CBS gettin' lazy or sick?

[fishkiller]

My coral banded shrimp has just molted for the 3rd time in 2 months. For some reason, the past 2 days, he has been looking very inactive. Kinda just sitting there, and not where he usually sits. His little arms are still moving around cleaning and grabbing stuff, but he just seems like he's either really high or he is sick. And I don't think he's been smoking, so that rules out one of the options. Please tell me what this can be. I know inverts are really sensitive to water conditions, but I just tested it and it is totally normal- trates, trites, amonia, cal, ka, but ph seemed a little low. I added some buffer. It looked to be hanging around 8.0, or even less quite possibly. I'm a little color-blind, so I couldn't really tell. PPPPPPPPlease help my little cbs! Thanx!

 

[clarkiiboi]

It could be many things, and its hard to narrow it down, but here's my 2 cents worth........check the salinity as mentioned, recheck all other parameters just incase it just didn't register with your kit yet (can't hurt), get a friend or go to the LFS to verify the PH reading, and lastly it may be ready to molt again, who knows. IMO, your PH is a little low and that could be playing a part in his actions. A little color blind or not, its still a task to make out those readings!! LOL. I just know what my PH has always looked like, but cant pinpoint exactly which reading it is on the chart to compare it to. Good luck.

 

[fishkiller]

LOL!! maybe he got into my stash! Yeah, I just did a water change (forgot to mention earlier), and lowered the salinity a tad. He's still looking...well.....grim. slant-eyed!lol

 

[rickster]

Like all crustaceans, shrimp moult on a regular basis. This is often timed to the lunar cycle and, depending on the species, will usually correspond with a new moon. The reason for this is that shrimp are very vulnerable after they moult, as their new exoskeleton will be very soft, so they prefer to do it in the complete darkness of a new moon. Prior to moulting, a shrimp will usually not eat for a couple of days and may not clean its exoskeleton.

 

[fishkiller]

thanx rickster! Yeah, he's looking a little better today. Salinity is 25/26 and the ph is 8.2 now. Everybody looks happy again!