Green Emerald Turned Red!!!

[bluegill]

i would have posted this on the inverts board... BUT ITS GONE?!?!?!?!
anyhow... I bought 2 green emerald crabs last week. before that the only crabs I've had (in my tank) were blue legs. so far i like the emeralds alright. fun to watch them eat. but i'm rambling...
the point is, i checked out my tank this morning and one of them sob's is red! either that or one of them is missing and suddenly a new red crab has appeared. unlikely, seeing how its been over 6 months since i've added rock and i have NEVER seen this red crab before. i refuse to believe that he's been in there all along. especially since i noticed him right after the emerald addition.
please good people, let me know. am i:
1. going color blind and this is really green
2. ignorant to the fact that emeralds turn red sometimes
3. totally mistaken and this red crab has been in my tank for months.
i'm guessing its 2. if nothing else i know i'm ignorant of a lot.

 

[adrian]

Hmmm, dont really knwo what to tel ya I would say wither your emerald didi indeed turn red, I was had a purple one so I know they arent all green, or this is the forst time youve seen the red crab, crabs can appear every now and then even if its been a while since you added anything to the tank. They will satay hidden until they reach a certain size and then make an appearance. hth

 

[broomer5]

bluegill,
1) I seem to remember a post on here months ago on the same subject - did a search but could not find it - maybe it's gone with the Inverts Board.
Anyway ... I remember someone posting that their Emerald Crab turned red, and if not mistaken ( which I could be ) I thought someone mentioned they can turn red right before molting. Maybe that is a possiblity.
2) Or as Adron420 replied, could be a hitchhiker crab that is just now visible. Possibly the addition of the 2 emeralds drove the red one out of hiding. Dunno for sure bout that either.
3) If you're having trouble distinguishing red from green, just be careful at all traffic lights
Hope someone here can answer this question for you
Brian

 

[kappadoku]

Ive never seen it happen, so I cant be sure, but look for a molt. The shock of transport and a new tank commonly causes critters to molt. Maybe he molted and will turn green again after his shell hardens up.
keep us advised on what you find out. Lots of ppl would like this solved once and for all.

 

[bluegill]

molting may very well be it. the only thing i noticed with the red one that wasn't on the green was the fur on the legs - gone. other than that it was the same size and shape as the other green emerald so this is very likely.
i took pictures of it but couldn't make them work on here. that would probably have helped in identification.
well, when i complete the saltwater section of my personal site i'll post the link to it so that the thing can be viewed.
thanks for the suggestions.
bg
p.s. - anybody know why they did away with the inverts page?!?!

 

[bluegill]

i'm gonna have to go with the molt. looking between the joints of its legs, red can be seen, even though its green again. i can only assume that this is what lies beneath the exoskeleton.
i'm guessing now that the crab had shed the exo just prior to me seeing it. thx for the answers. i'll post some pics this week.
and btw - thats a killer reef ya got there adrian!
later guys.
bg