Why do fiddler crabs molt

MFK Forums. Tank Calculator. Log in. Search Everywhere Threads This forum This thread. Search titles only. Search Advanced search…. Everywhere Threads This forum This thread. Search Advanced…. New posts. Search forums. Fiddler crab molting behavior. Thread starter snickers Start date Mar 22, JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Between molts, the crab continues eating and eventually replace sea water with protein and the internal components such as their esophagus and gill coverings that were lost during the molting process.

Not only is molting essential to growth, it is also a way for crabs to regularly rid themselves of parasites such as barnacles and tube worms. If there are any damaged segments of shell, molting is a way to fill in the holes. Missing legs and claws are regrown during this time as well. With many crab species, molting is also a time during which mating occurs. Dungeness crabs, for example, mate when the females are in their soft-shell phase.

Females molt in the spring whereas males molt in the late summer. Some crab species, and especially young crabs will molt more than once a year. Others will molt less than once a year. Still others, like the beautiful Puget Sound King Crab, are largely understudied and unknown.

Crab molting is a matter of particular interest to climate biologists right now. Rising ocean temperatures and increased ocean acidity could have huge impacts on crab growth. Temperature and presence of calcium are key in triggering crab molting, and with those factors changing, the ability for crabs to grow could be impacted. Tomato, tomato. Web Design - Vancouver Island. By the Ucluelet Aquarium. Thunder, from your description, appeaears to be dead. I am so sorry for your loss.

A crustacean's living conditions general health affect its ability to molt. Sick or otherwise unwell crustaceans molt abnormally and may not molt at all, and if a crustacean can not molt when it needs to, it will die. When an illness or stressful situation limits the crustacean from molting, it will literally explode in its shell. The cracks induce sepsis from the numerous infectious agents now able to attack the soft inner body.

In Thunder's case, it appears that his living conditions were suitable generally and he was in more or less robust health, so what other factors might have been at play?

It is possible that, despite Thunder's well-kept tank, the stress from too many visitors kept him feeling unprepared for a molt.

Did one of his numerous visitors offer him something potentially poisoinous? One must keep in mind that Thunder might have been nearing the limits of his lifespan. You don't mention a physical description, but most Fiddlers live no more than two or three years. One species, Uca senex , lives to be seven years old in some cases, but that is an exception to the norm.

It is possible Thunder had scuttled through the greater part of his life when you inherited him, and either his own old age or the stresses of students and moving to your residence finally knocked him off.

One must not blame onesself for such tragedies, however; only in dealing face-front with crustacean rearing and death does experience build. Check out some crustacean or aquarium literature from your local library and consider your time with Thunder. The next little friend you take in will benefit. And when I opened his tank to get some fresh air he's big claw was missing and so was a little point of one? It was so sad.

He was tipped over and I thought he was still alive because he was moving but I guess it was just nerves. I know this is very late since the last post, but I am really curious as to what happened to my crabs and I couldn't find any other source. So I had two fiddler crabs in one tank and for about 2 months they were doing fine, until today. I looked into the tank and I saw a horrid sight. My female crab seemed to be ripped to shreds. The top half was detached from its legs My male crab seemed to be standing normally, but when looked at closer, I could see that his underside was peeled back, like it was hinged open.

It was lifeless. I fished them both out of the tank. I'm extremely confused as to what happened because they both seemed to be doing fine in their environment up until today. They seemed to just explode. It was like a massacre.