All Cherry Shrimp Molting At Once

[ianeberle]

I recently bought 10 red cherry shrimp and they have been in my 10 gallon for about five days now. Yesterday I noticed that one of them has molted and today I noticed 3 or 4 shells on the substrate? Is it normal for the whole population to molt at once? Also, I understand that the females mate after molting?

 

[ianeberle]

After closer examination, I have 5 shells and two dead shrimp

Is this normal?

 

[jcolon]

Yep I'd say it's normal ... even the deaths ... although just keep on monitoring your water parameters. Within a week of mine going into their tank, I had a few molts. Yesterday I saw another molt. Were the two dead larger than the others? Adult shrimp have a harder time adjusting to new water parameters than younger shrimp.

Hopefully you'll have some females with eggs hatch and you'll start to increase your colony.

 

[ianeberle]

The other two actually seemed smaller than the others. After I got home from school today I saw a few more shells on the substrate, so I think the remaining 8 shrimps have molted successfully. I just hope they start mating soon!

 

[DanRamirez57]

I found a dead shrimp in my tank should those be removed?

 

[jcolon]

I found a dead shrimp in my tank should those be removed?

Is it an RCS? Could it be an empty shell from a shrimp that molted? Either way I'd say leave it. Shrimp cannibalize their own dead and they'll much on molted shells to regain minerals.

 

[ianeberle]

One thing to note is that if they do not eat the shrimp, it could cause ammonia influxes.

I would say leave empty shells, but remove the dead ones. The empty shells provide nutrients back to the shrimp.

 

[jcolon]

One dead RCS shouldn't cause too much of an Ammo spike, now a dead adult bamboo's another matter.