Electric Blue Hermit Crabs lethargic and dying off

[Chortanator]

Has anyone had any success with these guys? I had an electric blue hermit for about a year, he was doing great in my tank and I really love the colours on them, so I ordered 5 more from my LFS. One ended up not being an electric blue at all, so I brought home 4. One of them wasn't looking great from the get-go, and in retrospect I shouldn't have taken him home, but he ended up dying very quickly after. The other two got very very lethargic, not making any attempt to eat or even pick at rocks, staying in the same spot for days. I saw one hanging onto a rock for about half a day, then died and fell off. I have one left, which I believe was my original that I've had for over a year, and he hasn't moved from his spot from over a week. I tried hand-feeding him, but he made no effort to accept the food. Do these guys just not do well in captivity? Or should I modify my parameters to accommodate them?

Parameters are as follows, tested with a Red Sea test kit unless stated otherwise:

Salinity: 1.024 (Hanna)
Temp: 76.5 degrees F (Hanna)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrates: 0.5 (Salifert), <1 (Red Sea)
pH: 8.2
KH: 9.1dKH
Cal: 450
Mag: 1300 (tested last week)

I don't have a phosphate tester but I do run GFO. I also have carbon and a refugium with chaeto.

 

[Ro Bow]

Has anyone had any success with these guys? I had an electric blue hermit for about a year, he was doing great in my tank and I really love the colours on them, so I ordered 5 more from my LFS. One ended up not being an electric blue at all, so I brought home 4. One of them wasn't looking great from the get-go, and in retrospect I shouldn't have taken him home, but he ended up dying very quickly after. The other two got very very lethargic, not making any attempt to eat or even pick at rocks, staying in the same spot for days. I saw one hanging onto a rock for about half a day, then died and fell off. I have one left, which I believe was my original that I've had for over a year, and he hasn't moved from his spot from over a week. I tried hand-feeding him, but he made no effort to accept the food. Do these guys just not do well in captivity? Or should I modify my parameters to accommodate them?

Parameters are as follows, tested with a Red Sea test kit unless stated otherwise:

Salinity: 1.024 (Hanna)
Temp: 76.5 degrees F (Hanna)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrates: 0.5 (Salifert), <1 (Red Sea)
pH: 8.2
KH: 9.1dKH
Cal: 450
Mag: 1300 (tested last week)

I don't have a phosphate tester but I do run GFO. I also have carbon and a refugium with chaeto.

parameters are fine. I currently have about 30 of them. Do you have any other fish in the tank? Do you have algae for them to eat?

 

[Chortanator]

parameters are fine. I currently have about 30 of them. Do you have any other fish in the tank? Do you have algae for them to eat?

Lots of algae, I even used to see them pick the rocks clean of coralline. I have a clownfish, 3 pj cardinals, a royal gramma, and a green wrasse. I've never seen any of them nip at inverts. They didn't appear like they were trying to hide, they just kind of... sat there and died. My wrasse only stepped in to eat their remains.

 

[Ro Bow]

Lots of algae, I even used to see them pick the rocks clean of coralline. I have a clownfish, 3 pj cardinals, a royal gramma, and a green wrasse. I've never seen any of them nip at inverts. They didn't appear like they were trying to hide, they just kind of... sat there and died. My wrasse only stepped in to eat their remains.

that is odd. Do you happen to know what type of algae? I've had some hermit crabs die off because they were picky eaters even though my tank was (and still is) full of GHA and Bryopsis.

 

[Chortanator]

Just to clarify, is it the electric blues that you have? Or the blue legs? These are the ones I'm talking about (Not my picture)

 

[Ro Bow]

Just to clarify, is it the electric blues that you have? Or the blue legs? These are the ones I'm talking about (Not my picture)

yes those are the one I have, and was talking about

 

[Chortanator]

that is odd. Do you happen to know what type of algae? I've had some hermit crabs die off because they were picky eaters even though my tank was (and still is) full of GHA and Bryopsis.

There's a little bit of green hair algae (I've already made sure it isn't bryopsis) a little bit of bubble algae that my emeralds take care of, and most of it is coralline, which the one I had for a while seemed to love. I also used to see him eat mysis and pellets that fell onto the sandbed.

 

[Ro Bow]

I'm assuming you did, but just a quick question - did you acclimate them?

 

[Ro Bow]

Im pretty sure electric blue hermit crabs dont eat coralline. Still that doesnt explain why they'd die after just sitting there if they were pretty new. @vetteguy53081

 

[Chortanator]

I'm assuming you did, but just a quick question - did you acclimate them?

I did, I drip acclimated them for an hour while floating to maintain temperature. Here's a picture of the last one I have left, he wedged himself under a frag and hasn't moved in several days. Should I try and move him?

 

[Ro Bow]

I did, I drip acclimated them for an hour while floating to maintain temperature. Here's a picture of the last one I have left, he wedged himself under a frag and hasn't moved in several days. Should I try and move him?

What i'd do is place some pellets next to him, and tomorrow if he doesnt eat them or doesnt move, I would consider moving him on the sand bed where there are pellets. Other than that I dont know what could be the solution, and what caused it

 

[Chortanator]

Im pretty sure electric blue hermit crabs dont eat coralline. Still that doesnt explain why they'd die after just sitting there if they were pretty new. @vetteguy53081

This is where he was picking it off, the white patches on the rock used to have purple and green coralline

 

[Chortanator]

Now I'm wondering if he might have been stuck, I moved him somewhere more open, doesn't seem eager to move, but I'll target-feed mysis tonight (sorry the glass is so blurry I can't reach that far down to clean it lol)

 

[Chortanator]

But even if that one in particular is stuck it doesn't explain the other two that just kinda keeled over. I'll chalk it up to a bad shipment and assume this is the one I've had all along, unless I lose this one then maybe I'll send off an ICP test

 

[vetteguy53081]

Coraline won’t take them down. Low calcium, high nitrate, traces of copper(even from water pipes) and predators will not to mention starvation
Assure salinity not low or temperature not high

 

[Chortanator]

Coraline won’t take them down. Low calcium, high nitrate, traces of copper(even from water pipes) and predators will not to mention starvation
Assure salinity not low or temperature not high

I have my params in the first post. I get all my RODI from my LFS so I highly doubt there's any copper in the water, since they have inverts too. My urchins and emerald crabs and snails are doing great, it's just these guys

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have my params in the first post. I get all my RODI from my LFS so I highly doubt there's any copper in the water, since they have inverts too. My urchins and emerald crabs and snails are doing great, it's just these guys

test your LFS water. If salinity or ph of their water does not match- may be an up front issue. Many people on R2r who have purchased LFS water to find it was either off or causing their problems.
Also hermits need Good acclimation

 

[Chortanator]

test your LFS water. If salinity or ph of their water does not match- may be an up front issue. Many people on R2r who have purchased LFS water to find it was either off or causing their problems.
Also hermits need Good acclimation

They didn't acclimate at my LFS, I got them immediately when the shipment came in and were still in bags. I keep my salinity at the same as theirs since I had to use their premixed saltwater for a while when I was having nitrate issues (these hermits were purchased after I got my nitrates below 10). Drip acclimated them for an hour in a container floating in my tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

They didn't acclimate at my LFS, I got them immediately when the shipment came in and were still in bags. I keep my salinity at the same as theirs since I had to use their premixed saltwater for a while when I was having nitrate issues (these hermits were purchased after I got my nitrates below 10).

I meant- did you acclimate them to your tank? The bag ph and salinity Will be different, which you want to equalize and you dont want to add shipment water to your tank

 

[Chortanator]

I meant- did you acclimate them to your tank? The bag ph and salinity Will be different, which you want to equalize and you dont want to add shipment water to your tank

Yes, I drip acclimated them for an hour