HCA: Hermit Crab Association

So my crabitat has been set up for nearly 2 years. I have the recommended mix of EE and sand and keep the humidity & temp above 80. I have noticed over the last week it smells bad. Not the usual damp dirt/sand smell, but kind of sour. Like something is rotting. I change food/water daily. I have 2 crabs one is her usual active self, and the other I just got and she buried herself. I know its not the new crabbie because it smelled before she went under a day ago. There is a little green mold, I have roly polys in there, as they help by eating the crab waste.

Is there a way to clean the sub? Or should I start over with fresh sub?

I will have to wait though since my newbie is buried. What can I do in the meantime? Thanks in advance!

Can anybody help???

Is your sub grey or black anywhere? Overly damp? That can be a sign of a bacterial bloom under the sand.

Is it possible they hid some food somewhere that's rotting and you just don't know where it is?


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I took out all the plants and decorations and found some old food. Think this was the source of the smell as its better this morning. However I have found a bit of algae and some over-wet places that I need to deal with. Just concerned about my recently buried crab!

[quote="purpleperson"]Is your sub grey or black anywhere? Overly damp? That can be a sign of a bacterial bloom under the sand.

Is it possible they hid some food somewhere that's rotting and you just don't know where it is?


I did find some food. I did find some over-wet places. I will try to remove any areas I found a bit of algae in. How can I help dry out the over-wet places? Add sand & EE?

If you have minor areas where it's too wet you can get a few of those small, compressed coco fiber bricks that look like hockey pucks. Doing your best to avoid any crabs underground, dig a narrow pit straight down to the bottom glass and insert the pucks in the wet places and fill the holes back in. The compressed coco fiber will absorb the excess water and expand.

If bacterial bloom has begun in your sub (rotten egg smell and color changes) you must replace all the sub immediately.

Also remember that a tank usually floods from the bottom up, so if you have wetness near the surface it's most likely really wet all the way down


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I had this happen to.. I tried to add e.e. to see if that would help suck up excess water, I found food to.. but in the end it was rotted substrate with bacteria..it just got worse..the crabs just got where they didn't wan to move from their spot. So I had to clean out the whole 55 gal. Tank now I make sure I stir my sand up about every 2 weeks to make sure its not getting to wet on the bottom

Laurie LeAnn, how do you stir sub down to the bottom of the tank when you have molters down?

I would love to know, because I am afraid of getting too aggressive with cleaning or disturbing the sub in my 55 gal. cause I've pretty much always had at least one down for molt since October.