Post by suebee on Jan 31, 2011 22:56:30 GMT -5
Lots of people have been having problems with Compressus crabs and over the last few years ive been putting together the problems and what is working for people to see if i can help any.
so far this is what i have that seems to be working and not working..
One other problem ive seen people having is buying pre mixed salt water. I dont know if any of you have tried it but it seem some of the people that ive been in contact with had problems with it.. What im finding is that they sometime they put snail kill or other types of chemicals in it to ward off alge and other bacteria and i think that is the problme that some are having. It seems to be bothering some exotics.. I dont have any records of it bothering all exotics. I actually have records of indos and PPs that were using the water that was defently treated and have been fine on it so far? just something else id avoid in case it is a problem. For safer salt water buy the salt and mix your own.
collapsed turbos or the spiral inside of the shell being broken out and EE as substrate seem to be the biggest things in my records showing loss of Compressus. Also Compressus living without Salt water. I make my salt water a bit stronger then what the box calls for I add about a extra teaspoon full of salt per quart of water. I keep my fresh and salt water next to each other so if its to salty the crabs can get some fresh to add to the shell water. Any compressus ive lost i believe were due to a shell fight and when i decided to add more coir aka coco nut fiber to the tank.. When i added more coco nut fiber i had 3 compressus go down for molt and all of them seemed to melt during molt. I changed back to 5 parts sand and 1 part EE, i now use even less EE then that but i have some moss and worm casting as well as crushed oyster shell mixed into my substrate. Ive added powdered coral and other minerals to my crabs diet in a mineral blend that has Cyclop eeze ( this I offer in my hermit crab dollar store here www.etsy.com/shop/Suebeebuzz?section_id=6854851, they also get the hermit crab patch mineral supplement at all times. I no longer have any problems keeping compressus. I never offer any shells with broken insides I feel the crabs can get shell bound or stuck in them. Even if the shells are rounded and smoth the crabs will go inside and the tails tend to grow in a unnaturaly fatter state then normal, as is compressus tails are fatter and wider then other crabs and that is why they like the D shaped shell openings. wider and bigger holes and insides.
Not sure if one of these things or all of them have helped but maybe one of them might help someone here. Im also up to hear any others ideas or mishaps. I have been keeping journals of mishaps and things that have worked for others for my research. Im open to any questions or thought you may have by email or here. Blessings, Suebee
i have also added lots of things from the natural diet like star fish and sand dollars. also i give a big variety of foods not mixed daily.
My thought is that because a crab eats so little i dont want to give mixed food so it gets full of the food it needs plus other foods it doesnt.. I want it to be able to chose what it needs to fill up on. I believe the crab knows what it needs.. I do however think that if you offer it junk food that its first choice will be the junk just like humans so good healthy foods at a good varierity is best.
so far this is what i have that seems to be working and not working..
One other problem ive seen people having is buying pre mixed salt water. I dont know if any of you have tried it but it seem some of the people that ive been in contact with had problems with it.. What im finding is that they sometime they put snail kill or other types of chemicals in it to ward off alge and other bacteria and i think that is the problme that some are having. It seems to be bothering some exotics.. I dont have any records of it bothering all exotics. I actually have records of indos and PPs that were using the water that was defently treated and have been fine on it so far? just something else id avoid in case it is a problem. For safer salt water buy the salt and mix your own.
collapsed turbos or the spiral inside of the shell being broken out and EE as substrate seem to be the biggest things in my records showing loss of Compressus. Also Compressus living without Salt water. I make my salt water a bit stronger then what the box calls for I add about a extra teaspoon full of salt per quart of water. I keep my fresh and salt water next to each other so if its to salty the crabs can get some fresh to add to the shell water. Any compressus ive lost i believe were due to a shell fight and when i decided to add more coir aka coco nut fiber to the tank.. When i added more coco nut fiber i had 3 compressus go down for molt and all of them seemed to melt during molt. I changed back to 5 parts sand and 1 part EE, i now use even less EE then that but i have some moss and worm casting as well as crushed oyster shell mixed into my substrate. Ive added powdered coral and other minerals to my crabs diet in a mineral blend that has Cyclop eeze ( this I offer in my hermit crab dollar store here www.etsy.com/shop/Suebeebuzz?section_id=6854851, they also get the hermit crab patch mineral supplement at all times. I no longer have any problems keeping compressus. I never offer any shells with broken insides I feel the crabs can get shell bound or stuck in them. Even if the shells are rounded and smoth the crabs will go inside and the tails tend to grow in a unnaturaly fatter state then normal, as is compressus tails are fatter and wider then other crabs and that is why they like the D shaped shell openings. wider and bigger holes and insides.
Not sure if one of these things or all of them have helped but maybe one of them might help someone here. Im also up to hear any others ideas or mishaps. I have been keeping journals of mishaps and things that have worked for others for my research. Im open to any questions or thought you may have by email or here. Blessings, Suebee
i have also added lots of things from the natural diet like star fish and sand dollars. also i give a big variety of foods not mixed daily.
My thought is that because a crab eats so little i dont want to give mixed food so it gets full of the food it needs plus other foods it doesnt.. I want it to be able to chose what it needs to fill up on. I believe the crab knows what it needs.. I do however think that if you offer it junk food that its first choice will be the junk just like humans so good healthy foods at a good varierity is best.