Help: Oh yes, another hermit crab not moving thread..

[ellg40]

Hey there,

Having searched around - I realise that I'm far from being the only person posting about this, but I also have not been able to find any conclusive answer, so hopefully people don't mind if I ask!

As the title suggests, I have 2 scarlet hermit crabs, which have been in my tank (48 inch tank, not sure if this info is needed, but it says to include it on the disclaimer!) for 3 days. They haven't been moving all that much but were grazing on my live rock for a while (fully cured!), which I just associated with the stress of acclimation etc. but in the last 24 hours or so, neither has moved at all. I understand that SG needs to be at 1.023 for crabs, mine's only at 1.022, but still working on raising it gradually so as not to get a shock. Temp. is 26 degrees C, and there is no ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels are where they should be and pH and alkalinity are also right (acording to my Red Sea Marine Lab kit, at least!). I also know that there has definitely not been any copper treatments in the tank, but I'm not sure whether this information is important. What do you guys think the cause of them not moving is, is it anything for me to worry about, and if it is, what can I do about it?

As this is really my first try, understandably I'm quite cautious, and would hate for them to die. I appreciate any help!

[beachcomber]

It's hard to say for sure, I had an XL hermit for a while that would spend a lot of time in his shell without moving but was always healthy. I say was, because I had to re-home him to my LFS. They are very destructive to a reef environment, because they are scavengers. I say that in the nicest possible way! Anyhow, give them time and do frequent water changes. Are you adding supplementle calcium? I use Tropic Marin powder. Normal seawater contains about 410 PPM.