Harlequin deteriorating

[tsmitti99]

My shrimp has lost the front "paddles", and a leg or two. He looks to be discoloring as well. This may be more chemistry related, but is there a specific issue that I can look for that may be causing the ailments of the harlequin shrimp all of a sudden?

Thank you.

 

[Tennyson]

I'm no expert at harlequin shrimps, but one of my peppermints died recently and parts of its tail were missing, legs were also missing and its whole body was greyish. It could be a water chemistry problem, but has it been fed lately? What are your params? and are there any other tank mates that could have harmed it?

Good luck with your shirmp.

 

[tsmitti99]

i'm fairly certain its water conditions, my nitrate and phosphate levels are through the roof. i put on new lighting and it killed a lot of the tank inhabitants/corals.

was just wondering if shrimp grow back their appendages, if i can manage to fix the conditions.

 

[D to the P]

yes they can regenerate appendages when they molt, but they do not always regenerate every part. I would imagine that the nitrates aren't helping, and I know some people argue that Iodine is important for their molting, and if there wasn't the proper amount of it in the water that can lead to a bad molt and the loss of parts. I know there is an argument that Iodine isn't important, but I would atleast check to see where they are.