Weird things happenening...Possible cause

my inverts are very lethargic, hermit crabs and snails are hardly moving, i have 3 snails 5 hermits, 1 big blue legged hermit has been sitting in the same place solid for 3 days, if i touch the shell he moves back within the shell, but its like a film they have all just stopped moveing, very weird, having said this i do have a xanthid crab in there that i got as a hitchiker, spotted him dragging a turbo snail away then the other morning i took the empty shell out, and this morning the big hermit that has been sitting there for 3 days has disappeared out of his shell too, i understand i need to get that crab out asap, but why are all inverts playing musical statues? any ideas? thanks in advance...

 

Have you checked your nitrates?

 

do you have a grounding probe?

 

heater go out on ya? whats the tank temp?

 

Ok forgot to add a few things, sorry...

tank was bought brand new, its been up and running now for 5 months along with 200watt heater.
its a 55 gallon, inverts have been in there for 3 and half months.

Nitrates at 5ppm
temp 80f
no treatments or supplements ever added, all i have added is salt on a water change...
and no i have no ground probe, is there no other way i can check for current in the water?...

 

Ground probes are cheap, and a good ideal. I had stray current in one of my frag tanks but could only feel it if there were little cuts on my hand, thought it was just salt sting. My Achilles tang started turning white though, so we added a probe and no more issues.
May not be your problem, but like a said always a good ideal when you have electricity and water

 

you can check with a multi-meter just set it to look for the smallest traces of voltage it can read

 

Try finding one in the UK! They only seem available in the US and the shipping costs dont make them cheap at all!

 

I know haveing problems finding one over here, as yet no luck, will keep searching...