Damaged Porcelain Crab - Eaten

[Mark Goode]

Yesterday morning I introduced a couple of small porcelain crabs to my tank, one of which arrived missing a claw and at least one leg. By evening both crabs appeared settled and were 'fishing'. First light this morning they were both settled in a BTA.

I've just watched the remains of the missing claw crab being torn apart by blue-knuckle hermits.

Would the missing claw have been a factor in this? Or were they going to kill it anyway? If the latter I'll try to catch the survivor and put him in the sump until I can arrange a better home.

Thanks.

 

[JTP424]

Depends on if he was killed by the hermits or died due to stress, starvation etc. Hard to determine Imo.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

So did one of the porcelain crabs die, or its just a claw? Or you assume the porcelain was eaten by the hermit because the hermits are eating the claw? I;m sorry I don't follow the story.

I find that hermits move even slower than snails, porcelain crabs move pretty fast. I don't see any way hermits would catch it and kill it.

 

[Mark Goode]

So did one of the porcelain crabs die, or its just a claw? Or you assume the porcelain was eaten by the hermit because the hermits are eating the claw? I;m sorry I don't follow the story.

I find that hermits move even slower than snails, porcelain crabs move pretty fast. I don't see any way hermits would catch it and kill it.

The porcelain crab was shipped with a missing claw, something I understand happens a lot with these crabs.

What I saw the hermits pulling apart was basically a lump of meat with one claw attached. It was definitely not a moult, and shortly after I noticed it the zombie snails emerged from the sand to share the feast.

I was wondering if the missing claw hindered any struggle to resist the attack from the hermit, or if they would have killed it anyway. It's possible it died from some other cause of course, but it seemed fine an hour earlier.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

no way to ever know, but if it died the first night you had it I would figure it was sick already. In my opinion, a hermit can't catch a healthy porcelain crab, porcelains are very quick. Personally I wouldn't worry about the other one.

 

[Mark Goode]

Amazingly, I just found this crab alive. It has no claws, only one leg and its feeding appendages are gone. Incredible.