Is this a molt?

[sangria517]

I do not think this is a moot the remains of my Halloween hermit. It quite sure what happened. He had been in the tank for about 2 weeks. Saw him everyday doing his thing. One day I noticed he was not in plain sight but didn’t worry. It is a 180 gallon tank so, wouldn’t surprised me if he was hiding. 10 days or so went by and still no sight. Today when I was doing some maintenance, I found this in the back of the tank on my sand bed. Gut tells me my hermit is now in the great beyond. No predators in the tank.
1 tiger conch
1 Mexican turbo
Nass snails
Troc
4 clown
1 6 line
1 royal gramma.
1 diamond goby

1.025
80
amm-0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
Phos .6

 

[PharmrJohn]

Hard for me to really tell, but it looks like a molt. They can disappear for weeks on end while the molt takes place. I wouldn't give up yet.

 

[formallydehyde]

I'd try sniffing it. In my experience dead crustaceans start off smelling faintly of cooked shellfish a couple hours after death which gets more intense and eventually ends up as a garbage-y smell. Sometimes people report a rotten fishy smell.

Molts usually smell don't smell any different than tank water or maybe mildly algae-y.

 

[sangria517]

I'd try sniffing it. In my experience dead crustaceans start off smelling faintly of cooked shellfish a couple hours after death which gets more intense and eventually ends up as a garbage-y smell. Sometimes people report a rotten fishy smell.

Molts usually smell don't smell any different than tank water or maybe mildly algae-y.

I can confirm it did not smell. It just seemed really meaty and oozy for a molt. However, I have only seen my shrimp molt and not a crab.

 

[Stomatopods17]

Molt.

Hermits don't have hard exoskeletons (hence the shells) on their more fleshly abdomens so you only see the head/legs.

He's in there somewhere if nothing attacked it once the molt was finished, if it had a shell to return to after molting it should be ok.

 

[Reef Wizard]

I can confirm it did not smell. It just seemed really meaty and oozy for a molt. However, I have only seen my shrimp molt and not a crab.

That appears to be a molt to me. I have seen my scarlet hermit leave nearly identical shape of molt and he is big now lol.


Might be come Lord of the sump if he starts knocking frags

 

[PharmrJohn]

And that brings up a point. Make sure you've got a few hermit shells for it to choose from. With my old 90, I was shocked when my hermit moved from one to another. Don't know why, lol! Just didn't expect it I guess. I had those extra shells in there for their decorative qualities!

 

[sangria517]

And that brings up a point. Make sure you've got a few hermit shells for it to choose from. With my old 90, I was shocked when my hermit moved from one to another. Don't know why, lol! Just didn't expect it I guess. I had those extra shells in there for their decorative qualities!

Thanks! I def plan to go pick him on some spare shells. I was not expecting him to molt on me so soon!

 

[sangria517]

Molt.

Hermits don't have hard exoskeletons (hence the shells) on their more fleshly abdomens so you only see the head/legs.

He's in there somewhere if nothing attacked it once the molt was finished, if it had a shell to return to after molting it should be ok.

Well, nothing should have attacked him. He just has his fish friends and the snails which I just added today. I wasn’t planning on him molting so soon so, I will have to get him some more shells to Inspect. Luckily, I can hit up my lfs on my lunch break tomorrow.