I am completely bummed out T_T **sad pic warning*

yunabug

yunabug

Member
Every morning and night, I will look at my tank, and count my inhabitants. 3 hermits, 2 baby blue leg hermits, an emerald crab and one huge Mexican Turbo snail.
I just got the baby blue leg hermits, emerald and snail on Tuesday (I think that was the day). I drip acclimated them, and they have been doing wonderfully... getting along just fine with the three hermits that were already in my tank.
Well, when I went to count tonight.... I unfortunately found the smallest baby hermit dead... it's shell NOWHERE to be found.
It was only about the size of my pinky nail, and did very well... even this morning when I checked up on everyone, he was doing just fine... climbing and exploring to his little heart's content.
I just don't know what could have happened. And I have looked everywhere for his shell with the exception of moving rocks to look.
Any ideas? Could it have possibly been the emerald that did this to him? As far as I know, the emerald has been staying in one place for the past couple of days, but when I found the baby dead, the emerald was on the complete opposite side of the tank.
Before I show the pic.... I want to warn that it is very sad....
And should I take him out and flush him? Or let the others eat him? I don't wanna sound heartless or anything, but I'm just trying to numb myself to the loss of my littelest baby


I also have another question... is this snail poo hanging out of my snail? I really hope it is.... cause I don't wanna lose him to T_T
It's got sand stuck to it.

Thank you all for your help.
 
groupergenius

groupergenius

Active Member
That looks more like a molt from the hermit.
Do you have any fish? Are you feeding the clean-up crew?
Not sure on the snail poo.
Most important. And I'm not wanting to sound like a jerk....but if you get too upset about a Blue Leg Hermit, maybe fish are a bad idea. There are allways losses of some sort in this hobby. It's inevitable. We can only do our best to prevent it.
 
yunabug

yunabug

Member
I have no fish, as I am just nearing the end of my cycle ^^
You don't sound like a jerk ^^ It's just that in the time that I have been cycling, I have grown attatched to my hermits and snail... watching them move around and help my tank. I get really attatched to things easily. I know I won't be so paranoid about them once I get fish... but for now, they are all I have, and I don't want to ever believe that I accidently did somehting to make them suffer and die.
But you said it looked like a molt.... that's good. I will be on the lookout for the little baby.....
 
t316

t316

Active Member
Originally Posted by GrouperGenius
http:///forum/post/2810569
That looks more like a molt from the hermit.
Do you have any fish? Are you feeding the clean-up crew?
Not sure on the snail poo.
Most important. And I'm not wanting to sound like a jerk....but if you get too upset about a Blue Leg Hermit, maybe fish are a bad idea. There are allways losses of some sort in this hobby. It's inevitable. We can only do our best to prevent it.

+1...

I don't think that's your crab, but a molt. He's probably eating away in the rocks somewhere. But even if it is, know that inverts come and go. Sometimes they are killed by other inverts (to take their shell) and sometimes they just die for no reason. They don't have the lifespan as fish do. How long has this tank been up and running?
 
yunabug

yunabug

Member
Tank has been running for about... *thinks* 23 days today ^^
Haha, I am such a n00b. I guess I just learn these things by trial and error... I didn't even think about it being a molt @_@
Sorry for the silly message. And sorry that I got so emotional XD I'm a almost 20 yr old girl, I get too emotional about EVERYTHING XD
 
t316

t316

Active Member
Originally Posted by yunabug
http:///forum/post/2810589
Tank has been running for about... *thinks* 23 days today ^^
Haha, I am such a n00b. I guess I just learn these things by trial and error... I didn't even think about it being a molt @_@
Sorry for the silly message. And sorry that I got so emotional XD I'm a almost 20 yr old girl, I get too emotional about EVERYTHING XD
Tank is still very new. Go VERY SLOW when adding livestock, especially fish. Don't add any fish right now, and when you do, go even slower. I know....it's soooo tempting...good luck
 
evilmantis

evilmantis

Member
Every month or so I say to my husband "Oh, my giant hermit crab died!" and flush what I think is his shell-less corpse down the toilet. Then the next day I see him crawling around (in a new shell -- he likes to go back and forth between a few) and say to my husband, "I forgot the molt looks like a dead crab! He's okay!"
You'd think I'd catch on sooner or later... but given the number of fish I've killed, I always assume there is death lurking somewhere in the tank.
Keep an eye for your crab! And be prepared for the day when you slap your forehead in response to a dead fish and say "How did I NOT foresee this?!" It happens to all of us.
 
groupergenius

groupergenius

Active Member
Originally Posted by yunabug
http:///forum/post/2810589
Tank has been running for about... *thinks* 23 days today ^^
Haha, I am such a n00b. I guess I just learn these things by trial and error... I didn't even think about it being a molt @_@
Sorry for the silly message. And sorry that I got so emotional XD I'm a almost 20 yr old girl, I get too emotional about EVERYTHING XD
Do you have any fish food yet?
Get some frozen Mysis. Thaw a little in a small glass of tank water, turn off all the flow in the tank, use something like a turkey baster to carefully deliver some food right to the hermits. Those poor little buggers have nothing to eat in a "new" tank. Once the fish have been in for a while, there will be excess food in the tank for the Hermits to eat.
The Emerald crab would like something a little more leafy like Nori. But they usually run off if you get close to them.
Keep the spirits up.
 
yunabug

yunabug

Member
I wasn't even thinking about adding fish till well after my trip to Disney, which is in the middle of November. I am being EXTRA slow on it. The only reason I have hermits and such is because my friend that has been doing saltwater for 3 years, and the saltwater store I go to both said they would be just fine during the cycle.
I have some fish pellets, but that's about it food wise I have right now.
I will make sure to pick up some mysis for the hermits on my next trip to the store. The emerald has been going CRAZY on the hair algae I have (came on some live rock a woman gave me). He's made a good dent in it.
Thank you all for your help XD
Still no clue on the snail "poo"?
 
t316

t316

Active Member
I have no idea on the snail poop. It could be anything, but doesn't look like anything to worry about.
What is "XD"?
 
fish4rudy

fish4rudy

Member
These crabs will grow/molt so I would get a few empty shells that are slightly larger then the ones that your crabs are in now, so they can move into new digs as they grow.I agree with the other post’s that your crab has molted. If it helps you any I have a cleaner shrimp in one of my tanks and it molts every 6 weeks or so, as it grows. You will DEFINITLY need to prepare for losing a fish. The heartache and financial loss is an unfortunate part of this sickness. But remember that these fish, crabs, etc…. will die in the wild.
 
saltn00b

saltn00b

Active Member
big obvious +1 on the molting. just wanted to add inverts often molt within 1 few days of being introduced to a new tank with differing water chemistry. the individual will hide for about 2 days as the new exoskeleton hardens.
take your time, do your research and happy reefing.
oh the thing on the snail looks like the snail picked up some worm snot in the sand bed and it stuck to his shell, sorta like when you step out of the bathroom and nobody tells you there is toilet paper dragging from your shoe....
 
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