Question About Molting

[TetraFan]

Hi there. I am new to keeping shrimp and I was wondering about molting. When shrimp (I have amanos) molt, what should the molted shell look like? Just the lower body & tail portion, or would it have the legs/head/etc. as well? I am trying to figure out how to tell the difference between a dead shrimp and a shrimp molt.

[mordalphus]

It has everything.

A dead shrimp is pink, a molt is white

[golfer_d]

A dead shrimp will start to turn pink I believe. A molt will be see through and pretty flimsy.

[TetraFan]

Thanks for the quick replies!

[Kinection]

Dead shrimp usually have segments of their shell ripped off and they curl up. And yes, molts are usually clear/see through. The molts are sometimes split in half, but still connected.

[ravensgate]

Originally Posted by AquaticStory

Dead shrimp usually have segments of their shell ripped off and they curl up. And yes, molts are usually clear/see through. The molts are sometimes split in half, but still connected.

Dead shrimp can look different depending on why they died...your description would be one way they look after a failed molt. They don't all curl up when they die, they don't all segments of their shell ripped off. And molts have a break point but once the shrimp begin to eat on them they get ripped and strewn about the tank so it depends on when you happen to find that molt and what's been done to it

[Kinection]

Originally Posted by ravensgate

Dead shrimp can look different depending on why they died...your description would be one way they look after a failed molt. They don't all curl up when they die, they don't all segments of their shell ripped off. And molts have a break point but once the shrimp begin to eat on them they get ripped and strewn about the tank so it depends on when you happen to find that molt and what's been done to it

This is why you don't take my advice. LOL
Raven is right about that though. It just depends on the situation/water.