when I dug him out anything else I need to do?
Curly - Did you bury him with the sand in the new tank? Or did he bury himself? If he is in a tank alone, you don't need to put a cup over him. But if he didn't bury himself, you will need to uncover him again. Are you able to keep the heat and humidity at the correct levels in both tanks? Yes they are correct and no I did not bury him I took the cup off once he buried himself
Re: Crab trying to eat other while molting
Posted: Tue May 24, 2022 10:55 pm
by curlysister
If there was no exo when you found him, and he looked a 'normal' color (like not super pale and soft), he may not have started the molting process. That would be a good thing, and he probably buried himself now in hopes of molting.
If you can keep the other tank at proper heat and humidity, I would just leave him in there by himself and let him either molt or de-stress, and wait until he comes back up.
As for your answers to the questions, you will want to get a different salt - you need marine salt. Instant Ocean is a commonly used brand, but there are others. And tap water treated with a dechlorinator is the best source for fresh water (that way the crabs get the ground minerals as well as the marine salt ones). Most 'purifiers' don't remove everything that needs to be removed.