Clean up crew Dying

[DEE’S reef]

My hermit crabs I think are dying I had 10 total 5 red 5 blue and there were shells for them because today I did some Maintenance and noticed 4 or 5 empty shells I keep the the extra shells in in front of my overflow. Do you think there dying from lack of food or the hermits are killing each other.

 

[IceNein]

If your tank is new, could be that they need to be fed. Even in my small tank I have stopped worrying about feeding them, and they do just fine on either detritus or what ever algae is growing in the tank. They definitely will fight each other for shells and kill snails.

Your cleanup crew will dwindle over time and you will probably end up having to buy replacements, but losing many in a short time does indicate that there may be a concern. How big is your tank?

 

[DEE’S reef]

So it’s 80 gallons and there’s algae on the rock and there’s food for them I also haven’t moved the shells in like a week or so so they could been dead for a little and I haven’t noticed it

 

[Idech]

Do you have Dino’s in the sand ? Some of them are toxic.

 

[DEE’S reef]

I don’t think so I don’t really know
Here’s picture of my sand

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I lose track of them in a 15 gallon, I don't how you can manage to keep track of them all in an 80 gallon, I don't think you should assume them dead just because you can't find them, just my 2 cents

 

[DEE’S reef]

Like I found the empty shelfs in the front of the tank and I keep all the extra shells in the back left in front of the over flow

 

[IceNein]

Hermits definitely move shells around when they're inspecting them. Have you ever seen them switch shells? They will often go back and forth between the two shells to decide which one they like better, and will spin the shell around so they can look it over.

 

[DEE’S reef]

I’ve seen one switch shells I’ve also seen the shell pile get moved but that’s when. I had a small pile on the other end I also don’t believe the shell I found the opposite end was a hermit switching shells.

 

[coralmonsters.judy]

Sometimes they outgrow their shells. Sometimes they eat each other. The recommended amount in blue legs is one per gallon :).

 

[DEE’S reef]

This week I’ll probably get some more

 

[Idech]

I don’t think so I don’t really know
Here’s picture of my sand

It doesn’t look like it.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

My hermit crabs I think are dying I had 10 total 5 red 5 blue and there were shells for them because today I did some Maintenance and noticed 4 or 5 empty shells I keep the the extra shells in in front of my overflow. Do you think there dying from lack of food or the hermits are killing each other.

Where are you getting your cuc from? I always had a bad experience with getting CUC from my LFS

 

[DEE’S reef]

I get them from a lfs and some of the hermits where from when I got my tank from a lfs that closed down