HClH2OFish
New member
I accidentally posted this in the fish forums -----
I arrived home today to find Lyle my fuzzy dwarf reef lobster had died. He was molting and it looks like he couldn't release his large arms and died from the subsequent trauma. Anyone have ideas as to what the cause could have been?
He was the only one in the tank. Had him for about 4.5 years. Looks like he wasn't able to get out of his old shell properly and tore off his large arms. He got out of the tail, but without the large claws, he couldn't pull the top shell off. When the main limbs came off, it tore his new chitin which is what the ultimate cause was. I'm just trying to figure out why this molt went so bad. We've gone through many molts in the past with no issues whatsoever.
I could tell when he would be ready to molt as his color would get very dark and he wouldn't eat. He'd push away any krill I offered. When that happened I'd add a bit of iodine and liquid calcium to the tank. Invariably, the next day there'd be his molt and he'd be hiding under a rock until his skin hardened up.
He was a smart little guy. I'd come home from work and go to the computer and wave to him. He'd come out from under his rock and wave his claws at me.
I haven't found much info online regarding their normal lifespan or even things to really look for.
I arrived home today to find Lyle my fuzzy dwarf reef lobster had died. He was molting and it looks like he couldn't release his large arms and died from the subsequent trauma. Anyone have ideas as to what the cause could have been?
He was the only one in the tank. Had him for about 4.5 years. Looks like he wasn't able to get out of his old shell properly and tore off his large arms. He got out of the tail, but without the large claws, he couldn't pull the top shell off. When the main limbs came off, it tore his new chitin which is what the ultimate cause was. I'm just trying to figure out why this molt went so bad. We've gone through many molts in the past with no issues whatsoever.
I could tell when he would be ready to molt as his color would get very dark and he wouldn't eat. He'd push away any krill I offered. When that happened I'd add a bit of iodine and liquid calcium to the tank. Invariably, the next day there'd be his molt and he'd be hiding under a rock until his skin hardened up.
He was a smart little guy. I'd come home from work and go to the computer and wave to him. He'd come out from under his rock and wave his claws at me.
I haven't found much info online regarding their normal lifespan or even things to really look for.
