Post by sandiegomom1 on Nov 21, 2015 20:57:05 GMT -5
HOW MANY CRABS DO YOU HAVE,WHAT SIZES ARE THEY & HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD THEM?-(I always say name something they are the size of like a grape, ping-pong ball, etc.)
We have 3-Wind, Kaiju, and River. 2 golf ball (Wind and Kaiju), 1 a little smaller (River)
WHAT SPECIES OF CRABS DO YOU HAVE-(Self-explanatory) All PPs
TANK # AND SIZE(S))- (ie: I have 2 tanks, 75 gallon & 55 gallon) 1 tank-20 gal high
LID TYPE-(ie: Glass, aquarium hood, etc) Metal mesh with one side covered with plastic, other with towel to keep in humidity.
SUBSTRATE USED-(ie: I use playsand and Eco Earth in an approx 5:1 ratio)
Playsand and Eco Earth, can't remember ratio-but whatever HCP recommended.
SUBSTRATE DEPTH- approx. 4-6 inches--started out with 6-8, but some has been lost with cleaning or packed down maybe.
HUMIDITY SOURCE-(ie: Do you use a humidifier, mist daily, etc) Frequent misting. 2-3 times/week
HEAT SOURCE-(ie: Under tank heater, heat bulb) Where are they located? 1 mini hallogen bulb-on top of cage where it's not covered
WHAT IS YOUR TEMP/HUMIDITY ON AVERAGE?-(Please give averages for both day & night) usually hover between 70-78 temp and humidity (average around 73), but varies after misting or depending on temp in house.
WHAT TYPE OF GAUGE DO YOU USE (analog or digital)? (ie; I use AcuRite digital gauges)
Where in the tank is the gauge located? (ie; 2-3" off the sub, centrally located)
digital gauge set on sand in corner of the cage.
HOW DO YOU TREAT YOUR WATER?-(ie: Tap water conditioner, name brand)
Spring water-Trader Joe's brand gallon
HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR SALT WATER?-(ie: Do you use Oceanic or Instant Ocean-name the brand) Mix in Oceanic salt mix bought on Hermit crab patch pre-sized for a gallon.
HOW BIG/DEEP ARE YOUR POOLS?
1/2 inch deep maybe
WHAT DO YOU FEED YOUR CRABS?-(If you feed other than fresh food, what is it called & where do you get it?)
Premade foods from Hermit Crab Patch, in addition to fresh fruits, corn meal, nuts and veggies-usually organic, lol
WHAT TYPES OF HIDES/CLIMBS DO YOU HAVE?-(ie: coco-hut, cholla wood, etc)
Coco hut (2 kinds), cholla, mopani, large coral, etc. All used in rotation when no one is molting and can rearrange the tank. Also have a handmade hemp hammock.
DO YOU HAVE AN ISOLATION TANK?- Not officially. We have the small plastic critter cages we used to bring the hermits home in and do ISO when purchased to make sure they were mite free. Haven't had any other emergencies to need a larger ISO and we use the molt in place option that HCP recommends on their site.
HOW MANY EXTRA SHELLS AND WHAT SIZES DO YOU HAVE?-(Self-explanatory)
Have about 20 shells, rotate in tank in a shell shop in the hammock. Most are approx. size or larger to the crabs we have. All are turbo shape since we have PPs.
DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM & ANY OTHER INFO YOU THINK APPLIES-
We have had them for almost 1.5 years and all three have had several successful molts in that time. The last time, early to mid summer 2015, they all went under at about the same time and only 2 popped up after molting in August/end of Summer. Wind, unfortunately did not join the other 2. Wind and Kaiju were above ground normally, but River tends to stay under the sand even when not molting. Maybe our humidity/temp isn't as comfortable for him.
My question/assumption: Is there any way Wind is still alive if he went down 4+ months ago and hasn't been seen since? The tank never really had a horrible smell, but to be honest, I'm not constantly sniffing around in there either. It hasn't smelled for at least the month I've been actively trying to decide if Wind is dead. We are at the point that a thorough cleaning/mixing and rehydrating of the sand, but do not want to disturb him if there's ANY reason to believe he is alive. Any advice would be great. I want to treat the sand/move the tank around to make it safe for my other 2 crabs to molt again should they want to soon and right now I'm worried the sand under the top layer is probably drying out since it's been a long time since we've done a thorough re-work.
Read more: sachscrabpage.proboards.com/thread/1884/emergency-help-template#ixzz3sB1vWKIu
We have 3-Wind, Kaiju, and River. 2 golf ball (Wind and Kaiju), 1 a little smaller (River)
WHAT SPECIES OF CRABS DO YOU HAVE-(Self-explanatory) All PPs
TANK # AND SIZE(S))- (ie: I have 2 tanks, 75 gallon & 55 gallon) 1 tank-20 gal high
LID TYPE-(ie: Glass, aquarium hood, etc) Metal mesh with one side covered with plastic, other with towel to keep in humidity.
SUBSTRATE USED-(ie: I use playsand and Eco Earth in an approx 5:1 ratio)
Playsand and Eco Earth, can't remember ratio-but whatever HCP recommended.
SUBSTRATE DEPTH- approx. 4-6 inches--started out with 6-8, but some has been lost with cleaning or packed down maybe.
HUMIDITY SOURCE-(ie: Do you use a humidifier, mist daily, etc) Frequent misting. 2-3 times/week
HEAT SOURCE-(ie: Under tank heater, heat bulb) Where are they located? 1 mini hallogen bulb-on top of cage where it's not covered
WHAT IS YOUR TEMP/HUMIDITY ON AVERAGE?-(Please give averages for both day & night) usually hover between 70-78 temp and humidity (average around 73), but varies after misting or depending on temp in house.
WHAT TYPE OF GAUGE DO YOU USE (analog or digital)? (ie; I use AcuRite digital gauges)
Where in the tank is the gauge located? (ie; 2-3" off the sub, centrally located)
digital gauge set on sand in corner of the cage.
HOW DO YOU TREAT YOUR WATER?-(ie: Tap water conditioner, name brand)
Spring water-Trader Joe's brand gallon
HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR SALT WATER?-(ie: Do you use Oceanic or Instant Ocean-name the brand) Mix in Oceanic salt mix bought on Hermit crab patch pre-sized for a gallon.
HOW BIG/DEEP ARE YOUR POOLS?
1/2 inch deep maybe
WHAT DO YOU FEED YOUR CRABS?-(If you feed other than fresh food, what is it called & where do you get it?)
Premade foods from Hermit Crab Patch, in addition to fresh fruits, corn meal, nuts and veggies-usually organic, lol
WHAT TYPES OF HIDES/CLIMBS DO YOU HAVE?-(ie: coco-hut, cholla wood, etc)
Coco hut (2 kinds), cholla, mopani, large coral, etc. All used in rotation when no one is molting and can rearrange the tank. Also have a handmade hemp hammock.
DO YOU HAVE AN ISOLATION TANK?- Not officially. We have the small plastic critter cages we used to bring the hermits home in and do ISO when purchased to make sure they were mite free. Haven't had any other emergencies to need a larger ISO and we use the molt in place option that HCP recommends on their site.
HOW MANY EXTRA SHELLS AND WHAT SIZES DO YOU HAVE?-(Self-explanatory)
Have about 20 shells, rotate in tank in a shell shop in the hammock. Most are approx. size or larger to the crabs we have. All are turbo shape since we have PPs.
DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM & ANY OTHER INFO YOU THINK APPLIES-
We have had them for almost 1.5 years and all three have had several successful molts in that time. The last time, early to mid summer 2015, they all went under at about the same time and only 2 popped up after molting in August/end of Summer. Wind, unfortunately did not join the other 2. Wind and Kaiju were above ground normally, but River tends to stay under the sand even when not molting. Maybe our humidity/temp isn't as comfortable for him.
My question/assumption: Is there any way Wind is still alive if he went down 4+ months ago and hasn't been seen since? The tank never really had a horrible smell, but to be honest, I'm not constantly sniffing around in there either. It hasn't smelled for at least the month I've been actively trying to decide if Wind is dead. We are at the point that a thorough cleaning/mixing and rehydrating of the sand, but do not want to disturb him if there's ANY reason to believe he is alive. Any advice would be great. I want to treat the sand/move the tank around to make it safe for my other 2 crabs to molt again should they want to soon and right now I'm worried the sand under the top layer is probably drying out since it's been a long time since we've done a thorough re-work.
Read more: sachscrabpage.proboards.com/thread/1884/emergency-help-template#ixzz3sB1vWKIu