Molting?? Or dead??

[kayo1895]

Hey all,

I have had three crabs in a 15 gallon tank for about three months now. One of my crabs I have not seen for a few weeks, nor any sign of it resurfacing. I have areas where the substrate is around 8 inches and the lowest about 4, but there is plenty of space of at least 6 inches. Food and water is changed appropriately and the temp and humidity always are in the mid 70s and high 80%. My tank has not smelled at all and the other two crabs have been active every night and have been seen around the daytime every few days as well. Should I be worried? I have moved some stuff around to clean on one side of the tank because there was a bacterial growth and I did not see the crab in that area. My best guess is it is under a rock dome I have on one side of the tank, but I am worried that I will disturb it if I try to check on the crab. I would like to know if it is dead or just molting, what should I do?

[curlysister]

If your crab is dead, digging it up has no benefit.
If your crab is molting, digging it up could have very serious or even fatal consequences.

So I would wait.

[kayo1895]

If your crab is dead, digging it up has no benefit.
If your crab is molting, digging it up could have very serious or even fatal consequences.

So I would wait.

How long should I wait before being concerned

[curlysister]

At least 4 months.