shrimp don't molt before they die. right?

[hc8719]

i'm asking because yesterday i found my pleco thrashing my nice neocardina (not sure exactly what species he was, big though). i walked into the room, and the pleco quickly swam off like he knew he had done something wrong. i quickly salvaged his body, but it was too late.

i had seen the shrimp molt eailier that day, and thought maybe they do that before they die (i know, sounds stupid), otherwise the pleco knew he molted and snagged him, meaning i'm going to have one less pleco...

 

[coldmachineUK]

No they don't usually molt before they die, but the problem is that when they have molted they're very vulnerable (I think you probably know already, but just in case): the carapace is very soft after a molt and this is when other tankmates may decide it's a good opportunity as any.

Really sorry to hear about what happened But, it wasn't like the molt was a signal something was wrong so there's nothing you could have done, don't blame yourself.

 

[toddnbecka]

Shrimp (and crayfish) sometimes have difficulty with a molt, and die soon after, nothing to be done about it. Don't blame the pleco on the basis of a single incident w/out knowing for sure whether the shrimp was alive when the pleco got to it. Even a freshly molted shrimp should be able to swim away from a pleco. They aren't ambush predators, but are opportunistic when it comes to dead critters. On the other hand, if it happens again, the pleco may be the culprit after all. What kind of pleco is it?

 

[hc8719]

it was just a common pleco, about 7"

i have seen the shrimp dart around if anyone picked at him, they can move a good 4" in a blink, but i knew he wouldn't have been stupid enough to leave his cave.

dont worry, i wasn't really gone get rid of the pleco