Emerald passing...

[myownkeeper]

one of my emerald crabs died...
would anyone know why?

[bbl_nk]

Sorry to hear about that! I hate losing anything in my tank

How long in your tank? Did you acclimate them slowly (recommended 1-2 via drip)? What are your tank parameters? Any jumps in parameters?

They seem pretty hardy, I have two in my tank and one has only one pincher that I nicknamed "Hans Ein Zeiger" which is basically one hand

[Skurvey Dog]

And the 25th, 26th & 27th Q would be.... how old is your tank, how much LR and do you supplement feed them? It could be any number of reasons w/o knowing more about your present circumstances.

[Bradman0822]

I have had a fire worm attack an emarald crab before and once i got him out of my tank i put my emerald in a cup and the fireworm came out of the emerald crab... pretty scary stuff

[bbl_nk]

I just got the "alien out of the stomach" pic going in my head! Yeah, I'd freak out too!

[Skurvey Dog]

I have had a fire worm attack an emarald crab before and once i got him out of my tank i put my emerald in a cup and the fireworm came out of the emerald crab... pretty scary stuff

Are you absolutely sure that it was a "fire worm" and not a bristle worm? It is not common to get fire worms in a system. If it was a bristle worm, the crab was more than likely already dead or very near death to have a worm preying on him. They are tank scavengers and are not known to be aggressive.

[Bradman0822]

yeah it was prob. a bristle worm... it was some kinda of orangeish/pink worm

[CarmieJo]

Orangeish/pinkish does sound like a bristle worm. They have been maligned (maybe because they are ugly) but they are very beneficial detrivores and quite desirable. I have grabbed one by accident and it does kind of sting if the bristles pierce the skin. However, I was talking to someone at MACNA and they recommended pouring white vinegar over the site for immediate relief. I'll give it a try next time.