IKD
2500 Club Member
Welcome! Are you getting the crabs and sand from the ocean or a local pet store? As others have said, posting a picture of your setup and whatever maintenance/feeding you do would help get this investigation underway!
This:
In anoxic environments (low O2) the sand will turn black from microbial metabolic activity. They often produce H2S and the sand will smell like rotten eggs. Rinse the sand out until it runs clear before you put the sand in the tank. Increasing water flow in the tank may also help.
GL
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In anoxic environments (low O2) the sand will turn black from microbial metabolic activity. They often produce H2S and the sand will smell like rotten eggs. Rinse the sand out until it runs clear before you put the sand in the tank. Increasing water flow in the tank may also help.
GL
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fishface NJ
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Welcome to R2R!!! Can you post a photo? It could help. When the weather is nice in NJ I would got to Sandy Hook beach and fillup a few 5 gallon containers of salt water. I'd run it through a filter before using due to the color wasn't clear. Never used the sand.
Here's a pic, it's been 2 weeks since I changed the sand which involves emptying the tank. I've tried more sand less sand. The water and sand come from the beach where I got the crabs.
Here's the tank. Sand turns black about every 2 weeks. It is sand and water from the beach where we got the crabs. There are 6 crabs left. 3 have died. Maybe they don't turn the sand fast enough, or too many for the tank. I been reading on your site maybe I need snails?
No, you don't need snails. You need gas exchange. You need flow from an air stone or a filter of some sorts. The black stuff is hydrogen sulfide.
You also need to change the water with new seawater weekly, top off with freshwater to replace water that has evaporated, you should buy a refractometer to check salinity and without algae the crabs will starve to death. So they really need liverock from your local fish store and a light to grow algae. They are also going to need a number of empty shells to move into as they grow.
It sounds like you just grabbed some sand, water and crabs in a bucket from the beach. This ain't going to work long term without setting the system up properly. Do you have a heater?
MombasaLionfish
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Can we get a better picture of the crabs because I think one of them is a giant marine hermit. Those can get the size of a football but I'm not sure from that picture.
Here's a pic, it's been 2 weeks since I changed the sand which involves emptying the tank. I've tried more sand less sand. The water and sand come from the beach where I got the crabs.
I have a heater.
I got special water to add as it evaporates but rarely does bc I have to change the whole thing.
IKD
2500 Club Member
Do you have a heater, circulation, or bubbler? May not need a heater if this is a cold water species. Looks like it’s stagnant water that will eventually kill the inhabitants over time.
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