Shrimps Shedding Their Shells

[@ombomb]

How often is healthy?

Mine has shed 3 times in around 4 weeks of being in the tank.

Forgot to mention it's a Skunk Cleaner!

 

[steelhealr]

Sounds too frequent and sometimes indicates water quality issues. Happened to me once and the shrimp did OK. SH

 

[SkiFletch]

Could be that it ate a lot and grew a lot. My hermits shed a bunch when I first introduced them to a diatom feast... Now they've slowed down

 

[@ombomb]

Well water params are basically spot on and the shrimp has grown a LOT since I added it. The shrimp eats VERY well at the moment, I try and feed the clown fish and the shrimp is waiting at the top of the water before the clown has even spotted me.

The larger of my blue hermits and the blue knuckle hermit have also shed since they were added.

Anything specific I should be looking for in terms of water quality?

 

[SkiFletch]

Iodine. As long as there is sufficient iodine the inverts can grow their new skins properly

 

[@ombomb]

So an excess of iodine could cause inverts to shed more than they normally would?

I'll have to see if I can find a test kit, but am not too concerned. None of the hermits have shed more than once and the shrimp, which was very small when bought seems to be on a growth spurt more than anything.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Your local water station or management plant should give you the results of their water, rather than testing yourself for iodine. (Although, by the time it reaches you through pipes and what not, it probably has changed).

 

[@ombomb]

I use 100% RO water so the water company figures are probably not worth bothering with. Will just keep a close eye on things.

 

[SkiFletch]

No no, iodine doesnt itself cause crabs and shrimp to molt, but it needs to be present for them to build a proper skin. If they're molting a lot because they're growing a lot and there's an iodine deficiency, their new skins may not be formed properly... Make sense?

 

[@ombomb]

Ahhh I knew that, but as SH suggested it could be down to a problem with my water, I thought you meant to look out for too much!

 

[steelhealr]

If your tank is overall doing well...and your nitrates are not significantly elevated...the molting may just be a growth spurt. Regular water changes should replace the iodine in your tank. Except on rare occasions, most marine aquarists should NOT need to dose iodine and if you do, you need to test for all three 'species' of iodine in your tank, free iodine, iodate and iodide. SH

 

[G7EG]

Hey

Just went down to my tank and had a shock on my new cleaning shrimp, I thought I had 2 for a minute but it's also shed it's shell, even the long white bits (not sure on the correct term) are there looks just like another shrimp!

Is this normal?
Do I need to get this out and bin it?

 

[SkiFletch]

Perfectly normal The old shells should be left in for a day in case somebody wants to eat it. After that, its purely an esthetic choice to leave it in or take it out. I'm too lazy to take mine out

 

[G7EG]

Ah ok then ill leave it there then, will it go in time?

Totally freaked me out!

 

[pleder]

No no, iodine doesnt itself cause crabs and shrimp to molt, but it needs to be present for them to build a proper skin. If they're molting a lot because they're growing a lot and there's an iodine deficiency, their new skins may not be formed properly... Make sense?

I disagree. Elevated Iodine levels can fool a shrimp in to molting whne unessecary and actually kill a shrimp by making it starve to death by the continual moltings.

Also I would not recommend you add Iodine to your system ever. Iodine is as toxic as chlorine (Seachem). Your tank can utalize iodide, but Iodine is dangerous. I would make sure whatever supplement you are using does not contain any iodine what so ever. Seachem, Ecosystems, and Kent all make Iodide products, although the Kent product sells as Iodine it does not actually contain Iodine, only iodide.

JMO.