Dead hermit??

[pinkorchid]

Pretty sure I have a dead hermit...

Recently found the crab out of shell towards the back of the tank....one of the other crabs has taken over this ones shell.
I've read about molt and such....could it be that? To me it looks like a dead crab but I've read that molt can appear as a dead crab. Sorry I'm clueless to this....

I'm assuming either way I should get it out of there correct?

[Just_Greg]

it's probably a molt, which will eventually be eaten.  in fact, the scarlet in our NC28 just molted.

either way, you can remove it.  if you're super curious, give it a sniff...you'll know if it's a molt or a carcass!

to be honest, once your tank is mature, stuff like that won't even make it burp...even a fish death isn't so bad.

[Bergy]

you can just look at the carcass.. if it is a molt, it will be empty and thin,, if it is a carcass it will have guts, unless they have already been eaten, but if so, the shell will be thicker, less transparent, almost opaque...


and like greg said, for now, take it out, but later on, you wont even notice... 

unless you have a wave of deaths, shells, etc...

[Hajra]

just cause i am curiious are the hermits in the aquariums a lot similar to land hermits

[Bergy]

im curious too..

btw, what is a land hermit?? are coastal/tidal???  i guess they breathe air???

[Just_Greg]

there are something like 13 or 15 species (sorry i forget the true number) of terrestrial hermit crabs.  they begin life in the ocean, but become air-breathers via molting. after the final "developmental" molt, the juvie must live mostly on land (they can actually drown). however, their link with the sea is never entirely broken because these crabs always carry a small amount of water in its shell to moisten their abdomen and hydrate their modified gills.

i just saw a little clip on some other terrestrial crabs (not hermits) on disc. channel (wild pacific, i think...maybe blue sea) that showed the crabs braving the surf to lay eggs, and frantically trying to get back to land before they drown...the things we do to propagate...

[Hajra]

i only know what i have with trial and error. they from what i know are similar and they do breath air by something like stiffened gills. they have to have a 70 degree temp and 80% humidity to survive. they also drink fresh and salt water. i have 7 in 20 gallon tank. used to have eight but he just wouldnot molt. they molt periodically and change shells as they grow. they eat about anything. what you wnat to know about them and i will try and answer. the only reason i have so many is cause i cant stand to see them in pet store. they dont take care of them and they die of slow suffication. also what greg said is correct. mostly they arent yet fully understood though

[pinkorchid]

Thanks guys!
Just took it out...the carcuss was empty. It did look a little different than when I first noticed it (when I posted earlier), so I'm leaning towards it beind dead and another crab eating the remains. If it was a molt how long *on average* does it take to reappear? Just curious....

Interesting about the land hermits....

[Bergy]

usually, but not always, the freshly deshelled critter stays nearby... they are keeping an eye on thier molt to make sure it gets attacked and not them...


????

[RandyFolds]

I have so many shells lying around my tanks that I never can get a good count on hermits. Way back when, I remember being convinced that several molts were carcasses, only to see them cruising around a little while later. They usually lie low for a few days while their newly exposed exoskeleton hardens. Keep an eye out, and hopefully, he is still kicking.

[Hajra]

i know that land hermits can vanish under the sand for months to molt. not sure about aquarium ones

[cruzincaril]

i was told to tell if its a body or molt it will look empty like the pepp shrimp..my dead crabs have red legs and a body like a bee. but i usually leave dead stuff in there for the populace to take care of...lOL

[Just_Greg]

i was told to tell if its a body or molt it will look empty like the pepp shrimp..my dead crabs have red legs and a body like a bee. but i usually leave dead stuff in there for the populace to take care of...lOL

nope...IME, hermit cuticles aren't clear/transluscent like pep molts.

[cruzincaril]

well it had a body attached to it..thats what im thinking..dead hermm.