do emerald crabs molt?

[mskohl]

My first emerald crab and I just found his shell in the corner. There is no meat in the shell so either he molted or something ate him already.

Is it likely he molted and is hiding?

thanks

 

[ReeferRyan]

Yes. Mine have molted a few times.

 

[keckles]

Yes, they do molt.

It is difficult to say whether you found a molt or a dead/eaten emerald. I suppose you could look for it the next time you feed. Emerald crabs seem to show a large response to feedings.

Good luck, I hope the little guy made it :thumbsup:

 

[luvabunny]

Not to say he didn't molt, but when my octopus is done with a crawdad, the bristleworms in that tank can have his shell cleaned out overnight, leaving me nothing to pick up but a molted looking shell.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

One determining factor is the thickness of the remains. The problem with this is you have to know how thick a dead crab's shell is and how thick his molted shell is. The molted shell is thinner. Most likely, it molted. I hope that the tank he was in didn't have very many predators. A freshly molted crab is a delicacy for most predator fish.

 

[mskohl]

Well, I don't know which it was. I don't think there is anything that got him if he molted, probably just still hiding. When I first got him, I'd only see him occaisionally at night - thought for sure he was a gonner until I pulled out the flashlight. The last few weeks his preferred hiding place was where I could see him though: under a small rock wedged in the corner and then in the braches of my kenya tree. He loves my seaweed select and I've been feeding him a strip every couple of days since he finished off the bubble algae.

I'm going to put some more seaweed on a clip and lower it in this evening. The problem is that all the little hermits try and get it first.