A beginner reefers nightmare!

[Moshizzl3]

So, i have been working on my tank for a few weeks.

 

Filled it with live sand and live rock, have been dosing bacteria and food daily to kickstart the cycle, and have tested for ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite daily to follow the levels, and all is good and stable.

So yesterday I went to the fish store and got myself my first livestock!

 

A fire shrimp that will be part of my clean-up crew (Named him Helge), and a coral a Xenia SP. Cause they so pretty!

 

I introduced them to the tank yesterday afternoon, the coral is doing fine, its small “hands” are all open and pulsing.

Helge is a shy guy; he went straight to one of the “cave” areas and I didn’t see much more to him the rest of the evening.

Had to go out for dinner with a friend, so I left them to fend for their own a few hours.

Once I got back home, first thing I did was of course check that all was still good, and it was! Helge was still hiding, feeling the tank out, I guess! (I got an introvert shrimp I guess :P)

 

So, I went to sleep, and I woke up this morning, and that’s when I saw it!

Helge was sucked in to my wave maker, and it was chopping him up! or so I thought...

 

As the noob I am, I ofc panicked, shut the whole system down and took wave maker out to get rid of the “body”, I was sure nothing could be done to save the poor creature.

I started to clean the tank for other debris, and I gave one last sad look into the cave, that was once his home, to realize… HE WAS STILL THERE – you guys can imagine the sweet relief.

 

So apparently, he just felt like changing his skin on the first night. Does this mean he is happy in there or? I am bit nervous that I introduced livestock too early? 😕

[growsomething]

Good for you.  If you got real live rock you should have very little, if any, cycle.

[seabass]

1 hour ago, Moshizzl3 said:

Does this mean he is happy in there or?

They tend to stress molt.  But this doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your tank (it's a new tank, environment, water parameter, as well as the transfer itself).  It's actually pretty common.

 

Fire shrimp are my favorite shrimp.  Personally I wouldn't consider them part of a cleanup crew, but they will eat the food which hits the sand (something most fish won't do, so that's handy).

[debbeach13]

Welcome to NR and to reefing. Inverts molting gets many of us panicked in the beginning. 

[Moshizzl3]

Thanks guys! 
 

I am more calm now ✌️

[fishfreak0114]

I still panic after five years thinking my shrimp have died!  I've found that they almost always molt after being introduced to a new tank, a stress molt as Seabass said

[Moshizzl3]

He still hasn’t come out yet, but still alive - seeing his “whiskers” flapping about, and as soon as he sees me he pulls further in to his den. 
 

It does seem like he’s moving abit closer to the edge of his new home,  so maybe in a week he will actually venture out for a stroll! 🤞hope he doesn’t die of starvation before that 😕