Cleaner Shrimp question

[terriertype]

How often should/do cleaner shrimp moult? I thought my cleaner shrimp was dead until I realized it was just the shell. He has done it lots of times in the past 6 months, but this was the first time there so much colour to it.

I would take a picture but he currently hiding out behind a large rock. Makes sense as he just moulted.

 

[DaveR11]

My two seem to moult every 4 - 6 weeks.

One of my shrimps had another crustacean parasitising it (an Isopod) which was stuck to the side of its carapace. Having this big parasite draining energy from the shrimp meant it didn't grow nearly as quickly as the big cleaner so it moulted less often. It has now lost the parasite and went through a big growth spurt.

I reckon it will depend on how much food they get - having an external skeleton means to grow you need to shed your skin periodically. My two are pretty greedy and I have to chase them off my LPS corals when I target feed them or give them a big dinner first to stop them stealing the corals food.

 

[Therapy]

They will molt more often if the Specific Gravity is not kept constant. They need it stable. Too much of a sudden change can kill them. Just giving you a worst case scenario. But I recall mine doing it every few months.

 

[Oxylebius]

My shrimp and crabs molt every 4-8 weeks regularly. Keeping up on your water changes helps to keep certain elements (that they need to molt) replenished (or dosing if you are doing that). Elements like Mg, Ca are used prior to molting and other elements like potassium and iodine are also used. As you noticed with your shrimp, they do hide after they molt, as they are vulnerable to predation until their exoskeleton hardens. It should be back out and about in a day or two.