Did I just kill a molting hermit crab?

[falesdk]

So I finished cycling my new tank, and 3 days ago bought 10 hermit crabs, 5 turbo snails and a Darwin clown. I came home from work this morning, and as the lights were coming on I saw a hermit crab just flopping in the current. I assumed it was dead, but couldnt understand why as my ammonia and nitrite are 0 and my nitrate is about 5. I in a knee jerk reaction pulled the dead thing from my tank.

I poked and prodded him for a bit, and ended up pulling him from his shell. His body is fully intact and doesnt smell bad. Which made me wonder. Now i'm reading that it may have just been molting. Whoops. I put him back in the tank in a highly visible spot so i can keep an eye on any decay through the day. Am i wasting my time? I feel like pulling it out of its shell doomed it even if it was molting, but id hate to kill him if he might survive by taking it back out of the water.

I should have realized, theyve been playing swap the shell for the last day, with the extras i put in there.

Ugh.

 

[CrayolaViolence]

hermit crabs are super tough. he'll probably be fine.

 

[jml1149]

It's not worth the risk. Hermit crabs are destroyers of things we love and grow. They're fun at first but wait until you see it start munching on something it shouldn't.

 

[falesdk]

I know hermit crabs are a risk, but Ive never had one damage anything in 10 years.

Well if he hasnt dead initially, he is now. I never saw any signs of decay, but another hermit crab ate him head to tail. Oh well.