what happened to my coral banded shrimp?!?!

[30-xtra high]

i just fed my coral banded shrimp a couple mysis shrimp. he's the only thing in my tank right now because my only fish (a cinnamon clown) is in a qt due to ich. i went into my kitchen, fixed up some nachos, ate them, and watched a lil tv. i went back to my room 20 minutes later, and his body was upsidedown, clear, and his back looks ripped open? when i left he was hanging from a piece of liverock upsidedown, and i came back and his body was on the ground upsidedown.this is my first and only inverts, except for some hermits, what happened and what did i do wrong?

 

[ryanhayes9]

nothing worng. he molted.. or left his old 'SKIN' its normal and you willl probably see him in like 2 or 3 days. the molt will look EXACTLY like his body

 

[smork81]

hehe...Mine did this yesterday thought it was dead too..I forgot they do molt ocasionally..Maybe yours has molted also and left a replica of itself behind..Look for the real one! :thinking:

 

[sfoister]

lol, this made me laugh.

Poor guy

 

[taz_12777]

I think he wanted some nachos.

 

[30-xtra high]

molting?, how often do they molt? is molting healthy? does it mean they are healthy? sick? why do they molt? what should i do with the skin/shell thing in the bottom of the tank?

 

[sfoister]

They molt because they are growing, unlike humans where our skin grows with us, shrimp have an exoskeleton that does not grow with them, so they need to molt to fit into their new body, basically.
You can remove it, or leave it. You said you don't have anything else in there so I would remove it. Some inverts and fish would just eat it.

 

[cdangel0]

Nah, I think he molted to show his disappointment with being forced to become a canibal :scared: ...feeding shrimp to a shrimp!

 

[saltn00b]

it was definitely the dreaded vampiric mantis shrimp, they are very good hiders and wait for unsuspecting fish or shrimp to let their guard down, and then wham! suck the juices out of their back until there is nothing left but a clear shell!! btw they grow to 3 feet and climb out of the water at night and know where you sleep!!!
LOL just kidding, he molted. inverts usually molt within 72 hours of being introduced to a new tank because of a sudden salinity change. then they will molt every few weeks as they grow.

 

[30-xtra high]

he's getting bigger?? how big do they get? his body is about 3 inches, and he has like... 5 inch antennas, do you think he'd be ok with my cinnamon, 2 firefish, and 2 bangai cardinals when he's full grown?, i don't have those fish now, but those were the ones i was planning on.

 

[sfoister]

Originally Posted by 30-xtra high
he's getting bigger?? how big do they get? his body is about 3 inches, and he has like... 5 inch antennas, do you think he'd be ok with my cinnamon, 2 firefish, and 2 bangai cardinals when he's full grown?, i don't have those fish now, but those were the ones i was planning on.
Everything grows. Anything that is alive that you put in your tank will grow. That needs to be taken into account when purchasing fish.
Niger Triggers look so cute when they are small, and they would be fine for anything over 50 gallons, but as soon as they start growing they will outgrow a small tank fast. Same goes for your shrimp, he's a growin' boy.

 

[saltn00b]

inverts do grow their whole life, but the growth rate will slow down obviously as they reach adulthood. a 3" CBS is a nice sized specimen, so he wont get MUCH bigger. expect to not see him for the next 2-3 days as he hides for safety because his new shell / skin needs time to harden

 

[30-xtra high]

sfoister, i know things grow, and i've seen coral banded shrimp in my friends tanks, and fish stores tanks, but i've only seen them 1-2 inches. i thought i just had a full grown big shrimp. when you say he won't get MUCH biger, how much bigger do you think he will get?, will he become more aggressive? and will he be ok with the fish i listed? and will they only molt when they grow?

 

[saltn00b]

usually yes, but there have been instances where they are blamed for eating the occasional fish. sometimes i think that is ill-directed blame as they are mostly scavengers and will not hesitate to attack a fresh carcass - so unless they saw it with their own eyes, it is up for debate IMO. it really wont grow much bigger. thats all i can say, i cant give you inches or MM to expect, thats just not possible. you may find that he doesnt actually gain any noticeable size at all.

 

[30-xtra high]

oh, well that sounds good. should i have the lights on or off while he hides? or does it matter?

 

[saltn00b]

keep to your regular lighting schedule

 

[emeralcrab]

Mine has molted two times in the last 3 weeks, one time I got up in the morning, went to check everyone and there he was by his molt, must have just climbed out. I took a picture of it but it really didn't show up well as the tank lights weren't on yet. Very cool site to see. Looked like a deflated CBS. My CBS is about 3 1/2", I've had him for 10 months.

 

[30-xtra high]

he just came out of hiding and is roaming all around my tank, he's so much cooler now!, his antena have to be about 6 inches long now, and his color (the red stripes) are way brighter now!, i've had him for about 2 weeks, and he looks the best i've seen him., and before i took the skin out, it wasn't deflated, because he was hanging upside down, his skin fell in his "sparring" position, when they look like they're gunna fight and hold out their claws. he was completely upsidedown. a couple of his antena fell off and now i have a couple of my hermits are eating them

 

[sfoister]

Originally Posted by 30-xtra high
he just came out of hiding and is roaming all around my tank, he's so much cooler now!, his antena have to be about 6 inches long now, and his color (the red stripes) are way brighter now!, i've had him for about 2 weeks, and he looks the best i've seen him., and before i took the skin out, it wasn't deflated, because he was hanging upside down, his skin fell in his "sparring" position, when they look like they're gunna fight and hold out their claws. he was completely upsidedown. a couple of his antena fell off and now i have a couple of my hermits are eating them

very cool. ***)
They will definately be more vibrant soon after a molt. As they come closer to another molt the colors will fade a bit as the exoskeleton begins to raise away from the body and become a milky transparent color.
Take some pics if you can.
Edit: And by the way I wasn't trying to be condescending, I just didn't know how much you knew about marine life. So better to assume someone knows nothing then to assume someone knows more than they do.

 

[mattp098]

Also, if he ever loses a leg or pincher, it will grow back within the next molting or the next few moltings. So, not only do they grow when they molt, but they can rejuvenate too.