Molt

[JackCastle]

I've got a blood red shrimp and a skunk shrimp that have molted (for the first time) in the same spot. I didn't want to remove it cause the last time the skunk shrimp molted the tank inhabitants took care of it.

Anyways it looks like this:

should i remove or will it break down. There was a trocus snail who ate part of it today. pre-thx

 

[ryanpal]

not to hijack your thread but are the molts just like the shells?

i took out a pistol which seemed to be clear but i coulda sworn it was a dead shrimp...never seen a molt so i don't know ;/

 

[JackCastle]

yeh, lol. The first one I saw was from my skunk shrimp and i thought it was him. It was his molting, just like a snakes. He must have backed out of it cause there was antenna (not sure about terminology) molt and it looked like an exact replica although hollow.

Also my blood red shrimp was missing a pincher and after the molt the first part has grown back

 

[ledford1]

Yeah, I just leave my shrimp molts (the old exoskeletons) in the tank.

 

[airq33]

I always leave my shrimp molts in the tank. Sometimes they are in places that are too hard to access, so I just leave them be. I don't think it will have any impact on water quality, and someone will probably come along and enjoy the treat later anyways. In the wild, the molt actually serves as a decoy to steer predators away from the shrimp while their new shell hardens.

 

[ryanpal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11128242#post11128242 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JackCastle
yeh, lol. The first one I saw was from my skunk shrimp and i thought it was him. It was his molting, just like a snakes. He must have backed out of it cause there was antenna (not sure about terminology) molt and it looked like an exact replica although hollow.

Also my blood red shrimp was missing a pincher and after the molt the first part has grown back

hmm interesting mine had the antennas too..but im not sure it was hollow...guess i should have inspected more thoroughly to be sure. i have yet to see him though.

why do they molt and how often does it happen?

 

[zhenjw]

My molts never look like that...... Hopefully your inhabitants didn't just have a $20 meal on you.

I always leave my molts. I doubt they would cause much of a spike in nitrates when they decompose. They are composed of chitin/calcium and not tissue and return important minerals back into your tank.

 

[JackCastle]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11129801#post11129801 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zhenjw
My molts never look like that...... Hopefully your inhabitants didn't just have a $20 meal on you.

yeh it was a pile of 2 molts and then the skunk broke em down and left that pile, then the pile filmed over.

about 5hrs later:

Earlier a nassarius snail was eating on it, and here are 2 scarlet hermit crabs feasting.

Can you tell how lame my tank is rnow, i'm posting molt desintegration