red claw crab molted last night...

[drummerboyevil]

successful molt it looks like.. grew all his legs back. I was cleaning the tank when i discovered this and took out the old molt. This is ok right?

 

[karupshun]

if you leave it in, he will eat it and it will help make his new shell, calcium carbonate is hard to come by in the aquarium

 

[railene]

Hi guys, we bought these crabs last friday and were perfectly fine, settled in very well etc. then suddenly today it just won't move. I poked it a few times and is still alive, but hasn't move from it's spot.
Is this the molting process or just dying? Please advise.

 

[jamiejay09]

im getting these crabs and a new 10g for them in march.... cant wait.. do you keep them in freshwater railene ?? im going to be keeping mine brackish

 

[Newman]

one teaspoon of aquarium salt PER gallon is a good rule for these guys. they would also like access to air, so give them something to climb onto, and out.

 

[Corey]

Definitely leave the left overs from the molt in the tank. Like said earlier, the crab will eat it and it is vital to its healthy recovery. I recently ditched my freshwater tank ideas and made a 10g brackish water tank for my three fiddler crabs (Soon getting one more). If you have any questions or anything let me know. These little guys are interesting to watch!

 

[BadRedTerror]

Yeap!Perfectly fine.As corey stated:let the little guy munch on the molt.

Railene-
Any critter with an exoskeleton will prefer harder water . Red claw crabs will get along without salt but seem to do better with it. Add a teaspoon of salt per gallon -- approximately -- we’re not talking rocket surgery here. Artificial sea salt has lots of ingredients and could be better than plain salt. Avoid table salt. It clouds the water.Your red claw wont move because of difficulties of shedding his molt.
Aquarium salt is what i recommend.