Pom Pom Crab Molts (any experience?)

[DogfoodEnforcer]

i have two pom pom crabs in my tank. one was the first "cool" addition to my tank over a year to a year and half ago. the other one was added 4-6 weeks ago. both were doing fantastic and were constantly out feeding and cruising around.

yesterday i came home and found the smaller one sagging on the substrate, no anenomes or anything in its claws. it wasnt there a couple of hours beforehand, yet the colour of this "dead crab" was very light (from my experience dead crabs dont fade that quickly...but then again i havent had a pompom die).

my question is: could this simply be the little guy's molt? or is he toast?

in all my reef keeping experience i have NEVER seen a pompom crab molt, so i have no clue what to look for.

kind of like when i found part of a hermit crab and thought it had been destroyed...only to have the same hermit crab appear on the other side of the tank as happy as can be a couple of days later.lol

 

[ROB2005]

More than likely that is a molt. If he was dead, the "pom-poms" would still be visible on him.

 

[DogfoodEnforcer]

i hope so!

the little fella has had his pompoms since it was added, and i saw it a few days ago and it was going about its business...with pompoms.

i know that if it was a molt then i wont see it for a few days, but im keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[mgers21]

mine lost a claw then when he molted it came back, i was very surprised

 

[toddy boy]

yea very common 2 do that but they will keep doin so as the grow