Regarding Cleaner Shrimp molting

[bubblepuffer]

Is it normal for Cleaner Shrimp to molt every 2-3 days.. my 2 Cleaner Shrimps keep doing that....but not my Peppermint..

 

[Len]

I've never had cleaner shrimps molt that often. On average, my pair will molt about once a month. 2-3 days sounds like an aweful lot and I have no idea why yours is molting so often.

 

[bubblepuffer]

hmmm.. not sure myself cause I am new to reef keeping and just had the tank for around 3months... but I do noticed the smallest Cleaner grown 1cm since I got him/her

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think it would be possible to molt that often. It would in effect be molting off a shell that hasn't even fully formed.

I think Len has the about once-a-month average correct.

Is it possible you're seeing the same already molted shell in a different place?

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds a bit excessive to me also. The shrimp would not grow enough in two days to need to molt again.

 

[FB]

Should you remove the shell or leave it in the tank.

I'm new to this to. My peppermint molted for the first time last week. The shell wasn't somewhere I could easily grab it so I left it in the tank.

Could this cause any spikes in tank levels.

Thanks

FB

 

[Anonymous]

I leave them in the tank.

 

[bubblepuffer]

I just left it in the tank.. the spagetti worm and my fish chew on it all the time on the empty shell... Maybe not 2-3 day.. I think each one molt around a week time. 2 Shrimps there so I get confused sometime but do find a empty shell from the molting almost each week

 

[Lars]

If you happen to be dosing Iodine this can increase the molt in shrimp. I dose Iodine very infrequently but do notice a molt shortly after.

 

[bubblepuffer]

Haven't dose iodine for like over a month.. I only dose it when I don't have time to do water change. Only problem is my Shrimps eat lot stealing and fighting foods from my clown and Porcupine puffer.