What's this black stuff on my Cleaner Shrimp?

[FlipFlops24/7]

I noticed these black spots all over my cleaner shrimp today. He was fine last night. Is he dying?

 

[capncapo]

It is a disease that attacks shrimp. There is no cure.

It may disappear if the shrimp molts but will return. It is fatal but your shrimp may last quite a while before it succumbs.

I would not advise buying more shrimp until that one passes as it could potentially pass the disease on to them.

 

[FlipFlops24/7]

how the heck could he get a disease? Ive had him for over a year. He's the only shrimp I have too.

 

[capncapo]

How do humans get diseases after living for 50 years.

It just happens. Fact of life.

 

[FlipFlops24/7]

that blows. I really dont feel like forkin out money on another one. Theres no decent lifestock stores in my area......rats

 

[capncapo]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=621974&highlight=black+spots+shrimp

 

[ACBlinky]

My cleaner developed the same black spots, I was also told it was an incurable disease, and prepared for his imminent demise. He shed, it went away. It came back. He shed again, and had an awful molt - came out all curly-antennaed, missing legs... so I added some iodine, thinking he must need it. The black spots came back, along with another rapid molt.
I had a brainstorm. I had been adding Essential Elements and iodine to the tank as per the bottle instructions, and realized the shrimp might be trying to rid himself of something by molting, and the black spots might be a symptom of iodine overdose. I stopped adding EE and iodine.
One final molt, no missing legs, no curly antennae, no black spots. That was months ago. My shrimp is spot-free, and just fine. Maybe it was a conicidence, but I don't think he had a disease, just a noob owner adding too much crap to the water

 

[JackiinFl]

spots

spots

my cleaner shrimp had the same spot's when he molted they would come back.He lasted about a year then became some pretty expensive snail food.

 

[capncapo]

The addition of iodine actually causes premature molting. If you would have kept your iodine dosing up, the shrimp would have "molted itself to death".

 

[nova62]

at the lfs i work we had put one in our fish only system that is dosed with copper and it ended up looking like that.then we put it back in the reef system and he molted and know it is fine

 

[FlipFlops24/7]

weird, I dont dose anything other than kalkwasser. ITs only a 29 gallon tank. I recently had my caulupra macro algae go haywire (january 2nd) and had to do 2 five gallon water changes, but everything in my tank is doing great. I hope he pulls through.