Who's got an Emerald Crab?

[karajay]

How often does yours molt?
I got one a few weeks ago. I used to see it occasionally after the lights went out. And then one day I saw the molt out on the sand bed. Of course, I haven't seen it since-anywhere. So I figure when I see another molt, I'll know it's still alive.
Or perhaps, the molt I saw wasn't actually a molt, but a corpse. :nervous:

 

[jbk65]

I have two in my tank. Both are about 2 - 3 months old. Never have never molted. In general I would be concerned however, my Came;bacl Shrimp molt about once a month. Whenever I feel clams etc, the emerals come out so I am not too worried.
What I have been told is that when they reach full size, they may not molt any more.
HTH

 

[midwest reefer]

Mine seldomly molt. Ive had them for a long time, about 6 months and Ive seen 1 molt I believe. Maybe I just dont see it though... :thinking:

 

[escape2thewater]

I had 2 emeralds. After a couple months I saw a "molt". Then I never saw one of them ever again so mine was a corpse. Hope this is not the fate of yours.......
KYle

 

[karajay]

Well, I'm sure it's not full grown. It was the size of a nickel.
I picked the shell out of the tank with my tongs and it appeared to be just a hollow shell complete with legs and claws. Is that normal? Or did it die and my shrimp ate everything else?

Bummer

 

[joe carey]

They do not molt very often. It may be several months before it molts again. You should be able to open the shell like a clam if it molted. If not, sounds like he may have died. Hopefully, the latter is not the case. They are usually pretty hardy.

 

[elfdoctors]

I have had 7 emeralds for around 5 months. I have had two molts that I am aware of.
You can try to figure out the hinge system to see whether it is hollow inside. I could get the bottom hinge to open but could never open the entire shell. Another way to tell whether it is a molt vs a dead crab would be to smell it; - most dead inverts stink. If it was still closed up tight, the shrimp wouldn't have been able to eat everything.
BTW, they dry up nicely to display outside of the tank.