stupid hermit crab

[j-j_02]

ok i have a prolem. i have a big hermit crab and all he seems to want to do is climb on my rocks and scrape the hell out of them. i dnt know if hes jus looking for algea or what but it makes all the water very cloudy. wat should i do? PLEASE HELP!!!!

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by j-j_02
ok i have a prolem. i have a big hermit crab and all he seems to want to do is climb on my rocks and scrape the hell out of them. i dnt know if hes jus looking for algea or what but it makes all the water very cloudy. wat should i do? PLEASE HELP!!!!

One hermit would not make the water cloudy. Pease tell us how long your tank has been set up, how you set it up, and what you have for water movement.

 

[j-j_02]

ok, i have a 55g. its been up for almost three months. i have 3 damsles and one clown. i have one rio1400 power head and one penguin 350 filter. no live rock but live sand i do have. it sux, wat do i do? and thank u for responding

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by j-j_02
ok, i have a 55g. its been up for almost three months. i have 3 damsles and one clown. i have one rio1400 power head and one penguin 350 filter. no live rock but live sand i do have. it sux, wat do i do? and thank u for responding

You just said that the crab was scraping your rock which made it cloudy. Please be streight up with us. We are not going to yell at you for jumping into things silly

Please post your EXACT water readings for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, SG and temp.

 

[michaeltx]

How large is BIG I have seen some REALLY huge hermits for sale. If everything else is good as far as readings as sep ask. If its a large one scraping the rocks it could rock fragments getting cought up in the water column kinda like a sand storm.
Mike

 

[j-j_02]

ok my salinity is at 1.021,ph is 8.0, nitrite is 0.3, my ammonia is at 0, and my nitrat is 0. my temp is exactly at 80 degrees. so watcha think?

 

[j-j_02]

ok mike, its not huge or anything its maybe 2 inches in diameter, maybe a lil smaller.

 

[squirreloso]

not sure why you have detectable nitrite

raise your salinity slowly, its a bit low for my taste. i keep my reef tanks at 1.026
ph around 8.0 is ok but 8.2 is better
thats a pretty big hermit!

 

[nemo_66]

what rocks is it scraping up if you dont have live rock? are they decoration rock?

 

[j-j_02]

ok, ill try it. but will it keep him from scarping, wats he doin it for, its pissing me off cuz at first i saw it and i rubbed my eyes cuz i thought it was my eye sight

. but its that lil basterd

.

 

[j-j_02]

its jus like big pieces of rock ill take a pic but its with a phone so be easy on me, wait a minute.

 

[michaeltx]

thats still a large hermit what type of tank do you have reef or fish only?
and when its scraping does the cloudiness get worse like the rock is smoking?
I do agree though I would raise the salinity abit and try to figure out why you are shoeing nitrites they are still harmful and can be helping in the cloudyness part aswell.
Mike

 

[j-j_02]

ok ill raise the salinity. its fish only. see the pic, heres the hermit and ya it does look like the rock is smokig. but wen i raise the salinity wat will tat do?

 

[michaeltx]

it will give a more natural enviroment for inverts since this is a FO I would leave the salinity a little lower. The fish will still do great in a lower salinity.
BTW thats a huge hermit I hope you have some larger shells in there for it because it wil continue to grow.
mike

 

[j-j_02]

ok so i shouldnt raise the salinity? nope, dnt go anymore shells, wer would i get some? and so wat do i do about his scartching? and thank u very much mike

 

[jerthunter]

I doubt you are going to get the hermit crab from altering his behavior. If the scraping bothers you enough you'll probably have to just get rid of the guy.

 

[j-j_02]

well it would bother anybody. its annoying. it makes the water very cloudy.

 

[mcbdz]

It is doing it's job and cleaning the rock.

I think after a while it should clear up. You may want to get some more clean up crew to speed that up. I'd get smaller hermits and snails.

I'd at least raise your salinity to 1.023 since you have the inerts.

 

[jerthunter]

Well in that case you'll probably just have to get rid of him, maybe trade him in for smaller types of hermits or go without any hermits at all.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by j-j_02
ok my salinity is at 1.021,ph is 8.0, nitrite is 0.3, my ammonia is at 0, and my nitrat is 0. my temp is exactly at 80 degrees. so watcha think?

If your nitrite is at 3 then that is a serious issue. Did this tank ever cycle?