HCA: Hermit Crab Association

What is the debate on stress coat now?When I first started crabbing it was a weekly bath.Then it was use stress coat for for your new one's.Then don't use stress coat because it is for fish and there slime coat which hermit's don't have they have modified gill's not fish gill's. I think I lost a new one along time ago due to to much stress coat in the water in the very begining or could have been PPS as well he was rather large.Thing's have changed over time and I was just wondering where everyone stands on this issue not so much the bathing ,but do you use stress coat?Me I don't bathe any more at all and have not used stress coat in over 2 yrs. I have seen my crab's get in the water and bathe themselves I have even seen one of my bigger ones go in and and kind of flip back to rinse out his shell ,but not flip over (that was funny).I'm just wondering not trying to put anyone down or make anyone feel like there doing something wrong. Thank's

I have not recommended Stress Coat usage in several years. There is no need for it unless someone may have a crab with severely damaged gills that may need a little soothing. Repeated use of Stress Coat can IMO clog the gills and can possibly contribute to bacteria build-up due to the aloe sticking on the crab. When I dunk a postmolter or a new purchase (and this is truly only a quick dunk), I use only dechlorinator in the water.Years ago all I used was Stress Coat and I bathed my crabs weekly. I do think that both may have contributed to the death of some of my crabs because it's not something that would ordinarily happen to them in nature. These are just my thoughts and I don't mean to put anyone down either, just hope to add another opinion out there that will hopefully be considered. I don't believe in using any more chemicals on these guys than necessary. I worry even about dechlorinator sometimes.

The only difference between stress-coat and regular dechlorinator is the addition of Aloe Vera.Aloe has "soothing" properties which are known (to humans anyway), and perported "healing" and other mystical properties which I don't think have proof.I don't think aloe would clog the gills. Hermit crabs live near the ocean, and the ocean water is mess of suspended fine sand and plankton and algea.Whenever I do a deep clean (once every 6 months), I give all the crabs a stress-coat bath. I really have no idea if it helps or hurts. Since the deep clean itself is already stressful, I'm not too worried about the bath. I figure once in a great moon is OK to clean them up abit, and since they're all going in a large plastic tub together for the night, it's nice to have them all smelling th same.On the other hand, only once every 6 months probably isn't frequent enough for any "healing properties" of aloe to have an affect. I pretty much use it because I still have it, so might as well.So there are two questions. 1. should I keep giving them baths during the 6-month deep clean. 2. Should I use dechlor or stress-coat.Assuming I give them a bath, than the answer to #2 is that I don't think it matters either way. So I'll use up my stress-coat.The answer to #1 is more difficult. The only thing that would worry me about a twice-a-year bath is if a crab was close to molt at that time and I didn't know it. But for the rest, I think it's a good opportunity to inspect each crab to see how healthy they look, and check for lost limbs or mites or damage or anything else. Since putting them in water is the only way to make sure they all get out of their shell so I can see them.The big question with stress coat is whether it's safe for drinking water, and whether it has any beneficial effect. Everyone has always said never to use it for drinking water, but there's never been an experiment or research. It's just caution. And even if it was safe, would the aloe actually have any beneficial effect? If not, then who cares anyway.So, I'm not going to say don't use it. But if you want to be cautious or safe, then I'd listen to Nicole.

I was soaking my new Straws in salt water once a week while they were in iso, because I think they had mites (or some kind of bugs anyway). I did put StressCoat in the water the second time I soaked them, because I heard it can suffocate the mites. I didn't notice any difference in the crabs' post-bath behavior whether they had StressCoat or not. I don't feel that it's much of an issue, since we generally recommend that hermies not be bathed much anyway. If you want to use it or not, as long as you don't bathe your hermies more often than once a month. But it's certainly not necessary.

I don't use Stress Coat at all anymore. I bathe new crabs with a quick dip in dechlor fresh. I offer deep pools of salt and fresh water for them to tend their own needs.The only recent use of it was early October when I bought a crab apparently stuck in his shell. I could feel him stirring but his legs never moved. I gave him 2 stress coat baths and he eventually came out but he passed. He companion who was bathed in just fresh water didn't make it either.