The coolest thing i've ever seen!!

Rikerbear · May 12, 2013

Thanks for the update. Hope she is still there AND there are some babies too :smile:

Mike J. · May 12, 2013

Your chances of some of the crabs surviving are actually pretty good. Larger crabs, like Blue Crabs, can have a million eggs. Their number 1 cause of demise is predation. Especially, when they are soft from molting, which they do very frequently when they are very small. Crabs, and their larvae are a major food source in the ocean. Crabs, generally, only live two to three years; four years old is rare. It's doubtful that your crab died from her eggs hatching and is most likely in hiding, which they are good at. I used to shed Blue Crabs to sell as softshell crabs. They can shed from spring to fall, but the major sheds are the full moons in April and October; with lesser sheds on the new moons. Unrelated to this is last night all my snails were spawning. I have two ex-large turbo snails and the can really slime up a tank. I have way to much flow in that tank to have many of them make it, but still expect to have a couple that will get in the rocks and make it. The protein skimmer was full this morning. So, I expect the same with your crabs. Very cool, isn't it.

Mike J. · May 12, 2013

I forgot to add that crabs only hatch eggs one time. On their last molt a male (jimmy) will hold her and protect her until she sheds and then will turn her over and inseminate her. The female will generally live for a year after this.

Mr. E Wrasse · May 13, 2013

Mike J. said:
Your chances of some of the crabs surviving are actually pretty good. Larger crabs, like Blue Crabs, can have a million eggs. Their number 1 cause of demise is predation. Especially, when they are soft from molting, which they do very frequently when they are very small. Crabs, and their larvae are a major food source in the ocean. Crabs, generally, only live two to three years; four years old is rare. It's doubtful that your crab died from her eggs hatching and is most likely in hiding, which they are good at. I used to shed Blue Crabs to sell as softshell crabs. They can shed from spring to fall, but the major sheds are the full moons in April and October; with lesser sheds on the new moons. Unrelated to this is last night all my snails were spawning. I have two ex-large turbo snails and the can really slime up a tank. I have way to much flow in that tank to have many of them make it, but still expect to have a couple that will get in the rocks and make it. The protein skimmer was full this morning. So, I expect the same with your crabs. Very cool, isn't it.

Thats awesome! Thankyou so much, you taught me a lot! Do you by chance have any idea if some did survive, when I would be able to see them or when they would start coming out of the live rock at night? This happened april 19th

Mike J. · May 13, 2013

When they are tiny they shed every few days if they have food, which I'm sure in a tank they do. Then every couple weeks. I'm only guessing on this species of crab, but I'd say in two months they should be about 5/16" and you'd be able to see them. If your lucky - they are great at hiding. Your best chance is to look at night for them. Crabs are actually pretty smart.

Mr. E Wrasse · May 13, 2013

Yeah I will start looking harder at night especially since these guys are nocturnal. And they are really smart haha

Mr. E Wrasse · May 26, 2013

So tonight while feeding my chalice I was inspecting the rest of my tank. I looked in the back and saw little grayish transparent figures scurry about and then go into the live rock. Not sure if they were baby strawberries or something else but whatever they were I havnt seen them before