Help emergency 100s of bugs / someone mentioned maggots?

[Mariuh12]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
7 inches play sand mixed eco earth 5 to 1 ratio

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
Yes, located mid tank about 2-3 inches from substrate, heat 82, humidity 85

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? yes bean farm heat mat covers the entire back above substrate


4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)? both water treated with prime and instant ocean for salt


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? dry food mixes about 3-4 days


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? PP almost 2 years


7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? yes


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
55 gallon sealed with plexiglass

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 5


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 30 or more


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Just spot clean

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
No

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.


.Please help what type of bug are these? Someone said maggots?? If so what do i do? Are my crabs safe? How did they get in and can they get out? If not any idea what they are?


I seen them last night unfortunately i couldn't scoop them out as it was middle of the night and the tank is in my daughters room. Today I scooped out the area and didn't see any but I know they have to be in the substrate somewhere. Also just checked and nothing but again i think they probably burrowed in the substrate since it is so many no way they would all be gone already. We only feed dry mixes but they have upset their bowl there several times and to be honest I slacked and didn't clean it immediately as I figured If it was just dry food wouldn't hurt. Also looks like a little bit of mold was growing around the area it was like a white fluffy/hazey look

I did put Vaseline around the ledge of the tank hopefully to stop any if they could escape.

I attached a video in the link below. I hope I did that right.
[img]https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... KHrsgN[img]

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... lxf0KHrsgN

[Tim cuthbert]

That sounds like you might have to replace the sub unless if crabs are molting then wait till they are finished the replace the sub.

[curlysister]

I can't get the videos/ photos to load!
First, don't panic - I know bugs are scary but there are very very few that can harm your crabs. The fuzzy white mold is also not going to harm your crabs. Take a deep breath. Don't go to the work and expense of replacing your substrate, unless you have an ant colony - but that doesn't sound like what you have.
Have you checked out our care sheets about bugs and mites? The most common bugs are food mites and spring tails. Both are kind of inevitable in many tanks, as they are attracted to the bits of food and the nice warm humid environment. Even if you take them all out, or re-do your substrate, you will likely get them back again. Their population can get larger and smaller, depending on how much food they find.
Here are the care sheets, I hope they can help you identify the bug:

https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/p ... 24&t=92537

https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/p ... 24&t=92530