half eaten crab [Archive]

miked78231

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 09:57 AM

the other day i found a half eaten crab at the bottom of my tank. it was out of the shell and all that was left was its legs. i have know idea how this happened. all i have is one yellow tang, a clown fish, and 2 yellow tailed damsels. have any of you heard of this happening.

carlinsa

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 09:59 AM

did it just molt or was it murdered. ???? cause i thought i had a murder in my tank last night and it was just the molt my purple lobster was eating

GaryP

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 10:01 AM

Chances are it died and was just scavenged by some of the critter in your tank. None of the fish you named are natural predators of clams. Something like a trigger would attack a crab.

Are you sure that the crab just didn't molt and you are seeing the cast off shell? After the molt they will often crawl back somewhere secure until the new shell hardens and you may not see it for a while.

miked78231

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 10:01 AM

not too sure what you mean by molt but it looks like bloody murder to me

GaryP

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 10:05 AM

As a crustacean grows it sheds its outer shell (carapace). The new shell is soft and takes a few days to harden. Ever heard of soft shell crabs? Same thing. The molted shell looks like an empty version of the crab or shrimp. Its often thin and sometimes almost transparent looking, especially with shrimp.

miked78231

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 10:06 AM

oh, well there was no shell it was just the legs with no body.

Undead_Incorporated

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 10:07 AM

i think the butler did it..

miked78231

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 10:08 AM

with the fish net in the living room

GaryP

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 10:10 AM

Sometimes when they molt it doesn't leave come off in one piece. Just keep an eye out for your crab, it may appear again in a few days. What kind of crab was it?

miked78231

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 10:12 AM

im not sure, i had bought an assorment of crabs from bob a while back. the crab had red legs and red eyes thgouh. hey thanks gary.

Undead_Incorporated

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 10:14 AM

oo.. a redleg hermit?

Undead_Incorporated

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 10:16 AM

we've had that happen to our reds and blues.. dont know why.. they just show up dead sometimes :: shrugs ::

brewercm

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 10:36 AM

Sounds like a redleg hermit and hopefully it was just part of a molt. Like Gary said, just keep and eye out and maybe it'll show up again later.

satx-94integraLS

Sat, 28th Jan 2006, 04:57 PM

ive had crabs vanish and reappear many times.

plz dont tell me that was the big monster i gave you.. that guy was big and cool!

on the crab legs you found, was there a white-ish tissue kinda attached? or was it just legs?