How often do fire cleaner shrimp shed?

[GeeWizzItsMe]

Just wondering! Does it have to do with a calcium amount, so it varies from tank to tank? Cause that is what I was thinking...

[CATALYST]

Mine sheds every couple of weeks to a month.

[goldenmean]

They molt as they get bigger.
Mine also molts every 2 or 3 to 6 weeks.

[michael_cb_125]

Iodine is very important dor the health of shrimp, they need the proper amounts to shed.
Mine shed about twice a month.-Michael

[searoyalwulf]

Mine seems to shed with the cycle of the moon. Lately it's been within about 48 hrs following the last day of the full moon.

[reefjitsu]

Iodine is only need in very minute amounts. It is called a trace element. It is poisonous in larger amounts (this is why it is used to sterilize for surgery). It is neccessary for shrimp and all animals in very minute amounts. Shrimp are able to incorpate excess iodine into their exoskeleton and then shed to get rid of it. This has led to the belief that it helps them molt. It really causes them to molt to rid their bodies of toxic amounts.

[BigAl07]

Every few weeks is normal.... but also note that overly frequent shedding has been looked at as a sign of stress..... yes you can shed TOO much

Allen

[GeeWizzItsMe]

Is it unhealthy if the shrimp very rarely molts?

[tbittner]

It might molt and you just don't notice it. Sometimes they molt in a little cave, and then hang out there until they grow another exoskeleton. They also eat the molt because it's rich in calcium.

[Dentoid]

Younger shrimps molt more often than older shrimps because they are growing faster. The molt is initiated by growth hormones not by iodine. Iodine aids in a successful molt, but does not initiate it.

[vdituri]

I"ve read about the excess iodine shed as well in addition to the growth shed.
Where do we go for a ruling on this?

[kathywithbirds]

I'd heard about the iodine with the molts... but if they eat the molt wouldn't that be re-consuming the iodine they just shed?

[reefjitsu]

They are not likely to eat a molt that was caused by excess iodine. Molting or shedding the exoskeleton is normal behavior for growth and repair. Molting due to iodine will be in addition to this normal behavior. They will shed more frequently if you dose iodine in order to help rid the body of the excess.

[reefjitsu]

Who uses iodine: Shrimp

As one moves up the food chain to more sophisticated organisms, data on their ability to take up iodine from the water column becomes very sparse. Shrimp are known to have a need for iodine to grow, but that is only known in terms of a dietary requirement. The shrimp, Penaeus chinensis O'sbeck, for example, grows optimally when the diet contains 0.003% iodine.56

Shrimp apparently incorporate substantial amounts of iodoorganics into their bodies. The shrimp Pandalus borealis, for example, incorporates between 0.04 and 2 ppm iodine as iodoorganic compounds depending on the particular body tissues examined. Their roe were somewhat higher, up to 4 ppm iodine as iodoorganic compounds.57 Shrimp shells and other parts can contain up to 17 ppm by dry weight iodine, the majority of which is iodoorganic compounds58, but the values are still far lower than for other inverts like macroalgae, sponges, or gorgonia.

Still, the amount contained says nothing about whether iodine is an important requirement. I could find no scientific studies that showed that shrimp need iodine from the water column, but neither could I find any that demonstrates that they do not.

Chemistry and the Aquarium

[BigAl07]

Am I totally wrong or doesn't the IODINE change chemically within the shrimp? Doesn't it have to be broken down and "Reconstituted" to be able to be "taken up" again by another animal?

Allen