How long to Peppermint Shrimp live?

[nuzz]

We had a couple of peppermint shrimp in our 23-gal, and they were pretty cool. We had them for at least 3 or 4 months I think. One died before the other, but we noticed that the last surviving one was just a shell in pieces with all it's legs laying everywhere on top of our large mushroom polyp.
We know it was not a shell left from molting - it was obviously the shrimp itself, so I have two questions. Could the mushroom have killed it? I believe they are peaceful... was it just a coincidence that it might have just died right on top of the polyp or gotten swept onto it?
And, were these deaths premature? They seemed to be doing very well until we found their bodies

Kara

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by nuzz
http:///forum/post/2802932
We had a couple of peppermint shrimp in our 23-gal, and they were pretty cool. We had them for at least 3 or 4 months I think. One died before the other, but we noticed that the last surviving one was just a shell with all it's legs laying everywhere on top of our large mushroom polyp.
We know it was not a shell left from molting How do you know this- it was obviously the shrimp itself, so I have two questions. Could the mushroom have killed it? NoI believe they are peaceful... was it just a coincidence that it might have just died right on top of the polyp or gotten swept onto it?
And, were these deaths premature?Yes They seemed to be doing very well until we found their bodies

Kara
More info is needed on your tank specifically water perameters, trace elements. Your shrimp appears to have molted, and it very well maybe just hiding. If it was just a shell left I am near 100% positive of that. There is nothing that would suck the shrimp out from the inside leaving just a shell. Was the entire exoskeleton in tact? Or was it in pieces, issues with trace elements can have effects on a molting invert. And mushrooms are very peaceful they cannot kill shrimp. My 2 shrimp have been in my tank for over a year, FYI.

 

[nuzz]

It definitely was not a molting, as I have explained. I know this because I can tell the difference; a molting looks like a could be a dead shrimp but it is very dull and the shell is empty. In this case my shrimp was colorful, with pieces of it's insides hanging out of parts of the shell, which was not at all intact. The shrimp was in pieces, like I said, it was not "sucked from the inside". And they were both quite large, in our 23-gallon tank. We knew where they lived and could easily see into the rocks to look at them.
Kara

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by nuzz
http:///forum/post/2802965
It definitely was not a molting, as I have explained. I know this because I can tell the difference; a molting looks like a could be a dead shrimp but it is very dull and the shell is empty. In this case my shrimp was colorful, with pieces of it's insides hanging out of parts of the shell, which was not at all intact. The shrimp was in pieces, like I said, it was not "sucked from the inside". And they were both quite large, in our 23-gallon tank. We knew where they lived and could easily see into the rocks to look at them.
Kara

Then IMO they died from an unknown cause, until further investigation of your water quality and trace elements can be assessed. And then your clean up crew dismantled it, what is your salinity?

 

[nuzz]

That would make sense!
We checked the salinity just yesterday and my husband knows the number, all he told me was "it's fine" lol so it is within the recommended range.
Did notice that our pH was slightly basic I believe... slightly. We have put some powder in there to correct that.
Kara