Cleaner shrimp dead. Did I disturb it during a molt?

[wwarby]

Earlier today I noticed a cleaner shrimp head and whiskers molt floating in the water column so I went looking for the shrimp and found it looking very much dead behind the inlet for my canister filter. After watching it for about 10 minutes I hadn’t seen it move so I decided it must be dead and put the tongs in to remove the carcass. I could swear at this point that it reacted and convulsed as I grabbed its tail, but it could have just been that I dragged it into the flow and it was the water thst. I immediately let go and it floated around in the water column looking completely dead. After a couple of minutes it landed, my boxer shrimp quickly found it and started eating it which it’s still doing now.

I think I lost the shrimp to a bad molt, but is it possible it was alive and I just disturbed it at the most vulnerable point in the molt? In other words, how motionless do they get during the molt and for how long?

I’ve had for about 7 weeks along with a bunch of other inverts including blood red shrimp and another cleaner, hermits, snails etc. I’ve lost a few cowrie snails over the past few weeks but everything else seems fine. Water params:

salinity 1.025
dKH 7.7
PO4 0.05
Nitrate 15
PH 8.2
Temp 25.5 Celsius

I know I could do with getting slightly lower nitrates but it seems unlikely that this death was caused by my water params right? I’m going to get copper and iodine tests at the LFS today just in case I’ve introduced copper somehow, or depleted the iodine needed for invert molts.

 

[Dburr1014]

Earlier today I noticed a cleaner shrimp head and whiskers molt floating in the water column so I went looking for the shrimp and found it looking very much dead behind the inlet for my canister filter. After watching it for about 10 minutes I hadn’t seen it move so I decided it must be dead and put the tongs in to remove the carcass. I could swear at this point that it reacted and convulsed as I grabbed its tail, but it could have just been that I dragged it into the flow and it was the water thst. I immediately let go and it floated around in the water column looking completely dead. After a couple of minutes it landed, my boxer shrimp quickly found it and started eating it which it’s still doing now.

I think I lost the shrimp to a bad molt, but is it possible it was alive and I just disturbed it at the most vulnerable point in the molt? In other words, how motionless do they get during the molt and for how long?

I’ve had for about 7 weeks along with a bunch of other inverts including blood red shrimp and another cleaner, hermits, snails etc. I’ve lost a few cowrie snails over the past few weeks but everything else seems fine. Water params:

salinity 1.025
dKH 7.7
PO4 0.05
Nitrate 15
PH 8.2
Temp 25.5 Celsius

I know I could do with getting slightly lower nitrates but it seems unlikely that this death was caused by my water params right? I’m going to get copper and iodine tests at the LFS today just in case I’ve introduced copper somehow, or depleted the iodine needed for invert molts.

Are you sure that is not the molt?
Shrimp like to hide after a molt, hide really well.

 

[Reef.]

I think it was already dead, I’ve removed moltes previously that I swear were still alive even though the shrimp was sitting on another rock looking at me.

Think it’s just the flow moving the limbs that makes it look alive.

 

[TokenReefer]

Wait, so you saw the molt floating and then found the shrimp on the intake (separately) ? If not I'm voting for molt and hoping the shrimps hiding just as @Reef. Said spying on you

 

[olonmv]

They get lethargic before and after a molt. My daughter got to see my shrimp molt once. She said it literally jumped out if it’s old skin. Your shrimp may have had a bad molt and died in the process, it does happen. Sorry for your loss. I was kinda happy sad when mine died. He was an a hole and funny at the same time.

 

[wwarby]

Are you sure that is not the molt?
Shrimp like to hide after a molt, hide really well.

Yeah. I’d love for that to be true but I’ve seen these shrimps molt a few times now and I know the difference. Also I can see the head and soft whiskers on the shrimp, which had already come off in the molt.

 

[exnisstech]

It's possible it died. I have never looked for my shrimp after finding a moult. Not sure why I don't. Maybe I'm just used seeing them? For what its worth I have kept blood red fire shrimp, coral banded, and skunk cleaners in 2 tanks off and on for over 6 years and have never even tested for iodine. Well I did do an ICP test on both tanks once but didn't really pay attention to iodine but I like to keeps things simple and in my experience some inverts are long lived and some not. I no longer get too concerned with a single death as stuff just dies in our tanks fur no explainable reason. Or at least I can't explain them. Multiple deaths I get concerned.

 

[wwarby]

I think it was already dead, I’ve removed moltes previously that I swear were still alive even though the shrimp was sitting on another rock looking at me.

Think it’s just the flow moving the limbs that makes it look alive.

Thanks mate - yeah I think you're right. The way it was just being blown around in the current after I moved it seemed like it would have at least twitched a limb or something at that point. Just had me second guessing myself where it appeared to twitch when I grabbed onto it.

I'm certain I'm looking at the whole shrimp (well, minus the top bit of it's head which the boxer shrimp is happily chowing down on). Also I've never seen any of my other shrimps eat one of their comrade's molts before, and my boxer shrimp has had the cleaner in it's jaws for an hour now.

 

[Dburr1014]

Yeah. I’d love for that to be true but I’ve seen these shrimps molt a few times now and I know the difference. Also I can see the head and soft whiskers on the shrimp, which had already come off in the molt.

Oh, sometimes that does happen. Could just be the shrimp had a bad molt.
Sorry op, for the loss.

 

[wwarby]

It's possible it died. I have never looked for my shrimp after finding a moult. Not sure why I don't. Maybe I'm just used seeing them? For what its worth I have kept blood red fire shrimp, coral banded, and skunk cleaners in 2 tanks off and on for over 6 years and have never even tested for iodine. Well I did do an ICP test on both tanks once but didn't really pay attention to iodine.

The main reason I wanted to test for iodine actually is that the tank was previously home to a fully grown peacock mantis shrimp (which has since been moved to a different tank), and I know they use iodine during a molt. My mantis molted once in that tank, so I wondered if it's possible that I'm low on iodine which I've read makes it harder for inverts to harden their exoskeletons. It's probably fine, but since I've lost a few cowrie snails too, it can't hurt to test. Not gonna panic though - that shrimp could have been old when I got it, could have just been bad luck with the molt etc. I won't rush to replace it immediately, I'll keep an eye on the other five shrimp in the tank for now and make sure things are stable before adding a new one in. I do like having a pair of cleaners though, they're among my favourite inhabitants

 

[exnisstech]

The main reason I wanted to test for iodine actually is that the tank was previously home to a fully grown peacock mantis shrimp (which has since been moved to a different tank), and I know they use iodine during a molt. My mantis molted once in that tank, so I wondered if it's possible that I'm low on iodine which I've read makes it harder for inverts to harden their exoskeletons. It's probably fine, but since I've lost a few cowrie snails too, it can't hurt to test. Not gonna panic though - that shrimp could have been old when I got it, could have just been bad luck with the molt etc. I won't rush to replace it immediately, I'll keep an eye on the other five shrimp in the tank for now and make sure things are stable before adding a new one in. I do like having a pair of cleaners though, they're among my favourite inhabitants

I would think iodine would be replaced with water changes no? I just remember reading some where I think it was Randy but don't hold me to it, that said iodine dosing didn't hurt anything but didn't really have any noticeably difference. But who knows. It seems like almost every tank is different and has different needs than others.

Cleaners used to be one of my favorites when they cleaned but the two I have in my 180g with tangs don't even have a cleaning station set up. They hide in the rocks and dart out for food. I did just removed a rogue Niger Trigger a few days ago that started chewing up all of my softies so maybe they'll come out more now

 

[wwarby]

I would think iodine would be replaced with water changes no? I just remember reading some where I think it was Randy but don't hold me to it, that said iodine dosing didn't hurt anything but didn't really have any noticeably difference. But who knows. It seems like almost every tank is different and has different needs than others.

Cleaners used to be one of my favorites when they cleaned but the two I have in my 180g with tangs don't even have a cleaning station set up. They hide in the rocks and dart out for food. I did just removed a rogue Niger Trigger a few days ago that started chewing up all of my softies so maybe they'll come out more now

Yeah in theory iodine should get replenished - I’m doing weekly 10% water changes, but for the sake of a £10 test kit I’d like to check on it. My cowrie snails are more of a mystery than the shrimp really because I’ve lost 5 out of the 6 I stared with a couple of months back. I have bumblebees, Trochus, nassurius, turbo and conch snails in there too (I’ve got quite the snail zoo going on) and they all seem fine, I just keep losing money cowries for some reason. My LFS think they’re starving and they could well be right - I think I overdid it with the CUC considering I’ve only got two clowns out of QT so far, but I’ve been feeding my CUC pellets and they get flake and mysis/brine shrimp when I feed the clowns. I’m also feeding nori or grazer rings occasionally so there should be plenty for the CUC to eat.

One of my zebra hermits is currently feasting on the remains of my cleaner shrimp - the other cleaner was having a go earlier too. There’s no honour amongst these inverts - they start munching on the remains of their fallen brethren before their shoes have even gotten cold