Problem after molting..

[Haleiwa Salt]

My cleaner shrimp apparently molted last night and ever since then we have had a couple of issues:

 

1. the minor one, is that his second pair of antennae appear to have ripped off with his old skin? I dunno if that's supposed to happen and

2. he seemed to be in a daze all day.. he's been hiding kind of on the underside of a rock and just hangs there only using a couple of his legs while his other legs just float about.

 

What's going on? is he okay? He was expensive .. not to mention awesome lookin

 

 

it's kind of hard to tell but you can see his stumpy antennae at least

[lgreen]

All of this is totally normal. The antennae are part of the exoskeleton, so also shed with the rest of the exoskeleton.

 

After a shrimp sheds, the new exoskeleton underneath is still a bit soft which makes them more vulnerable to predation, so they tend to hide for a couple days until the exoskeleton hardens up.

[Haleiwa Salt]

All of this is totally normal. The antennae are part of the exoskeleton, so also shed with the rest of the exoskeleton.

 

After a shrimp sheds, the new exoskeleton underneath is still a bit soft which makes them more vulnerable to predation, so they tend to hide for a couple days until the exoskeleton hardens up.

 

That's great news, thank you so much. I really didn't want this little guy to be sick or anything. Yay I assume keeping the lights low might make him feel safer?

[lgreen]

I would just run things as normal as possible.

[jbarr2000]

My cleaner must not be too bright, because I've never seen him hide after a molt. I'll find his molt in the tank and he'll come up and grab my hand when I reach in to pull it out. Stupid shrimp.

[gabe_j]

My cleaner must not be too bright, because I've never seen him hide after a molt. I'll find his molt in the tank and he'll come up and grab my hand when I reach in to pull it out. Stupid shrimp.

 

 

same here all 3 of my shrimp just stay out and chill right after a molt. now my emerald crap i hardly ever see him. and the same with the hermits they always out and about. matter of fact they all just recently molted within a week of eachother. hmm?

[jbarr2000]

When my peppermint molded, my cleaner ate his brains. Not sure if there was a molt problem, or a very opportunistic cleaner shrimp.

[peach]

thats all completely normal, mine does it all the time...except the eating brains thing...

 

btw, jbarr, do you mind if i quote you in my sig? thats pretty funny when read out of context