A serial killer walks the sand

[Jaybird]

I've been trying to call CSI all morning but the lines seem busy.



one of my two emerald crabs seems to have viciously attacked last night. All that was left was his shell....no legs or claws attached! The only things in the tank that would be large enough to have done that kind of damage are the two serpent stars, the other emerald crab, my pistol shrimp.

I don't think that the serpent stars would have been fast enough to have caught him, and if they did they wouldn't have dismembered him.

The other emerald crab was a bit larger than him, but only had one claw...the one that died had two. They have been in there for weeks without problem...and it's a 90G tank, so if they want space they got it!

Now, the pistol shrimp. Everyone knows you don't take a sword to a gun fight, but if the crab had tried to get into the burrow the watchman goby would have kept him away (and the goby is only about 1.5 inches long). I've seen him do exactly that to snails and hermits.

Odd. Very odd. So far no one has confessed.

 

[bbecher]

Do you think it could have been a molt?

 

[Jaybird]

Could be. I thought that when the moulted that the legs and claws would have stayed attached to the main carapace as well.

I've never seen a crab moult before....so I can't say. I'll keep my fingers crossed that he shows up in a couple of days.

 

[Zer0]

I'm thinking mantis shrimp.

 

[Jaybird]

I haven't seen one in the tank.....doesn't mean that there isn't one either. I hope not. They are a pain to get out.

 

[melosu58]

I`m thinking molt. Some of the CUC and fish probably ate the legs off. I`ll bet it was the molt. Pull it out and see.

 

[CaptainAhab]

Betting on the molt too. This same type post pops up all the time and it's almost always.............

 

[bbecher]

I'll have to say, they are always good for a first time scare though, haha

 

[Jaybird]

It's too late to pull the shell out and check. By the time I saw it only the main carapace seemed intact....but not totally.

You guys are probably right and it's just a molt and he'll be out in no time chewing on algae again.

 

[newfound77951]

Crabs and shrimp usually hide for a day or two post-molting until the new shell hardens up. Hopefully you will see both of them soon.

FWIW, though, I had a hermit attack and kill my emerald crab. they had coexisted for a long time and suddenly one day the hermit (who was smaller than the crab) decided he didn't like the crab. It was a very one sided fight.

 

[Jaybird]

well, this guy never came back. I got two more emeralds.