hermit crabs appearing from do not know where from

[billy mitchell]

just another thing I want to find out in the quarantine tank with 2 large live rocks and PVC pipes a few fish too(3)
have 3 blue legged hermits...2 weeks ago there was a hermit crab remains on the bottom of the tank...looked and there are still 3 hermits there and just yesterday another hermit crab remains was on the bottom of the tank but there are still 3 there
only ever put in 3 so where did the dead 2 come from

 

[NicoH]

They were shedding.

 

[Crooked Reef]

All crabs and shrimp molt periodically. I would pull the molt out and throw it away in a QT but in your display it is not that big of an issue if you cant reach it. The biologocal filter and clean up crew will take care of it.

 

[Badbrad8500]

+1 on the molt. My cleaner shrimp does it regularly. No need to worry!

 

[Sk8r]

They do it particularly at a water change.

 

[ca1ore]

I think we've all 'fallen for' the molt at some point. My son's tank had a Sally lightfoot crab and we would periodically see a molt, that looked just like a dead crab, and he would cry before I told him it was essentially just crab skin. Then one time it's actually was the crab dead

 

[Big_Boss_77]

I bout washed my hands of the whole hobby first time my emerald crab molted... I'd kinda grown partial to him. He was standing at the pinnacle of one pile of live rock with his arms stretched out to the heavens... and stayed that way til I pulled out his "body"