emerald crab

[devilboy]

this is not the greatest picture but could someone tell me if this is a molt or a dead emerald crab. how can i tell if its a molt?

 

[bigb]

You forgot the pic. The molt will just be the top (carapace I think) and some legs. You may have the little trap door still connected that it slipped out of. It should just be an empty shell.

 

[devilboy]

yea the pic is up now sorry

 

[bigb]

looks dead to me. It should be hollow.

 

[wax32]

Looks like a dead crab.

 

[devilboy]

greeaaaat... thanks, now thats a shrimp, and a crab i have lost in the past couple days. darn it. on the underside there was a tiny hole maybe about the size of a eraser on a pencil, and i was able to lift open the flap, but i see no way a crab of that size could escape from that tiny of a hole. would it have a smell to it? i smelled it, no smell. i could not tell if it was hollow or not inside i didnt want to tear it open and look... :scared:

 

[wax32]

They are soft when they molt... the flap opens and they pop out.

 

[bigb]

You wouldn't have to tear it apart. You could just tell it was hollow. Like a cicada shell you find in the summer time.

 

[devilboy]

how big should the opening be? and no this shell was not soft, i was squeezing it with a pair of coral tweezers and it wasnt squishy.

 

[wax32]

The new crab is soft, not the shell it shed. The red area is a flap that should be open and look empty inside if it is a molted shell.

 

[devilboy]

yes that is where the flap is at, but it closer to the back almost like where his butt would be. but the opening is very small.....

 

[devilboy]

this is where it is at, i circled it, and off to the right i made a circle, which is about the size of the flap and hole.....

 

[wax32]

I dunno what your little hole is, but believe it or not a crab can squeeze out of that flap.

All that said, it still looks like just a dead crab to me.

 

[devilboy]

i will just wait and see. i have no choice really... i lost a shrimp too. it may be my fault i have been dosing iodine. so i might have over done it.

 

[wax32]

Ack. Yeah never dose Iodine, you get enough in your water changes.

 

[devilboy]

mistakes, mistakes.......

 

[shnabbles]

low PH is a sure invert killer check your PH level