Cleaner shrimp dead this morning...

[Reef Jay]

Hi how's everyone doing. I woke up this morning and noticed my cleaner shrimp was dead... he seemed to be doing fine for the first week I had him. The tank inhabitants are 2 clownfish. Royal gamma and a firefish so I don't think it's a murder case lol I ran tests on my water right after and my ph is 8.1-8.3 ammonia is 0 nitrites are 0 and nitrate is between 5 and 10 ppm. Let me know what you think the cause is thank you.

 

[Softhammer]

He’s probably not dead. Take out the body and verify if there is actually any meat in it. You’ll smell it if that’s the case. Otherwise it simply molted. Shed its shell and most certainly looks like a dead shrimp but is a normal growth process.

 

[Katrina71]

+1 I'd verify it isn't a molt

 

[Reef Jay]

He’s probably not dead. Take out the body and verify if there is actually any meat in it. You’ll smell it if that’s the case. Otherwise it simply molted. Shed its shell and most certainly looks like a dead shrimp but is a normal growth process.

I took him out of the tank and tapped him a couple times lightly and he didn't make a movement what so ever and he also smelt a little dead

 

[Softhammer]

If you have ever eaten a real shrimp before, the anatomy is the same. Look if the tail has meat in it. If it’s hollow it’s a molt. Tapping will not do anything.