What is wron g with my banded shrimp

[emilydale5]

hello....um, i have had this tank since dec....and yesterday i came back from where i am staying (in the process of moving) and saw my shrimp looked like he was shedding. i figured he just needed to "pull his sleeves off" but he couldnt for some reason. i woke up this morning, and he was just laying there...not really moving or doing anything...i figured he was dead. but the other fish started to swim around him and he tried to get away. its like his arms are paralized. then i noticed that he did shed and one of his claws is by the anemie we have. is it possible he could have been stung by the anemie? is he gonna die? please someone tell me whats going on with him so i can save him!!!!

 

[yote]

It sounds like he's having trouble molting. I hate to say it,But theres nothing you can do to help him,except to hope he can survive it.
Molting is something that has to happen naturally,or it will kill the shrimp.
Got my fingers crossed that he'll get it done and will recover.
BTW
Welcome to the site.

 

[dcantucson]

Welcome! Wishing the best for your CB Shrimp.

 

[emilydale5]

i dont know if he will make it.....hes not really moving at all anymore....if he dies, should i take his body out, or should i just let his body become part of nature of the tank?

 

[daugherty]

if you can get it out take it out but if you cant reach it just leave it.

 

[Bifferwine]

Make sure that what you're looking at is actually the shrimp and not just the molt. They can look pretty similar.

 

[tankedchemist]

I have read that you should check your iodine levels... they need iodine in the water for molting. I use a salifert kit, and dose Iodine as needed. Helped my shrimp with his molting problem. Good luck!

 

[winyfrog]

yea make sure as biff said that its not his molt they will be almost excatly alike.

and as tanked stated you need to be sure you have iodine to help you shrimp and crabs molt and rebuild there shells. (remember don't add anything to your tank unless you test for it, to much can also be harmful)

 

[dcantucson]

Update??? It he still with us?

 

[claq50]

I use PurpleUp. It works great to raise both the calcium and iodine levels needs for the inverts. Good luck with your shrimp bro.

 

[Rcpilot]

There's enough iodine in your new saltwater to do the molting.

Maybe change 15% of the water?

I'm not keen on dosing iodine. A little bit goes a long way. One drop too much kills the tank. :shock:

 

[tankedchemist]

While RC's right, I think that if your inverts are having difficulty molting, the first place to look is iodine. But, as others have said, always test what you dose.

I know that if you use a poly filter, it has a tendency to deplete iodine pretty rapidly. Carbon can also do that. So it's worth looking at, even if you do frequent water changes. :)