Signs of flooding?

[Kirrie]

I was just wondering what signs I could look for to determine whether or not my tank is flooded.

I used the handle of a wooden spoon, and pushed it down into the substrate up against the glass where I knew there were no molting crabs. I couldn't push it all the way to the bottom, but I know it was very close, maybe 1/4 inch from the bottom of the tank. I then used a light to look down in the hole. I didn't see any water accumulate in the hole, even after a few hours so I guess that is a good thing.

I can see about an inch of the bottom of my tank because it is a bit bigger than my stand (I will be moving it to a bigger one soon), and for the most part the substrate looks well mixed, just like the rest of the tank, but there are some pockets that appear to just be sand and it looks like wet sand. Should I be concerned about this?

I have at least 6 molting crabs right now so I would hate to have to dig them up if my tank is flooded. The only ISO tank I have is a 10 gallon and I have 11 crabs so that would be a problem.

Here are some pictures looking up at the bottom of the tank. I also noticed something in the right corner. Does that look like it may be a crab (3rd picture)?

[YYWW]

Your method of checking sounds fine. It doesn't give you the whole picture, but it seems like enough to tell you if there's a big problem. If you have a really big tank, try checking on both ends, just in case there's a level discrepancy.
Is there a reason you're suspecting a flood? If a lot of water is going in your tank and disappearing, your suspicions are well placed and you might want to consider a re-build to include a false bottom (as did i).


Crabbers unite!!!

[YYWW]

That must be a crab. I'm like.. That can't be not a crab. Kinda creepy


Crabbers unite!!!

[Kirrie]

I did check in two different places, towards the left side and in the middle. I didn't check on the right side because I know there is a crab somewhere around there.

The reason why I am now wondering about flooding is because I just got a new gauge after I realized my last one was off. With the last one, I struggled to keep the humidity up and was lightly misting the tank 2-3 times a day by misting the fake plants and driftwood and also keeping the moss pit from drying out. Now that I have a more accurate gauge, my humidity has been in the low to mid 80s, leading me to believe that I shouldn't have been misting the tank. I'm just worried that the misting could have flooded my tank.

To me, there aren't any really obvious signs that it has been flooded, I was just wondering if there was anything else I could do to be sure on way or another.

As far as that crab goes, it doesn't look good. It's really pressed up against the glass, leading me to believe that if it really is a crab, it's dead. Since this is right in the corner of my tank, could I carefully try to dig it up? I know what to do if it turns out to be alive and molting.

[Kirrie]

I really wish I would have known about false bottoms before I set this tank up. I have 11 crabs in a 40g breeder (most are fairly small), so I will have to upgrade within the next year or 2 and when I do, I want to add a false bottom and use some more stuff in my substrate besides just play sand and eco earth.

[YYWW]

Upgrading is always the best way to put your advanced crab knowledge to work
So i dont think your tank is flooded. Light misting isnt really a flooding type activity. If your crabs appeared to be drinking A LOT of water, or if you have large pools that apeared to evaporate a cup or two each day, or a humidifier that pumps in a gallon of mist every day, that'd be more cause for concern. Misting 2x daily might leave the bottom a bit soggy, but not runny, i say. I also say maybe don't mist at all until the surface is powdery. Always stir up your misting, in order to check the deeper sub, it should always still be more damp than surface sub.
Now about that crab..... It could be a dead crab. It could be exo. It could be both or neither. You can ask your gut and go digging as you like. Here's my conservative approach: Let's assume that it is exo, and that it has just shown up, because a molter is to dine upon it. Give him a week to eat the exo and harden. If that scene doesnt change in a week, assume that it's still exo, but that there's a dead and decaying crab nearby. Then you can either dig it up with that assumption, or leave it there to let nature run its course.
At the same time watch over those other spots. See if the shapes change. Maybe keep taking pics so you can compare.
I wish you the best of luck, with much optimistic hope.


Crabbers unite!!!

[Kirrie]

I think I'll just keep an eye on it over the next week or so and keep taking pictures as you suggested. If it doesn't change, I'll assume it has passed. Because it is in the corner of the tank, I think I could safely dig it up without disturbing anyone else if I had to. While I am ok with just letting nature run its course, I would like to know who it is if they have passed.

Most of my crabs have gone through at least 2 molts with me, but there are a few newer ones that I'm not 100% sure resurfaced after their first molt because they blended in with my other crabs and I couldn't really tell anyone apart for a while.

I'm hoping for the best. I'll update this thread when I figure it out.

Thanks for your two cents about the flooding! I was worried but I feel a bit better now.

[YYWW]

Great! I'm glad you're not super freak out-y about nature and all. I will follow this thread and look forward to your updates. Good luck!


Crabbers unite!!!

[Kirrie]

The "crab leg" looking thing is still there in the corner, but I have some good news!

The only crab left in that tank that the leg could have possibly belonged to (based on its size), was O'Hara and she just came up the other day from a 5 month molt! So I guess it was probably just uneaten exo.

I have since set up another 40g breeder (didn't have the money/or space to go larger yet). I built a false bottom and added 9 inches of substrate with amendments instead of just 6 inches this time. I am also in the process of building a topper for the top of the tank to give them more climbing space. 6 of my 11 crabs have been moved over so far, and I'm going to leave the old tank set up until the last 3 come up and then probably dig up the remaining 2 (they are tinies that I haven't seen since I got them in June 2014). So I'm almost positive those last 2 didn't make it, but I know how to handle it if by some miracle, they are still alive.

[YYWW]

You are a great crabber! Kudos to you for being so calm and methodical. Your new tank with false bottom was a great move. The topper idea is a great one! I wanted a topper but just couldnt think of a good enough way. Keep us posted on the 2 tinies. Congrads on O'Hara!! A 5 month molt! Whoa! Good stuff!


Crabbers unite!!!

[Kirrie]

I was almost sure she passed away because she's a small crab and both of my large crabs went down to molt a month after her (they always molt together for some reason), and then came up a month before her. I thought it was weird that she was taking so long. I'm glad she's ok though, and I'm really hoping the two tinies are ok too, but 8+ months seems like a bit much for two crabs that were smaller than quarters. Being that I got them from horrible conditions from a gift shop at the beach, it is probably likely that they didn't make it. I got 5 of them from that store at the same time, and 3 of them made it, so I guess 3/5 is pretty good.

[Kirrie]

Here's O'Hara! And then my largest crab, Carol because I like to show her off

[YYWW]

How big are they? Such cuties! 5 month for a small is real long. I wonder if there was a disturbed molt and then a second molt. Whatever the case it is great she's doing well. She must be a tough lil kreb!


Crabbers unite!!!

[Kirrie]

That's why I was so worried about her. It is possible that she was disturbed, though it seems like she made it out ok. I got O'Hara and Gus at the same time, at the same size. As far as I can tell, they have molted the same number of times and Gus is still noticeably larger than O'Hara. I know they can grow at different rates, but the difference is kind of shocking.

I would consider Carol a large crab. She is in a 1 1/4" shell right now, but I'm not entirely sure it fits her because she never hides in her shell for me to tell. In the past she has always preferred shells a bit too small for her, so I'm assuming that she belongs in a 1 1/2" shell. Michonne is also large, but slightly smaller. She fits well in a 1 1/8" shell but prefers slightly larger shells, so her and Carol are always switching and have gotten into quite a few shell fights before. I actually had to move Carol to an ISO tank because she just would not leave Michonne alone. I decided to move her to ISO when I found her sitting on top of Michonne in the freshwater pool. I just keep a ton of extra shells now and they haven't fought since.

Here is Gus (the little guy on top is Daryl), and then Carol (right) and Michonne (left). They are very close and do everything together, including molting!

[YYWW]

That top sittinge is so cute! My crabs never do much together. I was so happy when they used to shove and feeler whip each other. I love seeing pics of other crabs being cuddly


Crabbers unite!!!