Hello everyone,
I initially started up my 15g nano reef tank in December 2022 so I could get saltwater inverts, as I was interested in them. However, I have had crustaceans dying one by one, with about 2+ weeks to one month intervals between deaths. I have tried everything to figure out what’s wrong and nothing has worked, so I’m going to try to list out the deaths chronogically as a start.
1-2: Blue leg hermit crabs disappear mysteriously (around March)
3: Black porcelain crab that had been in the tank months is found dying at the back of the tank, upside down. Perhaps during an attempt at a first molt? (Around the end of April)
4: Halloween hermit crab stops moving, a few days later I checked the shell and the rotten crab body falls out. No sign of ever leaving the shell, and there are no other cone shells in the tank. (Around early May)
5. I find my fire shrimp, my favorite invert, dead in the back of the tank. It had molted successfully many times before, but this time I found a molt with the shrimp still in it, only the tail meat remained at this point, as the rest had been consumed by hermits. (Late May)
6. A blue leg hermit molts successfully, and I see it in a new shell it had selected. A week later after a vacation, I find the shell in the same spot but completely empty, no sign of the crab anywhere. (June)
7: Blue leg hermit crab found molted successfully, but nearby is the crab, outside of a shell, still holding on to life as its soft abdomen had been ripped open, and it was missing a leg and eye. (July 1st)
What I know so far:
All deaths are probably related to molting.
My water parameters are great at all times. I test every week, change 15% of the water every week. My nitrates are never above 5-6ppm, and my phosphates are always at safe levels.
The deaths are inconsistent, if they were caused by bullying from hermits, how did the fire shrimp molt successfully so many times and how did the Halloween crab die while protected from blue legs inside its own shell?
My only fish is a healthy juvenile banggai cardinalfish which never touches anything.
I have a stable population of pods.
I keep live coral (softies and LPS) and I have never once had a problem with them ever. They have been healthy since the day I got them.
Other crustaceans in the tank have molted fine at the same time that another died trying.
The tank used seeded dry rock, no imported live rock with hitchhikers was used.
There are plenty of shells for the blue leg hermits to live in and choose between.
———————————————————
I honestly have no idea what to do now. Everything seems perfectly fine in my tank and it’s so frustrating that I don’t have an answer. I am down to 1 last blue leg hermit. I hope someone out there has an answer for what is happening and what I can do. Thank you.
I initially started up my 15g nano reef tank in December 2022 so I could get saltwater inverts, as I was interested in them. However, I have had crustaceans dying one by one, with about 2+ weeks to one month intervals between deaths. I have tried everything to figure out what’s wrong and nothing has worked, so I’m going to try to list out the deaths chronogically as a start.
1-2: Blue leg hermit crabs disappear mysteriously (around March)
3: Black porcelain crab that had been in the tank months is found dying at the back of the tank, upside down. Perhaps during an attempt at a first molt? (Around the end of April)
4: Halloween hermit crab stops moving, a few days later I checked the shell and the rotten crab body falls out. No sign of ever leaving the shell, and there are no other cone shells in the tank. (Around early May)
5. I find my fire shrimp, my favorite invert, dead in the back of the tank. It had molted successfully many times before, but this time I found a molt with the shrimp still in it, only the tail meat remained at this point, as the rest had been consumed by hermits. (Late May)
6. A blue leg hermit molts successfully, and I see it in a new shell it had selected. A week later after a vacation, I find the shell in the same spot but completely empty, no sign of the crab anywhere. (June)
7: Blue leg hermit crab found molted successfully, but nearby is the crab, outside of a shell, still holding on to life as its soft abdomen had been ripped open, and it was missing a leg and eye. (July 1st)
What I know so far:
All deaths are probably related to molting.
My water parameters are great at all times. I test every week, change 15% of the water every week. My nitrates are never above 5-6ppm, and my phosphates are always at safe levels.
The deaths are inconsistent, if they were caused by bullying from hermits, how did the fire shrimp molt successfully so many times and how did the Halloween crab die while protected from blue legs inside its own shell?
My only fish is a healthy juvenile banggai cardinalfish which never touches anything.
I have a stable population of pods.
I keep live coral (softies and LPS) and I have never once had a problem with them ever. They have been healthy since the day I got them.
Other crustaceans in the tank have molted fine at the same time that another died trying.
The tank used seeded dry rock, no imported live rock with hitchhikers was used.
There are plenty of shells for the blue leg hermits to live in and choose between.
———————————————————
I honestly have no idea what to do now. Everything seems perfectly fine in my tank and it’s so frustrating that I don’t have an answer. I am down to 1 last blue leg hermit. I hope someone out there has an answer for what is happening and what I can do. Thank you.