Emerald Crab sudden death

SaltieG

Member
Had something weird just happen in my tank with one of my emerald crabs that I have never seen before. I came home and walked past my tank, nothing out of the ordinary. I came back walking by about 10 minutes later and see one of my emeralds laying on the sandbed upside down dead with its stomach having appeared to to blow out open. Anyone ever see that before? Ive had those emerald crabs in the tank for a long time and never saw anything like that.
 
Sounds like it molted,the molt will look like a whole crab laying there.Look around and you should find the crab hideing.
 
Yea he probably molted. I had accused of the largest of my emerald crabs of canabilising the smaller crab but just as SNAKEMANVET pointed out he just molted. I found the little guy hiding in some rock work.
 
I swear it was the actual crab. It wasnt hollow like a molt would be and was pretty heavy when I picked it up.
 
The first time I saw the discarded molt I thought the same as you. Your crab is most likely just hiding out until his new carapace hardens up a bit.

If you want to be certain pick it out and see if there's any meat in the claws.
 
Not the same but awesome story about an emerald crab. In my friends tank he had about 4 or 5 in a 75 gallon. Well one day he mentions he hasn't seen one in a couple weeks and they always came out to feed on the seaweed strips. So I'm sleeping at his house one day and I wake up to a loud "POP POP CRACK!" Put the flashlight on my phone on look in the tank ...about a three or four inch mantis shrimp snapping a crabs shell and eating it! We took it out placed it in his quarantine and brought it to an LFS.
 
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