Dead hermits

[theseamoose]

I have found the remains of several hermit crabs in my tank. The only fish I have are two clowns and a regal tang and I found remains before putting these in.

I have Blue and Red Leg crabs ( or I did!). Can anyone tell me why I am finding half eaten bodies?

 

[drparker]

As they grow they shed their exoskeleton, molting. The empty shells look very real. I'm sure yours have not died and that you are seeing the molts. After they molt their new shell is soft and will take a few days to harden up. They tend to hide a lot until it's hard again.

 

[Everyones Hero]

You say the empty shell looks very real. Do the legs keep the colors?

I was blowing off my LR the other day & saw what I thought was the exoskeleton blow out until I saw the legs which were blue. I figured it was dead. Hmm, maybe he's hiding somewhere in the LR still.

 

[drparker]

Yes it keeps it the color. Kind of greyish body and then the colored legs etc..

 

[Everyones Hero]

Awesome. Thanks for the info. Hopefully he'll fit into 1 of the 4 shells I have laying on the substrate.

 

[theseamoose]

I certainly hope you are right, but there seemed to be some flesh left. I may be mistaken though in that respect as there did not seem to be anything else other than the leg part.

My wife has seen the odd "ordinary" looking small crabs, but as I have not seen these myself I cannot say what they are. I thought that I had seen dead bodies of these in the past, but on reflection they will certainly have been discarded shell.