Imagine my surprise...

[SWMWTHDAFISHES]

OK, so a few weeks after I started my tank up, I purchased 2 emerald crabs. Well, 1 of them died last week I scooped him out and disposed of him. So, imagine my surprise when I walked over to the tank today and saw 2 emerald crabs on one of the live rock and they weren't small! Holy cow!!!! What the... I was so shocked! I have had this tank running for 6 or 7 weeks now and I watch it ALL THE TIME. I couldn't believe that, if he was a hitchhiker, I hadn't seen him before. He is funny enough, about the same size as the one that died. Crab resurrected? This is definately the wierdest experience so far! The only explanation is that he is a hitchhiker that has not shown himself until now. Either that or I have totally lost my mind!!!

1 + 1 = 2

2 - 1 = 2 ??? HUH?

 

[Navarre]

Crabs, shrimps etc shed their skins usually when they are added to a new tank (different water conditions).

What you probably threw away was in fact just the old shell of the crab. The crab will have shed its skin and hidden away whilst its new shell hardened off.

 

[SWMWTHDAFISHES]

They molt, too?? I had no idea that they molted! Cool. I had that happen one time before with a coral-banded shrimp, but never even thought of that possibility with an emerald crab. Had no idea that that type of crab molted. It never gets boring, does it?

 

[Navarre]

Yep! All crabs, hermit crabs, shrimps, prawns, lobsters etc will molt. They shells cannot grow like the normal skin so when the creature is ready to grow then they shed their skin and the new one underneath (which is still soft) is then pumped full of blood (i think its blood anyway) which helps to harden the shell over a few hours. once the shell is hard then the creature cannot grow again until it can make a new shell.

They also do not shed skin just to grow. Changing water condition (such as beng added to a new tank) may well trigger a molt.

 

[Great Lakes]

I remember that hapening to me when I first started out.

GL