Hermit crab acting weird again

[Newbie]

Good day all,
Yet again I am turning to all of you for some advice...
We are in month 4 and things are great! We have been very successful with keeping all of our fish, inverts, and keeping our peramiters in check (knock on wood).
My only concern is the behaviour of my hermit crab again. He has like I've been told molted around every full moon. We had one last week and he was exhibiting all the behaviours that he was going to molt again, however a week later and he still hasn't. He has been burying himself in the sand, tucking into his shell and not moving around alot. I think that this is a little long for the whole molting process isn't it?
Now the twist, all this behaviour started when mu husband added our Blue spotted Hawaiin puffer. Could the 2 be related? Crab being an invert is he hiding from the puffer? The puffer hasn't touched any of our snails or the recently added coral that my husband put in.
Can anyone help shed some light to the situation for me.
Thanks again for your help!

 

[naperenterprise]

I may be wrong here, but I don't thing having a puffer in a reef tank is a good idea...

I love puffers, but they love everything in my reef tank too

 

[lcstorc]

I'm not an expert on crabs or puffers since I have neither but I would suspect he is afraid of the puffer. Either that or he can't find a suitable shell to move into.

 

[Newbie]

He has 2 shells in the tank and he has seemed to taken to the one which he has been in for the last month a half. The other shell that he came in is slightly larger than the one he has taken to living in so he has one for room to grow. We do have another one that we can try for him too but I think that is even bigger.
The Puffer is fine so far with the corals. We thought he got one snail but they are all there to. It is the Tang that seems to be going at the corals to get the algea off the rocks underneath (I know Lynn what you will say about the Tang...) we have been there before.
The puffer seems to also have taken up with my clowns. He swims around with them and pretty much stays out of the way of the crab.
Now he does come out and move every once and while making me wonder if he is molting and just can't find a suitable place. The other day he perched himself on the rocks... Should I be worried yet or just let him go for another couple of days?

 

[Newbie]

O.K.
It has been 4 days, and my poor crab still isn't moving.
Today he has been in the same spot all day.
I look at him and he sticks his little antennae out and moves them around
but I don't seem him moving much.
I now have the QT that I could put him in, however, if he is in fact just taking 'FOREVER' to molt then I don't want to stress him out even more.
I was told to lower my salinity a bit as it has gone up to 1.025 as we were told to raise it from 1.021.
I'm at a loss now.
Puffer is still good with the other fish, and the fish aren't even going near the crab anymore. The bad thing is that he is hiding in the corner where Nemo and Marlin like to play...
Is there anyone who has any other thoughts on what I should do?
Also if I do move him to the QT what should I do for food for him?