New to saltwater aquarium hobby. I have a 20 gallon tank fish only. I have had general success with it up to this point (the fish are doing fine). I bought 4 electric blue hermit crabs for a CUC and in the last 2 weeks have lost 3. I also have a cleaner shrimp who has been doing great. My salinity is at 34 ppm 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 2.5 ppm nitrates, and 0 phosphate. I also sent out a test to ICP laboratories just to make sure the water is good and it all came back normal except for slightly high calcium. I'm not really sure what I'm doing wrong. Any advice on how I can be more successful with these guys?
Hermit crabs dying
- Thread starter anthony2012
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Flippers4pups
Fins up since 1993
First off do you have empty shells for them to move to? When they out grow the shell their in, they will look for larger shells.
Are you sure it wasn't a molt you have seen? Molts can look like a dead hermit.
Thanks for replying. Two I know for sure weren't molts. today I thought I lost one more but I just looked in and he was in his shell. I was fooled by a molt, it really looked just like one of them. I do have shells for them to move into. The two I lost first were within the first few days but my other two have been good. I think you solved my problem. It was just a molt I'm still learning haha. Thanks for your help.
Flippers4pups
Fins up since 1993
Your welcome. Shrimp do the same.
Unfortunately, none live terribly long. May be a year or two.
Unfortunately, none live terribly long. May be a year or two.
PicassoClown04
5000 Club Member
Yeah, molts have fooled me many times, but molting is good! Hermits just aren’t that long lived unfortunately, you’re always gonna be buying more. I have a 20 gallon and I use 10 hermits, the rules of thumb are 1 per 2-5 gallons depending on your tank. I had a lot of hair algae and feed pretty heavy so I went with 1 per every 2 gallons.
I plan to get more but I wanted to make sure what I had is staying alive. I don't know why my first two didn't make it but I think it's unrelated to water quality. I'll probably order more and maybe do a slower acclimation 1.5 hours instead of just 1.
Paul B
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Actually I have had the same pair of hermit crabs for 12 years and coral banded shrimp for 7 years. They live quite a while.
Do you do anything different or special? Or is it just staying up on the basics?
Paul B
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Nothing special and I don't feed crabs or shrimp. They eat what they find.
Those shrimp spawned dozens of times.
Those shrimp spawned dozens of times.
Paul B
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This pair died after about 7 years. That was in the 70s.
This pair of hermits died a week apart after about 12 years.
This pair of hermits died a week apart after about 12 years.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing that. That'll be my goal then now that I know it's possible.This pair died after about 7 years. That was in the 70s.
This pair of hermits died a week apart after about 12 years.
