HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have had my 3 Hermiis for over 2 years. Recently we realized gel sacs in the salt water at first I assumed it was the eggs they flick to hatch, but now the sacs are growing! I don't want to kill babies or kill my Hermits by diseases/bacteria if they aren't eggs! I have called 10 vets(Lafayette, New Orleans, California, and even one in Washington state), LSU exoctic specialty college, and even an aquarium, nobody can answer. I'm thinking of isolating it til I can get more information to either destroy or help them thrive. And just for a heads up::

Habitat::

20 gal.
3 Hermits.
3 hide aways.
Climbing rope.
Bridge.
10 inches of sand.
Salt water Dish(bought mixed)
Fresh water dish(spring water)
20+ shells various sizes
75-80 degrees (2 uth 1 side heater and heat light)
75-80% humidity ( kept up by bowls, sea sponges, coconut fiber mixed wth sand no misting)
6-8molts since I have had them (All successful)

Can't figure out how to post image so leaving Url to fb post.

https://m.facebook.com/chad.solomon.315 ... ftid&mdf=1

Following. I have no info, but I want to know as well

Even if they're eggs, the probability of survival is very low. They require intense care and special tank setups. Less than a handful of people in the world have ever gotten zoea to land; a couple of the threads are here in breeding.
Do you have pictures? That would help with identifying what is going on.

That's why I added the Facebook link because I don't know how to post pictures.

HermiiMommy wrote:That's why I added the Facebook link because I don't know how to post pictures.

The FB link does not work for me. :-/

https://m.facebook.com/chad.solomon.315 ... ftid&mdf=1

Does this work? If not can you tell me how to add the pictures?

Hmmm...I can't really tell myself from the pics on your fb link. I'd be very curious to know too!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you are using Tapatalk, you can't add pictures in the "Quick Reply" area. You must hit the three dots at the top right (or whatever action for your phone opens the settings) and tap reply. That'll take you to the full reply section and from there you'll see the image icon next to the camera icon and two other icons.

If you're directly on the website, I believe you click/tap the IMG button and copy/paste the pic into the space between the sets of brackets.

Nope. The links still do not work. They keep telling me that the content cannot be displayed.

It looks weird. They're almost like pink bubbles, but with texture

Edit ( phone cut me off) and oddly shaped. The water dish is full of them

I'm going to attempt to try a new approach for the image posting. Due to the last reply, the pink is the sand, we use reptile calci sand.

Also, when adding salt water they disappear but when water is low they "grow"..

Hope this works!!

Sorry for posting updates not together -_-. But I wanted to say that they have been separated and put in the isolation tank.

100% not hermit eggs or zoea. Eggs hatch when they hit water so they would not be growing. Without oxygenated water zoea die in less than a day and you'd be smelling rotten shrimp by now.

This is what eggs look like. You can see how tiny they are and how little one female produces:


and this is what dead babies look like, like teeny mysis or brine shrimp. Note that there is a ton of cocofiber at the bottom!


It is really hard to make out details from the photo. Given that you said it's gel texture, I think it's either a bacterial bloom or a single cell organism like an algae. Gel blobs in aquariums is extremely common, especially in new tanks.

What kind of sand and saltwater are you using? How often do you completely remove and wash the dishes before refilling?

I assumed it wasn't eggs because I was 99% sure the females flicked the eggs into the water to grow. We have been trying to grow plankton to attempt babies but I don't think we either 1. Have any females or 2. Have any mature enough. We have had them for over a year. I completely change everything every 6mos. Clean it after every one has molted (put Hermits in a portable carrier, hot water all accessories, and wash sand) probably every 2ish months and refill daily. They use premixed salt water and spring water.