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05/15/2012, 08:27 AM
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#1 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 77
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Dead crab
 my emerald crab died yesterday (RIP dude). He was really cool, and I'm not sure why he died. I checked my parameters and all is great. But my question is, should I remove his body? Before you answer, know that it is on the bottom in the middle of my rock work. So I would have to move most of my rock to get him. Thanks all!
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05/15/2012, 08:31 AM
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#2 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NJ
Posts: 1,313
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Naw let it stay. Don't mess up you rock work for a little crab. If you have hermit crabs the will eat it. The shell will become part of the rock work. Nature taking it's course.
__________________
It is better to ask for forgiveness then to ask for permission.......... Current Tank Info: 75 gal mixed reef, 216w LED, Remora Pro skimmer, HOB fuge, 400w htr, ATO RO/DI, 90lbs LR and 1" SB. |
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05/15/2012, 08:49 AM
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#3 |
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Registered Member
 
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Do you have other inverts, like Turbo Snails, in your tank? If turbo snails, hermit crabs, shrimp, etc. are all still alive and ok, then it was probably old age or something else specific to the crab (maybe it ate something bad like dino). If you don't have the other inverts or they are also sickly and/or dying, then it could be a bad water parameter or a contaminant, usually copper. You could try adding a Poly-Bio-Marine, Inc. Poly-Filter to detect and clean out the contaminant.
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05/15/2012, 09:06 AM
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#4 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 77
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I have a full CUC all seem fine. Haven't seen my pep shrimp in a couple days, but that's not unusual
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05/15/2012, 09:07 AM
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#5 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 77
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I'll leave him though and continue to monitor it
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05/15/2012, 09:10 AM
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#7 |
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I'm a little people
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Over Yonder
Posts: 1,392
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Are you certain it wasn't a molt?
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Stacy |
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05/15/2012, 09:14 AM
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#9 | |
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Moved On
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Staten Island, NY
Posts: 440
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Quote:
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05/15/2012, 09:31 AM
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#10 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NJ
Posts: 1,313
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I was going to ask about molting but I assumed you knew it want dead for sure. After they molt they hide for a day or so until their shell hardens. So if your not sure then you will see after a couple of days pass.
__________________
It is better to ask for forgiveness then to ask for permission.......... Current Tank Info: 75 gal mixed reef, 216w LED, Remora Pro skimmer, HOB fuge, 400w htr, ATO RO/DI, 90lbs LR and 1" SB. |
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05/15/2012, 09:37 AM
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#11 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 77
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I can't get a great view of it, but looks more solid than a molt, also my kids saw him upside down on the sand bed yesterday, still moving a bit.
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05/15/2012, 10:35 AM
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#12 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NJ
Posts: 1,313
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Either way you don't have to remove it.
__________________
It is better to ask for forgiveness then to ask for permission.......... Current Tank Info: 75 gal mixed reef, 216w LED, Remora Pro skimmer, HOB fuge, 400w htr, ATO RO/DI, 90lbs LR and 1" SB. |
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05/15/2012, 10:49 AM
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#13 |
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Moved On
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: phx/east valley
Posts: 917
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^ +1
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06/15/2012, 05:59 AM
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#14 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 77
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A surprising update to this one...exactly one month since my crab "died" and who do I see in the corner of my tank? Mr. Emerald crab. I'm baffled by this one. The strange thing is he used to be pretty open, hanging out in my Xenia or picking at algae in the corner of my tank. What obviously was a molt seemed to make him very shy. I am constantly watching my tank and for me not to see him for a month means he hides all day at least. I'm so glad he is alive, but is this normal in any way?
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06/15/2012, 06:34 AM
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#15 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Lehigh Acres, Fl
Posts: 103
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Maybe they need lots of calcium durring the "hardening" process so it went slower and made him a "hermit" lol. Glad to hear your crab is good...I will be putting as many of these as my tank can support or that is safe for everything else....they are kewl to watch and awesome looking.
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06/15/2012, 07:18 AM
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#16 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Virginia Beach
Posts: 6,659
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My porcelain did the same. I saw his shell and had his filiment hands there too so I was sure he was dead...especially isnce they are running about $15 nowadays....well 2 days later I saw him out in his normal spot filtering water for food.
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06/15/2012, 10:07 AM
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#17 | |
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Registered Member
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Quote:
As sponger0 mentioned, I recommend Porcelain Crabs over Emerald Crabs. Emeralds will get big and eat anything they can catch, including other crustaceans and fish. Porcelain Crabs are filter feeders and are far less likely to attack anything else in the tank. They don't even harass my little Sexy Shrimp (as you can see in the picture below). If you have empty anemones, then the Porcelain Anemone Crabs (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai and Neopetrolisthes maculatus) will associate with them where you can see them all the time (really cool).  I ordered Porcelain Crabs from my LFS, and they got me a Porcelain Rock Crab (need to be specific). My Petrolisthes galathinus is nice, but since it doesn't associate with an anemone I don't see it as much. When I feed the tank, it pops out and starts waving its filter fans - that looks pretty cool. 
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