Emeralds and Chili Corals

[sgt__york]

Just curious if i could get some info on the following...
Chili coral.. i realize they primarily feed at night.. but wanted to make sure this behavior i'm seeing is 'normal'..
My chili coral shrivels to about 1/2 it's nighttime size during the day. It also droops over, as if a wilted plant. However at night.. it perks up.. doubles in size.. and has it's polyps extended all over.
As long as he is doing this - is he doing fine? Or should the daytime 'drooping' indicate he is not doing so well?? Wanted to find out what is normal.
SECOND.. emerald crabs - do they molt at all???
And finally.. i got home today.. from working all night.. at about 6am.. came in and found TWO emerald crabs right in the middle of the Chili Coral. the chili coral still had it's polyps out - but 2 crabs just hanging on and hanging out.. right in th emiddle of it. Is this normal?? I did not witness it pestering it - but i hadn't noticed them crawling up the coral like this before.
After some observation i noticed one of them was not moving at all.. and it's shell had become VERY white. As it is still dark, i have not been able to tell if they had a FIGHT.. and he is dead.. OR if this is a MOLT (if they do that - i know the sally does). I find it odd, if they had fought - that i don't see an exit area.. and that he didn't fall "off" the coral - it's still stuck near the top.
In a few hours, i guess i'll get in there, and remove it.. or observe it once the chili shrivles back up and check things out.
thought maybe someone might have some behavior info on both of these critters, and their interaction with one another.
thanks

 

[hondo]

Emeralds do molt and it's easy to see the molt and think it is a dead emerald. I doubt they are bothering the chili if the polyps are out probably just picking off stray peices of food and algae. the coral sounds like it is acting normal for a coral which doesn't not process light for food.

 

[jonthefb]

Sgt, my chili coral behaves in hte same exact wat and it has been doing this for about three years now. during the day the polyps are retradted into deep calcyes (the cuts on the corals where the polyps open from) and the coral itself is fairly shriveled. At night you are right in that the polyps come out and it feeds. as for the wilted look, its just the coral. it is a soft coral, but much harder thatn other softies. if it is set on a rock it will usually adapt to the rocks shape. As long as its polyps are extending at night, and you are feeding it when this occurs, it should last you forever. i moved mine from when i first bought it to a cave that is totally dark, and now some of the polyps will stay out all day, while others will only come out at night! interesting stuff
as for the emerald, they do molt, and their molst are usually pale green to white in color. They dont molt as often as some other inverts do, but when they do they usually double in size.
as for the emeralds and the chili, i have abou tfive emeralds housed with my chili, and none of them touch it. Hondo is prob right by saying that they are just eating some of the stuff you feed the chil, but they shouldnt adgitate it at all
good luck
jon

 

[sgt__york]

Thanks for the info..
wow.. i didn't relize they molted... usually when 2 emeralds get too close they fight.. i wondered why they were not going at it with each other.. it would also explain why the one was still 'attached' to the top of the chili coral. I think he was just using it as a place to molt
i had kinda dismissed the 'molt' idea, because the crab right below it (touching it really) was indeed "MUCH" bigger. wow.. would be awesome to actually 'WATCH' the molt - i musta just missed it.
Re the chili tho.. the daytime "DROOPING" is normal as well - even if it is fully extended and looking good at night?

 

[jonthefb]

beofre i move mine to a totally dark cave, it woudl do just as you described. IT WAs this way for about two years. i moved it about a year ago when i acquired the perfect rock for it that had a giant cave opening. but the drooping, wilted looking thing is perfectly common, IME
good luck
jon