Red Claw Crab color change

[snacks]

Hi everyone,
My female red claw crab has recently molted and I have noticed that the color of the claws seems to have darken. I wonder if there is anything wrong that I have done? Her diet consist mainly of anchovy as I can't seem to interest her to eat anything else. Do I have to supplement her diet with anything else? Thanks!

 

[dreadboy113]

Hi welcome to aquaria central. Perfectly normal behaviour after moulting. Did you leave the shed skin in for her to eat and replace lost calcium? Also a increase in colour might mean she is feelin broody. I've found with my females Rcc's that before and durin when they are carrying eggs their legs and claws go a lot brighter red than normal [no babys tho]. Try other food, mine get mussels prawns, sinkin crab pellets. But male sure the pellets don't contain copper. Good luck.

 

[snacks]

Thanks for your advice! Her old skin has already been all eaten. Any idea how long does it take for her claw color to return to normal? It has been almost 2 weeks since she molted.

 

[dreadboy113]

I don't think that there is a definate answer to that. How dark are the claws and how big is she. Also what setup do you have her in. I'll try to post a couple pics of my crabs later.

 

[snacks]

Her claws are almost the same color as the rest of her body -- very dark brown to almost black. However, a tint of red could be seen on her claws at some angles. Her body width is less than 2cm in length. I added marine salt to the water in her tank with a piece of wood that reaches above the water. She has a male red claw as her tank mate.