Shedding Tanks

[Siientx]

I'm going to try to catch some Peelers today with a Jimmy attached to some handline. When i do catch the peelers i plan to put them in an indivinual cooler and keep em in there in enough water. Will they shed if kept in there for a couple days?

[Steve]

Change the water frequently or they'll suffocate.

[Siientx]

Suffocate in what they live in? Or where it sits? And how frequently?

[Steve]

Suffocate in what they live in? Or where it sits? And how frequently?

Put a plastic bag over your head and see how long you will live... after all, there's air inside the bag!!  

Seriously, the crabs will use up the oxygen in the water and die. Depending on how many crabs are in the cooler, you'll need to change the water more/less frequently... say every hour or so. I wouldn't recommend using a cooler to shed crabs unless they're rank peelers.

[jack1747]

The crabs will use up the Oxygen faster then it will be replace via the surface area of the container.  If you catch a buster, a peeler that is already starting to shed, it will likely have time to shed out.

[Siientx]

Can't i just buy some crabpot mesh, make a small box with a top hinged door, pop the crab in there and close him/her up and place it underwater? Then check it for molting progress?

Or better yet wire-tie a collapsable crab trap up and use it as a shedding box?

[jack1747]

ps: If you have never sat and watch a crab shed it's kinda like watching a cake bake!  As soon has its done eat'em.

[jack1747]

Can't i just buy some crabpot mesh, make a small box with a top hinged door, pop the crab in there and close him/her up and place it underwater? Then check it for molting progress?

Or better yet wire-tie a collapsable crab trap up and use it as a shedding box?

use a mini bucket, kept in the water it works great.. only one peeler per bucket cause the crab that sheds first will be eaten by the other

[Steve]

Can't i just buy some crabpot mesh, make a small box with a top hinged door, pop the crab in there and close him/her up and place it underwater? Then check it for molting progress?

Or better yet wire-tie a collapsable crab trap up and use it as a shedding box?

Yeah, a floating live box (or shedding tank) is a very good way to go. Do you live on the water? It could take days for a pink- or red-sign peeler to molt.

[Siientx]

Ok i'll try this! I'll put it in the eelgrass under the water so no a-hole steals it.

[Siientx]

Steve: I live down the road from a Marina. I can walk to the dock.  Takes about 2 mins to get to the dock.

[Steve]

Ok i'll try this! I'll put it in the eelgrass under the water so no a-hole steals it.

If you plan to leave the shedder in the tank overnight, you will probably end up with a paper shell. Professional shedders check their tanks every two to three hours. Otherwise they start hardening up and become unmarketable.

[Siientx]

How do you expect me to get sleep then?

[Steve]

Good question.

[Siientx]

You professional crabbers are insane.  

[rock n crab]

info from maryland DNR site....

Crabs grow by molting or shedding their shell. Just prior to molting, the crab is encased in both the hard, old outer shell and a soft, new one just beneath it. The formation of a new shell is evident along the margins of the swimming paddles of a crab. The earliest indication of the new skeleton is the formation of a black line along the rim of the paddles. When this line turns pink or red, the crab is referred to as a "peeler" or "shedder". Immediately after the molt, the crab's new shell is pliable and easily stretched. In this condition, the crab is called a "soft crab" or a "soft shell crab". Large amounts of water are consumed prior to and shortly after the molt, causing the soft shell to expand and increase in size. This entire process takes 2-3 hours and within 2 hours after the shed, the new shell begins to harden. The "papershell" is formed within 12 hours and an additional 2-3 days are needed before the shell fully hardens. Unlike male crabs that continue to molt and grow throughout their entire lives, females stop growing when they reach sexual maturity, usually after 21 or 22 molts. During this final molt, mating takes place.