shrimp molts....

[mister crabs]

how often is normal for a shrimp to molt? I have a cleaner shrimp (blood shrimp i believe) that has molted twice in the last month or so. just wondering if this is normal and also what causes or encourages them to do this? thanks in advance. this is my first shrimp i have kept so kind of in the dark about thier habits.(scratch)

[Ronjunior]

I sure hope so, my wife asked me if our skunk shrimp was dead last night. 2nd molt in a month too. The night I put my fireshrimp in, he molted as well about 2 months ago, thought he was a gonner, pulled him out and it was hollow :).

[mister crabs]

LOL...i know.....this is the second time my wife has told me that she thought our shrimp had died.

[garrettm85]

Not to worry, this is completely normal and is generally a good sign. Most of the time shrimps will molt when either a. algae and bacteria has built up on their exoskeleton, or b. they are growing. Iodine dosing and proper chemical levels will encourage healthy molting and is good for the exoskeletons of shrimps, crabs and pods. It is crazy how some of their exoskeletal remains look so much like a dead shrimp. I have been called over countless times in concern that one of my shrimp had died or been killed. It is always just an empty exoskeleton.

Garrett

[dippin61]

yeh, quite normal. Our various shrimp molt quite often.

its crazy to see our porcelain crab molt, almost every time i think it's dead.