Emerald Crab Molt Times - Missing Crab

[agentfive]

Our tank is about 3 months old - and we've had our Emerald Crab molt at 1 month - then he was twice as big and a terror - but we love him.

About 1 week ago he disappeared again - and we haven't seen him since. Could he be molting? Everything else in the tank is great - inverts - water params - etc. He loves to hid up inside this rock - but last molt we could always see his legs - this time - he's just missing.

Any thoughts on how long the molt would be? Could he just not be alive up in the rock?

 

[stingythingy45]

I've had couple of emerald crabs over the past few years.
One was quite large and never molted,just disappeared.The one I have now just molted and is quite large.It was out and about 2-3 days after the molt.

What are you feeding the crab?

 

[agentfive]

I have been feeding the tank reef rations and then mycine shrimp. The crab was loving the algae - green and brown - we have some and there's plenty more to eat - are you thinking he starved? Seems like there's plenty to eat and everyone else is happy.

 

[NHreefer]

If he molted , you should find his old shell, it will look like it got chisled open around where the under legs attach.

 

[stingythingy45]

I have been feeding the tank reef rations and then mycine shrimp. The crab was loving the algae - green and brown - we have some and there's plenty more to eat - are you thinking he starved? Seems like there's plenty to eat and everyone else is happy.

Not sure,
I had one that rarely ate anything other than pellets.
This one a nut when it comes to feeding time.
If the nori clip drops off the glass(and it often does)he's all over it.
Devours Formula 2 green frozen squares.And is always foraging the rocks for any growth.Sometimes I wonder if some of them are picky eaters and don't get enough.

 

[agentfive]

We found his shell last time - so far no shell this time - but prior to disappearing - he was all over the place at night. I'll have to pick up some pellets or something to see if I can get him to come out.

 

[Blueflu1]

I have two and I never see them. I sometimes just see a claw sticking out of a hole, picking algae. I like to play the game sometimes of Find the crab.

 

[stingythingy45]

A lot of articles I've read about Mithrax say they live 2-4 years in our aquariums.The last crab I had seemed to eat more coralline than anything else.That one was quite large when I bought it.It lasted about 5 months and never molted once.This one I have now was smaller,but is quite big now that it's molted.It left the shell upside down on my monticap.

 

[agentfive]

Yeah - I have been playing find the crab daily - at night he would hang on our daisy coral and eat everything there - then he would creep back up into the rock - often hanging out underneath - and at night - he would even move a few things around. Maybe there's not enough to eat - but there's a good crop of green hair algae where the Royal Gramma knocks everyone else off but the Turbo snail - and on the rock he usually hangs under - there's some good pickings there too. I'll just have to watch and wait - maybe bait him with some nori?

 

[stingythingy45]

I have two and I never see them. I sometimes just see a claw sticking out of a hole, picking algae. I like to play the game sometimes of Find the crab.

I had one like that.
This one I have now is almost always out.
He got into a tussle with my rather large serpent star the other day after feeding.The serpent tried wrapping the Formula 1 up in it's tentacal that the emerald had already latched onto.They were actually stirring up sand....it was pretty cool.
The serpent has been successful taking food from my cleaner shrimp.
Pretty sneaky creature.

 

[Blueflu1]

I had one like that.
This one I have now is almost always out.
He got into a tussle with my rather large serpent star the other day after feeding.The serpent tried wrapping the Formula 1 up in it's tentacal that the emerald had already latched onto.They were actually stirring up sand....it was pretty cool.
The serpent has been successful taking food from my cleaner shrimp.
Pretty sneaky creature.

lol. My pepermint shrimps get in fights with my brittle stars. Stars get food and the peps try to take it away. rather humorous.

 

[stingythingy45]

Yeah - I have been playing find the crab daily - at night he would hang on our daisy coral and eat everything there - then he would creep back up into the rock - often hanging out underneath - and at night - he would even move a few things around. Maybe there's not enough to eat - but there's a good crop of green hair algae where the Royal Gramma knocks everyone else off but the Turbo snail - and on the rock he usually hangs under - there's some good pickings there too. I'll just have to watch and wait - maybe bait him with some nori?

Yeah,

You could just load the nori clip with a half sheet and toss it directly on the bottom of the tank.Or get some of those Formula 2(green) frozen cubes that sink.I feed one of those every few days and nori every day.But I also have a Yellow Tang and a Coral Beauty as well.

 

[stingythingy45]

lol. My pepermint shrimps get in fights with my brittle stars. Stars get food and the peps try to take it away. rather humorous.

What's funny is when they're fighting over it and up pops a nassarius snail,"thank you and good bye".