Removing fire shrimp's molted shell

[jjc05010]

After my fire shrimp molts should i remove it from my tank?

[sparticleveland]

After my fire shrimp molts should i remove it from my tank?

 

I have read that shrimp and other moulting creatures will attempt to eat the recently shed shell. They are trying to get calcium and minerals from it.

 

I'm no expert, so if anyone has better information please feel free to correct me. I have both freshwater crayfish and lots of saltwater shrimp, crabs and other inverts, and what I have done so far is leave the moult in the tank for 12 -24 hours and remove anything left at the end of that time.

 

Anybody else?

[BustytheSnowMaam]

You're right spartic- just leave the molt, it adds ca to the tank. In a day or so it will all be gone anyhow.

 

Tasha

[non-photosynt]

Not in my tank Have to remove myself.

[Mudfish]

I just leave 'em in there....

[Uploadead]

My palythoas will try and eat it, and release it when it is finely crushed, that gets broken down again and again and again (and again)>>>

[sparticleveland]

My coral banded shrimp has decided that his own moult isn't sufficient; he is now eating the peppermint shrimp's, has eaten up all the hermits' moults lately and would probably yank the shell off the emerald crab with the crab still in it if he could.

 

This week I read somewhere (now, there's a nice corroborated source for you, "somewhere") that the moulting critters resorb most of the nutirents in the shell prior to moulting, but that the shell itself is neutral and will not rot or cause nitrates/nitrites to elevate at all. So it's nice knowing that, even if I can't quote the source....