Crystal Red Shrimp --- Molting

This photo shows a complete good crystal red shrimp discarded shell.

Shrimps have a exoskeleton, they donot grow as fish do. In order to grow, they mush shed the old outer hard shell and grow new bigger one. This process is called molting. During this transformation, a little trap door opens on its back, and the animal pulls itself out from the shell. Once free, the shrimp is vulnerable. It takes time for the new shell to harden.

It is hard to say how often a shrimp may molt. It depends on how old the shrimp is, what kind of species it is, if it male or female. A female may tend to shed more often then a male. When a matured female molts, it is time to breed.

Change in habitat will also force shrimps to molt. So, you may see shrimps molting quite often after water change. Be carefull!!! If the shrimp's new shell has not hardened yet, and there is great change to the habitat again, ...... the shrimp is in danger. It may be forced to molt again. It may die... So a stable habitat is essential for a happy growing shrimp.

The discarded shell is a good scource of calcium, so you don't need to move it out of tank. Shrimps will eat it.

Molting is a good indicate of water quality. If you see a complete good shell after molting, it tells that the process is quite smooth. The shrimp is healthy. You won't see the discarded shell after a while. In a good environment, good water quality, shrimps will be so active that they will finish the shell quite fast. If you see broken shell, it's possible that the molting process is hard. Someting may going wrong with the water.

Wish all my shrimps could molt smoothly, and grow up healthy an happily amd the same to all shrimp lovers.