ISO Tank Necessary for Molters?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 12:49 pm

I'm planning on getting a strawberry hermit crab that I spotted at a pet shop.. Now, I know they molt.. But do I really need to buy another tank for them to molt in? Can't they just molt in their tank? (I'm planning on getting a 20 gallon).. The reason I ask this, is because I have a ribbon snake in a 20 gallon and with this new strawberry hermit crab I plan on getting.. I'll have 2 tanks in my room (and my room is not big.)Anyways, thanks for the help in advance.

kuplakrabs · Post by **kuplakrabs** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 12:56 pm

It is not absolutely necessary and there are quite a few of us that do not ISO molters. However, if you plan to have a lot of crabs, or will be purchasing more in the future, you may want to have one for new/sick/naked crabs. In addition, if you do have a larger crab that may take a long time to molt, your hands will be tied as far as tank cleaning goes if he is buried. Also Love4HermitCrabs ISO's her crabs and has had many successful straw molts using that method...something to think about I think most crabbers have some sort of ISO unit as a back up...just in case.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 2:04 pm

Well, If I spot another strawberry hermit, I'll buy it but I will have no more than two.As for keeping an ISO tank as a backup.. Do you mean like you keep a spare tank down in a storage area (i.e. shed) and when you need to use it, you just take it out and fill it up with sand?Anyways, thanks for your help.. i appreciate it

kuplakrabs · Post by **kuplakrabs** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 2:13 pm

I actually keep mine in the basement in the utility room (so it stays warm ). I have coconut fiber substrate already in it, in the event that one of my crabs decides to go naked or become lethargic. This way I am not rushing around at the last second trying to get the tank ready. Plus, I have a habit of visiting the pet store and occasionally coming home with a new crab. If you don't have a lot of room, you could always use one of those small critter carriers and use it as an ISO that you put right inside your main tank for molting.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 2:59 pm

I've had successful molts in a KK, but it is a lot harder to keep up the humidity and temp in one. If that's what you have room for right now it's a good solution though, if you have a naked or agressive crab, which I would call an emergancy, you'll wish you had one, and be scrambling around for something to use.Many people allow their crabs to molt in their main tank, and you could do that if you choose, where the conditions are most stable, and use the KK for an emergancy.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 3:57 pm

Sounds good.. One last question.. Is it safe for 2 hermit crabs to molt in the same "main tank"?i appreciate all the quick responses. thanks again

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 4:07 pm

Molters are usually to busy looking after their own molts to go bother someone else. There more worry about non-molters bugging molters but it generally depends on the crabs in your tank. Some people have to use ISO's because molters get bothered and others have no problems with the other crabs. IMHO I'd say an ISO isn't NECESSARY but can come on handy as others have said. My ISO comes with when I'm getting new crabs, I use them to house my guys when doing tank cleans (my guys are small so they fit ) and in case of emergency like naked crabs or molt problems. Well theres my rant 'Happy Crabing'

Nicole · Post by **Nicole** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 4:12 pm

I ISO my molters but keep more than one molter per tank. I've never had molters go after each other, but I do sometimes divide them off with plexiglass dividers to keep them away from the new, possible molters that I put into the ISOs (sometimes crabs may take more than one dig to decide to molt and can "uproot" a molter in the process!).

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 2:41 am

Here's my own experience: I had read in many forums about how important it is to isolate molting crabs from their tankmates. It seemed to be the general concensus that this should be done. However, there were some who had successful main tank molts, so I let two of mine who had dug in stay in the main tank rather than iso-ing them. I didn't think *my* sweet crabbies would harm their tank mates. They had plenty of room, and had shown absolutely no agressive tendencies towards each other. Well, to make a long story short, they both got eaten. They were two of my favorites as well. If you don't put a crab who wants to molt into an iso tank, you can always put a soda bottle around them after they dig into the main tank. I never particularly liked the way that looked, nor did I want to rearrange the tank to accomodate the bottles (as most crabbies dig in under the water dishes) so this was never an option for me, but it might be for you. However, I do believe you must be ready to find *some* way to protect your molting crabs from their tankmates. The molting smell is very strong and, since crabs are genetically programmed to want to eat exoskeleton, it isn't really agression but pure instinct when other hermies try to go after a crab that smells so yummy to them! After what happend to me and many other crabbers, I would never recommend leaving an unprotected crab to molt in a tank with other hermies. You hear stories ever day on hermie discussion groups about folks who discover dead crabs buried in their tanks during a clean, or whatever. These people will never know whether their hermies died from suffocation, PMS or an attack. Leaving a molting crab in your main tank is taking a big risk. Even folks who have had successful main tank molts in the past cannot say with 100% certainty that an attack won't happen to their next molter. Why take such a risk when you don't need to?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 3:08 am

Let's take a moment to ponder as to why hermies eat a shed exo-skeleton...to regain the calcium nessecary to harden a newly developing exo. So going along that train of thought, would it not be probable to say that if hermies had a constant supply of calcium in their diet that they would not feel the urge to eat another's shed exo?I don't have any hard evidence supporting this little hypothesis, but it seems likely. I augment a small amount of ground cuttlebone with my hermie's food on a daily basis, in the hope that this will curb their exo-appetite and not bother any molters in my main tank.If I can catch them early enough, I do ISO my molters in a 2 gallon KK with a plastic-safe UTH. I've combatted the heat/moisture loss problem by sewing together a slip-cover which has worked excellenty at holding in the heat. For substrate, I have EE (expanded with ocean water) and it does a great job of holding in the moisture. Every few days I mist the sides of the tank. The ISO takes up almost no room at all, it's great.As to whether an ISO is absolutely necessary, I'd rather have them overprotected than mourn them.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 5:20 am

Well, I think that you should get two crabs just because a lone crab will likely get pretty depressed without another hermie around. And I agree that two straws will keep you pretty busy at first.As for your ISO question...I have only allowed unexpected topsides to remain in the main tank- but I have always used the soda bottle method to protect my crabs. If a crab is showing molting signs- into ISO they go. Usually a crab that truly just wants to molt will dig down and start their thing that very day. I understand what you mean by being tight on space- I have a 29 gal hermie tank and a 20 gal fish tank in my room. I use a large KK for my molts. It is harder to keep up humidity-but I have used sand and I plan on switching to EE as soon as my last molter comes up. I also keep multiple molters in my ISO. I have never had any problems with this method-however-when a crab comes up if the BP is hardened and the crab is active they go back to the main tank in order to keep them from the crabs still molting. I purchased a small UTH and that has done fine with keeping the ISO warm. I keep this next to my main tank. If you are REALLY tight on space, there is nothing wrong with purchasing a little KK and keeping that in the main tank. As long as the lid is on and the crabs cant get at your molter, it should be fine.

Willow · Post by **Willow** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 1:41 pm

I don't iso moulters, I might iso a topside moulter, but I've never had one. I've never had any trouble with this. BUT--it is necessary to iso new crabs away from the others, as they may be carrying some sort of disease. So I do have a spare tank for this purpose. If I happen to dig up a fresh moulter, or one has had a bad moult and is now disabled, I put it in an "in-tank iso", which is a small KK filled with substrate, placed in the main tank. This is the easiest way to ensure proper temp and humidity in a KK.

Nicole · Post by **Nicole** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 3:40 pm

Some responses from other molter ISO thread:"I try to ISO my molters but it just isn't always possible, if they bury in the main tank and I don't discover them for a couple of days I will usually leave them there. I have two or three die in the main tank, I usually find them under the sand naked without their shells. They don't look like they have been eaten or anything, just like they got out of their shell and couldn't find them. I suspect it's due to the large number of crabs that are just tunneling around and maybe the molter got disturbed or his little under the sand liar caved in on him. It's always sad to find one that way. On the other hand I've had a half dozen or so successful molts in my main tank.""I've had at least 15 molt in the main tank. I tried putting them in iso, but most of them refuse to molt in iso. They wait until i put them back in the main tank and then bury down when I'm not looking. I've only had 3 molt in iso.""I put mine in ISO as much as possible. Every once in a while I miss the signs and a crab molts in the main tank. I am extra careful now ever since poor Mango was attacked.""I don't ISO my crabs. I had one death after molting, but none due to cannibalism. I just cannot tell when my crabs molt, since they dig all the time and sometimes stay under for a few days without molting. And I don't like to dig them up and put them through the stress of digging a molting hole again. But I would definitely ISO a topside molter." "If I catch them in time showing signs of molting... I put them in ISO. I've had several of my small crabs molt in the main tank and they have been fine. Some of them molt on top and some just dug down a small bit.""I used to ISO every single molter but as the crab population grew it got harder and harder to keep track of who was showing molt signs. I'm also afraid to move them after they've already dug down(especially the jumbos). Molting time is stressful enough without me disturbing them. I am keeping an ISO setup for topside molters and sick/stressed crabs."