Halloween Hermit Crab (Ciliopagurus strigatus) care  - 08/26/06 Hi know from reading on your site you don't like crabs in a reef tank but I do have a few. (Crabs & questions) I think my Halloween Hermit Crab is dead I cant tell if he is still in his shell. In the past he has molted and I could swear he was dead but than in an hour he would me moving and by the next day back to his old habits. But this time it's been about four hours. All parameters seem OK PH 8.2 Ammonia 0 Nitrate 10 Nitrite 0 temp 78-82 1.024. The only thing I think of is that I replaced some evaporated water and the salinity went from 1.025 to 1.024 could this be enough of a change ? <Mmm, yes, to effect this behavior, possibly kill Hermits> I have 2 Petrolisthes sp I feed them DT phytoplankton every other day 1 emerald & 6 scarlet red crabs. At night I drop 2 pieces of sinking food tablets in the tank. Is this sufficient food for the crabs there's algae growth green & brown & coral line. Thanks <They will "let you know" if insufficient food is offered... by feeding on each other and the other life in the system. Bob Fenner>

Fading Crab? Hello - <Hi there! Scott F. with you today!> I was hoping you could provide me with some info. I have had a Emerald Green/Mithrax crab for about a year. It is a beautiful shiny green. It looks like it has been waxed. Over the past month or so it has started losing its color and fading away to a whitish gray color. Do you know what would cause this? Could it be a deficiency of some sort? I was thinking it was molting but it has been like this for several weeks now and keeps fading more. Could it be undernourished? Thanks for any help you can provide. Have a nice weekend. Dennis   <Well, it's really hard to say...I think that, if the crab is provided with an appropriate diet, including lots of algae, then it could be anything from water conditions (proper iodine levels- maybe) to calcium buildup on the shell...lots and lots of possibilities...Just keep providing the animal with lots of good food and it should live a long healthy life. Regards, Scott F>