I think my hawkfish ate my emerald crab

[labnjab]

I noticed a few weeks ago what looked like an empty emerald crab shell, like it molted, but turns out it was a dead emerald crab because I haven't seen it in weeks. The shell was hollow like somebody cracked it opened and had lunch. I suspect my hawkfish because their known to eat inverts.

Would it eat just eat the insides and leave the shell, or do they eat everything? Its not a big loss, the crab was only $5, but I was just curious

[Northernguy]

Most fish that eat inverts leave the shell once they are done with the meat.
They are capable of crushing the shell but thats just to get to the soft chewy center!lol

[coachfraley]

Never heard of a hawkfish doing that. Your crab could have died naturally though.

I just had a weird thing happen to mine. All of a sudden his legs just started to fall off. Eventually they all fell off, but he was still alive. It was pretty creepy!

[labnjab]

Our crab was happy and healthy the night before pigging out on hair algae, then the next day I saw it lieing on its back with its shell spit down the middle and claws and legs all over the place. Maybe it was ambushed by our killer hermits if not the hawkfish

[coachfraley]

That does sound like an ambush!

[tim k]

Our crab was happy and healthy the night before pigging out on hair algae, then the next day I saw it lieing on its back with its shell spit down the middle and claws and legs all over the place. Maybe it was ambushed by our killer hermits if not the hawkfish


Maybe it ate so much it exploded :hmm3grin2orange:

Tim