Reproduction

Clibanarius tricolor reproduce by spawning (Advanced Aquarist, 2011), which means the female will lay her eggs in the water and the male will release his sperm in the water in hopes that the eggs will be fertilized. The eggs that are fertilized will become larvae. The larvae are then expected to survive on their own, and if they survive, will become adults. The larvae are shrimp-like during the first periods of their lives, but soon want to start searching for a place they want to call home. Before they are able to find a permanent home, they would need to like their ancestors before them, molt out of their exoskeletons. After molting a few times, the larvae will grow into an adult to finally search for its gastropodic shell. Clibanarius tricolor are very competitive crabs, so they will constantly be fighting other crabs for bigger and better shells.