hermit crab mystery...

woke up this morning and checked my tank, and noticed the empty shell of one of my hermits. i didnt really think a whole lot of it, but then i noticed that its legs were spread out all over the bottom of my tank. no idea where the body is, which is why i think its been eaten. but the only things i have in my tank that could even be remotely responsible are 2 percula clown fish, 9 other red legged hermits, and a bristle worm or two (the ones i have seen have been pretty small). So did my crab get eaten, or do they just disintegrate when they die or what?

 

also what should i do with the pieces of it? will they go away or on their own or should i manually remove them?

 

probably a molt. i believe hermits molt but not sure. look around you will probably find him in another shell.

 

You can just leave the pieces.

If it did not molt than I would suspect the other hermits in it's demise.

 

It probably molted. I find "half bodies" all over my tank from that. I just leave the legs and all that. The scavengers will eat them.

There is a possibility one of your other hermits killed it (make sure you have a lot of extra shells in there), but I'm going to guess it just molted.

 

ohhhh yeah i didnt even think of that. mystery solved haha thanks

 

Shrimp are crazy molters. The first time I saw a whole body "jacket" on the bottom of the tank I was freaked now its just another day in the sea.