Hermit Crab Molting..NEED HELP ASAP! PLEASE!

[hnf2k]

now i am starting to get concerned. are all my hermit crabs dying or are they molting. i just looked and i have one in my tank now. there again is no shell near him. i'm going to leave him there until someone tells me what to look for so i know if he molted or is dead. i will also leave him there to see if the current carrys him a little. if he stays in the same spot for the next few hours then im assuming that he couldnt have traveled in the current. any info would be greatly appreciated asap, so that this way if he is dead he doesnt raise my ammonia too much...thanks in advance.

 

[new]

when i get concerned like this i just count the hermits that are moving around, another indication is my hermits are on anything that has died very quickly but they leave moltings alone.

 

[herbbie]

I don't think you have to worry about a spike with a 180 gal. tank. I know that a molt can look EXACTLY like a dead crab, claws and all.

 

[hnf2k]

ok, well i dont know if i couldnt see well or not, but the molt or dead body is not there, only the claws are. but still no shell nearby, how could he die and not have his shell near him? when one of my hermit crabs died i left his shell in the front of the tank, and if hermit crabs have come by to switch shells with his, there is always a shell that remains there, so is it safe to assume he molted because there is no shell nearby?

 

[slothy]

well with 9 snails shouldnt be too hard to count , you could poke him and see if it scatters away....
ya when mine molted i about crap, they look like a new crab.. but dont move like one, go fiqure ehhehe...
but a tank that big your ammonia wouldnt even budge with oen of those dying..

 

[hnf2k]

it wasnt moving, no shell was anywhere near it. it is hard to count because there is 200 lbs of live rock which gives them a lot of rock they can climb on and a lot of rock they could be behind.

 

[fireeater]

HNF2K,
I have had some hermits molt and some die in my tank recently.
This is what I have noticed about them and how you can tell the difference.
When they molt, you will see legs and claws laying around, I have yet to see a whole body, seems with mine they molt in pieces. Plus when they molt, the pieces seem to stay the same color as it is nothing more than a shell.
When one dies, sometimes he dies in his shell and other times he falls out of his shell. Either way the whole body is there and it turns pink and starts to decay quickly. I have not seen the other hermits mess with a dead one, though the only fish I have in there will eat his soft body leaving the head and legs part.
By now I am sure you have figured out if yours died or molted but I hope this helps in the future.