Can gravid shrimp molt?

[kc2ped]

I have two Red Cherry Shrimp that I thought were both gravid
Tonight one is very plump with bright yellow eggs
The other is more slender and positioned where I can't make out any eggs, and there is a discarded exoskeleton right next to her
It seems strange to me that they would be able to wriggle out of that old exoskeleton which was supporting the eggs without loosing them
So I don't know if
1) that shrimp really wasn't gravid
2) I missed the hatching, but I see no shells or tiny shrimp
3) she has molted and the eggs aren't as evident in her larger exoskeleton
4) she has shed the eggs before they hatched so she could molt, but I don't see any rotting eggs laying around

[BigJim]

The eggs are pretty obvious when RCS are berried, even if the shrimp is an opaque red. My RCS put out eggs that are either bright yellow or bright green. I think they turn more green when they're close to hatching.

When RCS are first hatched, they're really tiny, like less than 1mm tiny. They instinctively hide deep in cover too, so they're a challenge to spot. I have a colony in a 5g and if I sit and watch closely, I can usually spot a tiny shrimp crawling through the moss.

[kc2ped]

Those things are small
The slim shrimp is much more active today, climbing up on the plants where she had previously stayed on the gravel
I had my fly tying magnifiers on trying to see if there were any eggs there
I didn't see any eggs but the area behind the eyes is very dark which I guess is a saddle
Then I noticed this little thing on the edge of a plant leaf that I figured was probably a Cyclops
I got out another magnitude, so now I am looking through my bifocals, the fly tying magnifier, and a regular magnifying glass, and there is this tiny yellow stripe with two black dots on either side of one end
I guess I need to start adding a little bit of egg yolk to the water to make sure there is something in there for them to eat
I hope the adults are not cannibalistic

[kc2ped]

Originally Posted by kc2ped

Those things are small
The slim shrimp is much more active today, climbing up on the plants where she had previously stayed on the gravel
I had my fly tying magnifiers on trying to see if there were any eggs there
I didn't see any eggs but the area behind the eyes is very dark which I guess is a saddle
Then I noticed this little thing on the edge of a plant leaf that I figured was probably a Cyclops
I got out another magnitude, so now I am looking through my bifocals, the fly tying magnifier, and a regular magnifying glass, and there is this tiny yellow stripe with two black dots on either side of one end
I guess I need to start adding a little bit of egg yolk to the water to make sure there is something in there for them to eat
I hope the adults are not cannibalistic

So I am guessing that the females postpone their molts until immediately after the eggs hatch