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Cultivated Reef

Emerald Crab molting question.


EPMH59

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I’ve had my Emerald Crab since July. In that time, I have seen all my shrimp molt multiple times, but as far as I know, this is the first time the Emerald has molted in that time. When the shrimp molt, they obviously grow each time, but the growth is so minimal that you can’t really tell by the naked eye. However the growth on the crab after the molt is literally night and day. It’s no exaggeration to say that his claws are now literally TRIPLE the size that they were! He’s huge now. 
 

Do Emeralds truly grow this much after each molt? Or is this some kind of defensive mechanism? I’ve read about blue crabs sucking in water to inflate themselves after a molt while their shells are soft, until it hardens again. Do Emeralds do this as well? I can’t find much information on their molting process other than the fact that they molt lol.

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I've noticed that my decorator crab and my mime crab both notably increase in size after molting. My pistol shrimp wasn't quite as noticeable. 

 

As far as I'm aware, all arthropods suck in air or water after molting. It gives them a little empty space in their shell, so they can gradually grow into it over time. Otherwise they would have to contrive some way to actually expand their body after molting, which would be harder. 

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