Porcelain Crab Help (Sick? Dying? or Moulting?)

[Glasswalker]

Hey, so I've got some other posts on here, proud of my little Porcelain Crab. He was happy just yesterday, behaving perfectly normal. He's been eating (From what we can tell) and behaving fine.

Today my wife woke up to find him on his back and kicking his legs. She thought he fell and couldn't get up, so gently tipped him back onto his feet.

He crawled to a spot near the back/center of the tank on the sand bed, where he stayed in an odd position (kind of splayed out funny).

When I got home I looked at him and he definitely isn't behaving normally, to me behavior doesn't appear "good" based on what his previous behavior was like. That said I've never seen one moult before, so wondering (hoping) that's all it is...

Specific Details:
- We added him June 4th, he's been in the tank over 20 days happily.
- Thread I posted about him directly: http://reef2reef.com/threads/advice-tips-on-caring-for-porcelain-crab.252214/
- Video of him just yesterday I posted on youtube: - Video of him from about a week ago: - Photo (bad sorry, can't seem to get a clear one due to his position and refraction):

- In the pic his legs are at an odd angle, his feeding "arms" are extended, but fans not fully extended, and he's not "using" them at all, just leaving them hanging out there, and his right claw is splayed out to the left...
- Shortly after this pic, he moved himself about 8-9 inches away to the base of a rock, and flipped himself onto his back where he lays... He twitches his arms/legs sometimes, but otherwise isn't moving much

Tank Details:
65G Display
20G Sump
Cycle completed end of May basically.
Parameters have been stable up until recently, I'm a bit concerned that the sudden spike in Nitrate may be causing this.
Parameters stable up until now:
1.025 salinity
8.0 ph
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
0 nitrate
0 phosphate
78f temp

We hadn't tested water in several days, and yesterday we tested to find Nitrate at about 5.0ppm
Today we found it to be somewhere between 10ppm and 15ppm
Doing water change tonight to try and cope with it. But concerned about this spike.

Anyway, just added our clowns, and they seem fine. Other inverts all seem fine too. No idea what's causing the sudden spike in Nitrate.

Hoping the crab is fine, he's one of our favourite critters... happened so sudden.

Any help/advice anyone can provide would be appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Roboson]

I can't tell from the photo, but if he was molting he wouldn't be out in the open. Crabs tropically try to find a spot to molt with good flow, typically higher up in the tank. Can you get a picture of where he is now?

 

[Mattrg02]

What's the lifespan on these guys? If he was big when you got him, he may be near the end. :-(

I always insist on small fish/invertebrates and large coral frags.

 

[Roboson]

I always insist on small fish/invertebrates and large coral frags.

Smart strategy there.

I'd say that they live for a few years, but that's not something I know off the top of my head. He doesn't seem to be huge, but he's not tiny either. Could be his time, but I doubt it's old age.

 

[Glasswalker]

Yeah, we've had him for 20 days, he's about 1.5" across tip to tip, from what I understand he can grow to about 2", so he shouldn't be old-age... If it's his time, so be it, but want to make sure if there is something I can do for him, I'm doing it

Here are the additional pics requested:

Pic of tank, showing power head locations and where he is (left-hand forward corner of the right-hand island, near center of the tank, right against the rock at sand bed):


Pic from a little ways back showing him (on this pic, back next to the small island in the background, back left corner, is where he was in the other pic, he's moved to this location):


Another close-up, this one much more clear:


Double-checked parameters. Confirmed:
1.025 salinity
Temp good
Ammonia, Nitrite, and Phosphate all 0
Nitrate is about 10 (after double-checking not quite as high as I thought, still climbing fast for 24h, but not too bad, doing water change to bring it down)
ph 8.0

So I doubt it's parameters...

Clowns are being very passive, doubt they beat him up. Otherwise he was one of the first additions to the tank, nothing else bothered him.

 

[Roboson]

Has he molted in your tank before?

 

[Glasswalker]

Nope, never in our tank. Got him from LFS early this month.

 

[Sabellafella]

Yeah, we've had him for 20 days, he's about 1.5" across tip to tip, from what I understand he can grow to about 2", so he shouldn't be old-age... If it's his time, so be it, but want to make sure if there is something I can do for him, I'm doing it

Here are the additional pics requested:

Pic of tank, showing power head locations and where he is (left-hand forward corner of the right-hand island, near center of the tank, right against the rock at sand bed):


Pic from a little ways back showing him (on this pic, back next to the small island in the background, back left corner, is where he was in the other pic, he's moved to this location):


Another close-up, this one much more clear:


Double-checked parameters. Confirmed:
1.025 salinity
Temp good
Ammonia, Nitrite, and Phosphate all 0
Nitrate is about 10 (after double-checking not quite as high as I thought, still climbing fast for 24h, but not too bad, doing water change to bring it down)
ph 8.0

So I doubt it's parameters...

Clowns are being very passive, doubt they beat him up. Otherwise he was one of the first additions to the tank, nothing else bothered him.

This bottom picture looks like he molted, if you look at the legs they look hollow. Try looming to see if hes hideing

 

[Roboson]

Make sure your tank has trace amounts of iodine. It's important for crustaceans, especially with molting.

 

[smh254]

This bottom picture looks like he molted, if you look at the legs they look hollow. Try looming to see if hes hideing

I agree all the still photos look like old shell.

 

[Glasswalker]

Woot! He's all good. We found him and he's alive and quite well elsewhere in the tank.

He moulted. I thought the same thing about the legs, but just wasn't sure what I was looking at. Movement of the skeleton must have just been flow.

Phew

Thanks!

 

[JAWS 32]

I agree with sabellafella... it looks like a shell...I have had my porcelian crab for about six years and whenever he moults, he goes under a rock and wont come out to eat for about 2 or 3 days...good luck with him!