# Shrimps changing skin



## george (Apr 11, 2009)

Hello guys,

I just bought 4 Cherry shrimps from BA Oakville (4 for $12).

After a few days, all 4 of them were alive and kicking but there was the skin of a shrimp laying on the bottom of the tank. It was like it was changing it's skin. You know .. like snakes..

Is this OK or should I be worried?


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

sounds ok to me, but im no shrimp expert.

They do molt though


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

Shrimps moult when they grow. They are probably better fed now than they were before.


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

characinfan said:


> Shrimps moult when they grow. They are probably better fed now than they were before.


So what *S*he's saying is you have some fat shrimp that grew out of their Large and moved into Extra large Shells! Soon they'll be shopping at George Richards Big and Tall


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

PACMAN said:


> So what he's saying is . . .


Ha ha ha. She.


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

My shrimps do it all the time, its normal. I read somewhere its good to leave the skins in the tank because they will eat it and it contains nutrients- byt im not sure on that part. I usually take them out when i see them just cause they look a little freaky hehe


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## Joeee (Apr 3, 2010)

Yes, it is normal for almost all invertebrates to molt. They do this when they outgrow their shell, it is a very stressful process. Right after the molt, the organism is weak and can be easily eaten by a fish. It is good to leave the molt shell inside your tank because it is a good source of calcium for your shrimp.


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## george (Apr 11, 2009)

Well, it seems I did the right thing. I left the shell there and they ate it. They are in the fry tank and i'm not afraid that they are to be eaten.


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

Why would you buy them from Big Al's it's a rip off, $3 each? You can easily get tons more from people here who sell it. It's not like BA has the highest grade ones either.


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## george (Apr 11, 2009)

That's why:

http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15181


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

george said:


> That's why:
> 
> http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15181


 you tell him!


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## george (Apr 11, 2009)

So I considered that the people around don't have cherry shrimps or are not selling atm. 

So, who has cherry shrimps for sale? And why are they eating their own poo?

In other words, how can I accomodate them in the big tank with gouramis and betta? I have some hiding places and adding plants almost on a weekly basis.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

There are people selling their RCS, but Acton is a bit far for delivery, and I believe you mentioned you did not want to drive to Scarborough for them either.

To maintain RCS in a tank with shrimp eating fish, it may be better to start a small tank (say 10g) to maintain a breeding population, and just add them into your main tank by the 100s. Hopefully, some will stay alive if you have a lot of plants. You will not likely see babies, however.


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## george (Apr 11, 2009)

For example I want to got to Frank's but for sure I will not drive 86km for that. I work on Airport Rd so I can sometimes get a run in Toronto but that's the extent of me driving like crazy in GTA.

What kind of plants do shrimps prefer? And what are the breeding conditions?


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## Joeee (Apr 3, 2010)

george said:


> For example I want to got to Frank's but for sure I will not drive 86km for that. I work on Airport Rd so I can sometimes get a run in Toronto but that's the extent of me driving like crazy in GTA.
> 
> What kind of plants do shrimps prefer? And what are the breeding conditions?


Java moss.


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## george (Apr 11, 2009)

Well them. it seems that I'm in luck as the java moss I bought from Menagerie did in 1 week but I still see some green stuf and I some dome riccia attached to a floating log as well as a small anubias nana.


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

george said:


> In other words, how can I accomodate them in the big tank with gouramis and betta? I have some hiding places and adding plants almost on a weekly basis.


I had cherry shrimps in a tank with gouramies and platies. They lived there for a week or two.
The problem is that they were hiding all the time. So, they can live and they even can breed there, but *you will not see them.*.
So, a small separate tank is a good idea


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## dukebbb (Mar 17, 2010)

So after they molt do they play dead or move around normally?
I had 2 crayfish around 2", bought when they were 1/4" and one molted one day and just laid there, looked dead so i trashed it the next day. After awhile the 2nd one did the same thing so he went in the trash they next day. Didn't want to foul the water if they were really dead.


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