Fire shrimp dying.

[assafelbaz]

Hi.

I just noticed that i have my crabs start eating the fire shrimp in my 10 gallon tank. He is still moving a little but it seems that he is about to die soon. I have it for only 3 months.

What can cause this to happen? My whole readings are good.

Thanks.

 

[Waddi]

Probably took advantage of the shrimp molting.
Crabs are opportunistic predators, they would go for an unsuspecting shrimp trying to molt.

 

[assafelbaz]

Is there a way to make it safe for it to get molt?

 

[Bifferwine]

Shrimp are pretty smart -- when they molt, they go into hiding because their new exoskeleton is soft and delicate and leaves them vulnerable to predators. I think if your crabs were eating it alive, it was already sick and dying and unable to get away, for some reason.

When you say your parameters are all good, what are they exactly?

Sometimes animals just die for no apparent reason -- we can't always find the cause, unfortunately.

 

[nyquist]

Is there a way to make it safe for it to get molt?

probably not any 100% safe way

but it may survive if it has the perfect place to hide for however many days it needs to recover from the process with readily available food also in its safe place, but it will be vulnerable at some point and the crab or any other predator may take advantage of it