Peppermint Shrimp Molting (Subtitlte: Linda's Newbie Question-Of-The-Day)

[linda lee]

Sorry I bug ya'll so much. Please please please feel free to just post a link where I can find the answer myself if you happen to have a bookmark. I sure don't mind doing the reading.)

Not trying to be lazy in picking ya'lls brains, but in this case, I've done about as much surfing as I have time for this a.m. and just need a quickie answer.

Last night, our PS's molted (I'm pretty sure that's what it is ~ unless in the dead of night the serpent star somehow sucked everything out of them and left hollow, intact, transparent shells).

Is this for sure what happened? Do they get together and decide to do it at the same time? (2 of them molted... the 3rd is either still thinking about it or didnt get the memo....)

Is there something I should be doing?

I read some mention of Iodine?

And .... I'm guessing I need to get those shells out of there.

Haven't seen the 2 naked shrimp. I'm assuming they're hiding somewhere until they're a little more protected... or perhaps they got "et"). :sad:

Don't need a lot in this thread... just need to know if there's anything I should be doing.

Thanks in advance!!!

~Linda

(P.S. ~ ~ suggestion for Webmaster: New Forum entitled: "Linda's Dumb Question of the Day".... that way, the majority of ya'll can just skip my posts and go right to the meaty stuff) :blush:

 

[wbholwell]

Linda, everything's fine. The fact that they're molting means they're growing and healthy. You can fish the empty exoskeletons out, but you shouldn't need to dose iodine or anything.

 

[stroid]

Linda as Bryan said that is a sign of good health and that they are growing. Once they molt they do hide a bit for their new skeleton to harden this is quite normal. You dont need to dose anything and to be honest if you have enough CUC those molted shells will disappear. I never remove mine and they are gone by the next day. Keeping asking questions we like that here.

 

[dkelly]

My skunk cleaner shrimp molted a couple of weeks ago. Scared me when I saw the tank first thing in the morning - still 1/2 asleep. I thought something had eaten his internals! Pretty cool looking.

 

[linda lee]

Thanks for the replies ~ extremely helpful and reassuring!!!

All is well. I've spotted all 3 PS's.

Larry, Moe & Curly (now fully clothed) are present and accounted for.

 

[cameron]

Wait till you see a crab molted shell and think you have a dead crab... they look EXACTLY like a dead crab and many times you can only tell by cracking open the molt and see that it is empty.

 

[linda lee]

aquazoa;53432 wrote: Hey Linda,
How big is your tank? In small aquaria (20 gal or less) serpent stars can potentially predate on molting shrimp.
Always feed your shrimp daily at the outset of night time as the molt usually occurs a few hours after dark and other hungry shrimps can cannibalize the molting individual.

This is our small (starter/learner) tank ~ just 33 gallons.

Uh Oh...... What's best to feed the PS's? (We've never specifically <u>fed</u> them anything; just figured they fended for themselves from whatever leftovers they could find.)

 

[seedless reefer]

Shrimp generally prefer mexican or good chinese.

They like Turf but Surf leaves them unsettled a bit.

Also a little night cap afterward in not unheard of.


<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: blue;">Loren W.</span></span>

 

[linda lee]

::: sigh :::

(BRB ... gotta disconnect someone's DSL line.........)

 

[xyzpdq0121]

LOL, As everyone else saus, this is normal Linda. I leave my shells in my tank, I figure it is good for it in some way shape or form!

About additives, I am prob the only one that adds additives to help there inverts molt. Mine do it about every two weeks or so. I add a bit of Seachems Reef Plus and Reef Trace... It is full of iodine and other good trace elements. I think it has really made a difference in my inverts/coral health and have noticed that my cleaners spawn every three weeks or so. I chalk alot of that up to the Reef Plus and the Reef Trace. Just My Honest Opinion!