Just a few questions regarding molting

[Thatfranke]

So I got a crab back in August of 2018, which is 9 months ago. As soon as I got him natural shells, he dug himself a hole and then came up and changed his shell. He was down for maybe a week or so. This was maybe 1-2 months after owning him, but I can’t remember so it’s give or take. Fast forward to now, I just upgraded the size of his tank. I fed him a treat of some chicken and he ate a lot! Then a took a saltwater bath and then a small nap. I stopped watching him after that and turned off his lamp. About an hour later I went back and he’s buried himself in the substrate. Could he be entering a molt? How would I go about caring for a molting crab? He is currently the only crab in his cage due to unfortunate circumstances, but I was thinking about getting another. If I were to get another and keep it in ISO, would this be the time to do so? I have a spare tank to keep the new crab in and I would plan on not introducing him to Roy’s environment until Roy shows his pretty little face on the surface again.

Also I’ve heard if a crab feels his environment is unoptimal for a molt he will put it off and eventually he will not be able to survive a molt when he gets around to it as a result. Has anyone heard of/experienced this? I’m so nervous because I just changed the substrate to something that’s more overall moist and fine.

I’m so scared I will lose him in the molt.

He also chose to bury himself on the side of the tank that is out of range of the light/heat source. He is far enough down that I don’t think the surface being heated would make a huge difference, but should i worry about heating him at all?

[Oliviet#1]

I’m not sure about you heating question but he could be molting. You should probably keep feeding and changes the water too. I would probably wait to get the new crab (for about a week or 2) just in case your first crab takes a few months to molt, and you should probably keep it in your other tank until your crab is done molting. I am a beginner crabber so you should consider these replys. Hope this helps!

[curlysister]

What are you using for substrate? How deep is it? How large is your tank?
Do you have gauges to measure the temp and humidity? Where are they and what do they read?
What do you use for a source of heat, just the lamp?
What brands do you use for dechlorinator and salt?

You are correct that if conditions are not optimal, they can delay molting and it can be too late.
When a crab is under the surface, it is important to keep all the conditions optimal in the tank. The temp and humidity are important, whether the crab is on the surface or under it. A crab can be under for months when molting. If the surface temp and humidity are not correct, the substrate can dry out or get too wet, the temp of the sub will be affected, etc. Continue to put out and change food, although I usually put out less if both my crabs are down because it just goes bad. But you don't know when a crab could come up, and some will come up only for a short time to eat and drink and then go back down, so it's important there is food for them. Same with water, change it as you regularly would.

When you add a crab to a tank, you don't necessarily need to iso it. Many people will just dunk it in the fresh water in the tank, so that the 'foreign' smell is removed. If the crab is the same or similar size to the one you have, be sure there are enough shells for everyone to choose from.

[Thatfranke]

What are you using for substrate? How deep is it? How large is your tank?
Do you have gauges to measure the temp and humidity? Where are they and what do they read?
What do you use for a source of heat, just the lamp?
What brands do you use for dechlorinator and salt?

You are correct that if conditions are not optimal, they can delay molting and it can be too late.
When a crab is under the surface, it is important to keep all the conditions optimal in the tank. The temp and humidity are important, whether the crab is on the surface or under it. A crab can be under for months when molting. If the surface temp and humidity are not correct, the substrate can dry out or get too wet, the temp of the sub will be affected, etc. Continue to put out and change food, although I usually put out less if both my crabs are down because it just goes bad. But you don't know when a crab could come up, and some will come up only for a short time to eat and drink and then go back down, so it's important there is food for them. Same with water, change it as you regularly would.

When you add a crab to a tank, you don't necessarily need to iso it. Many people will just dunk it in the fresh water in the tank, so that the 'foreign' smell is removed. If the crab is the same or similar size to the one you have, be sure there are enough shells for everyone to choose from.

I am using eco earth as a subtrate. I just put him in a bigger thank yesterday so it’s fresh, but switched to eco earth about a week or so ago. Humidity is at about 83%. I use instant ocean for salt and Aqueon for water conditioning. My thermometer broke and I haven’t had the chance to replace it. My lamp is the only source of heat I have and set up to shine mostly on one side of the tank. He chose to bury himself in the area opposite the lamp.