Help with hermit crabs and Pincushion tuxedo urchen

[dyeguy]

Hey everyone! So I've had my 29 gal tank for 5 weeks now and so far I only have 5 small hermit crabs along with about 30 lbs of live rock and live sand. My hermit crabs seem to be sluggish lately compared to the first 2 weeks in the tank. Most of them have gone into hiding and if I pick them up and move them to to the sand they scuttle over to the liverock, hide, and then wont move much thereafter.

There is plenty of algea in the tank for them to eat and other than a possible exposure to Windex :oops: I cant think of anything that could be wrong. (I do have a bristle worm problem but Im not sure that would have anything to do with sluggish crabs)

Secondly, I would like to get an urchin and am really fixed on a black tuxedo pincushion urchin at my local store and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to whether this kind of urchin would be alright/ beneficial to my tank.

thanks!

 

[Ted]

how much windex? Thats like straight ammonia. How long ago did this happen?

 

[dyeguy]

im not sure but ammonia levels are 0 last time I checked. I sprayed my tank sides instead of the rag but I do have a pretty sealed lid in front

 

[dyeguy]

o and about 2 days ago. They were sluggish before tho

 

[KidJ57]

How are the rest of your parameters Temp., Nitrites, Nitrates, Ph? Also, are they just sluggish when the lights are on? Have you checked in on them when the lights are off? They are typically nocturnal. Plus, are you feeding them anything other than just the algae? I don't know about the little ones, but I have to feed my big guy often to keep him from attacking my starfish/snail

 

[dcantucson]

Also what's the temperature of your tank?

 

[KidJ57]

Also what's the temperature of your tank?

{cough}

How are the rest of your parameters Temp., Nitrites, Nitrates, Ph? Also, are they just sluggish when the lights are on? Have you checked in on them when the lights are off? They are typically nocturnal. Plus, are you feeding them anything other than just the algae? I don't know about the little ones, but I have to feed my big guy often to keep him from attacking my starfish/snail

{cough}

Is it still considered being ninja'd if there's a 6 hour difference? :mrgreen:

 

[dcantucson]

BUTT, what's the answer?

 

[KidJ57]

did you intentionally add the extra "T" or was that one of those Freudian slip things? :12:

and yes, still need the tempreture reading :mrgreen:

 

[dcantucson]

:dunno::dunno::dunno:

 

[dyeguy]

temp has been at 82 because I was fighting an ich infestation and kept the temp there for 3 weeks to speed up the cycle and kill the little buggers. As of right now the temp is 80 and will eventually be lowered back to 78 within the next week. As for water perameters: ammonia 0ppm, nitrites 0ppm, nitrates 5ppm, PH 8.2 and specific gravity 1.022.

As for food I have not been feeding them anything at all and have been relying on the abundant source of algea in my tank.

aaaand nocturnally I see no changes in their behavior. Maybe they're just done exploring my tank?

 

[yote]

Instead of using windex to clean the front of your tank,fill a squirt bottle with 50/50 vinegar and water.Cleans better than windex and is safe for the tank.
It'll also help your inverts if you'll bring the salinity on up to 1.025 - 1.026

 

[dcantucson]

]temp has been at 82 because I was fighting an ich infestation and kept the temp there for 3 weeks to speed up the cycle and kill the little buggers. As of right now the temp is 80 and will eventually be lowered back to 78 within the next week[/COLOR]. As for water perameters: ammonia 0ppm, nitrites 0ppm, nitrates 5ppm, PH 8.2 and specific gravity 1.022.

As for food I have not been feeding them anything at all and have been relying on the abundant source of algea in my tank.

aaaand nocturnally I see no changes in their behavior. Maybe they're just done exploring my tank?

Have you been using any medications?

 

[Bifferwine]

Sorry to say, but temp at 82 isn't going to kill much of anything :( In fact, most of us normally keep our tanks in or near that range.

 

[dyeguy]

I havnt used any medications for ich but was told turning the temp to 82 speeds up their life cycle and eventually they cannot reproduce fast enough after 3 weeks.

as for vinegar/water thats a great idea. i had a bed feeling when I used Windex anyways.

If I try to turn up my specific gravity should I do it slowly or would it not mater? Usually if my SG is too low in my tank after I do a water change I will just mix salt in a cup of water and pour in after the salt is somewhat dissolved. Is there a better way? Will my future fish be ok with a SG of 1.025?

What should I keep my temp at?

sorry for the 1873492753401 questions

 

[yote]

Dont worry about the questions,thats why were all on this site:D

The best way to bring the salinity up is to mix some water like your about to do a water change.Mix it to 1.026.Then just use that to top the tank off with until the tank salinity reaches 1.026.After that,go back to topping off with RO/DI water.You dont want to bring the salinity up to quick.
For the temp,anywhere between 78 and 82 is fine,as long as there no more than a 2* swing in a 24 hour peroid.

 

[KidJ57]

+1 yote

 

[dyeguy]

thanks yote! So I cleaned my filter, boosted the SG slightly through a water change (now its 1.023), cleaned my tank (wasnt very dirty in the first place tho) and have the temp at 80* and now the crabs are happy as well, crabs.

In the end I lost 1 crab but the 4 that are still left seem to all be thriving. Thanks everyone for your help!