Coral banded shrimp acting strange

[Kial]

woke up today and my shrimp, who is always out when I feed stealing it from the corals, seems to be very lethargic. He’s alive as he moves every now and again but just isn’t right. I changed the flow slightly to remove some dead spots and I turned around to see him flying around the tank!
Parameters are all normal so could this be a start of a molt maybe? He’s melted twice already but have my only seen the aftermath of the process.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

maybe he's about to molt?

 

[Kial]

I'm hoping that's the case. He is currently floating upside down but still moving his legs. I have tried to put him upright but he swims off so thought I best leave him to it

 

[S.O.MLemos]

I’m no professional but if all your parameters are good maybe he’s struggling with molting and maybe a little iodide can help him out if your not already dosing it. Again I’m no professional

 

[Zack K]

This is the behavior of my cleaner shrimp right as he’s about to molt. Although, mine never misses a meal over it[emoji848] #reefsquad the only concern I would have is if he was I injured when he “flew around the tank”. Was he blowing like a tumbleweed in the wind? Or was he actively trying to swim with/against the current.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

I'm hoping that's the case. He is currently floating upside down but still moving his legs. I have tried to put him upright but he swims off so thought I best leave him to it

you aren't supposed to touch a molting shrimp or crab, i'm sorry to say but if you handled him there is a slim chance of him surviving.

 

[Zack K]

you aren't supposed to touch a molting shrimp or crab, i'm sorry to say but if you handled him there is a slim chance of him surviving.

It doesn’t sound like he has began the molt process yet. It does sound as though, the shell around him as began to harden. Crustaceans usually mold under compete darkness to avoid and predators that might find their nice squishy body a delicacy. It is best not to touch them during or after they have molted. If interferes with during, it can throw them off and they could potentially die due to an unsuccessful molt. Aka getting stuck and dying. As goes for right after, they just lost their “shield” and need a few days to grow a new one. If you touch them right after the molted, the odds of you damaging something internally are almost a given.

With this being said, I would expect a molt in the very near future

 

[Kial]

well I have some bad news about the shrimp. He was blowing around uncontrollably until he went behind the rock so I left him to it a he was still moving his legs etc. Came back to check on him 10mins later and as I got to the tank he blew straight into the power head and lost an arm . As soon As he landed the nassarius snails ganged up on him to Finish him off but he was still alive so I quickly got him out of there and into the sump but he unfortunately didn’t make it.
No idea why he got like this because the day before he was eating fine.

 

[Zack K]

Sorry to hear about the passing

 

[Kamden Uelton]

well I have some bad news about the shrimp. He was blowing around uncontrollably until he went behind the rock so I left him to it a he was still moving his legs etc. Came back to check on him 10mins later and as I got to the tank he blew straight into the power head and lost an arm . As soon As he landed the nassarius snails ganged up on him to Finish him off but he was still alive so I quickly got him out of there and into the sump but he unfortunately didn’t make it.
No idea why he got like this because the day before he was eating fine.

Like I said, he was molting when they first start molting they find a place to settle and they start the process of peeling the shell. Normally they do it in a cave where nothing can bother them but I also had this same experience I had a Blue Coral Banded Shrimp that molted in front of my Mimic Filefish, well you already know what happened. Next time don't disturb a shrimp or crab when they are molting and please provide some caves for them so they can hide.

 

[Kial]

Like I said, he was molting when they first start molting they find a place to settle and they start the process of peeling the shell. Normally they do it in a cave where nothing can bother them but I also had this same experience I had a Blue Coral Banded Shrimp that molted in front of my Mimic Filefish, well you already know what happened. Next time don't disturb a shrimp or crab when they are molting and please provide some caves for them so they can hide.

He had caves to hide in and had previously molted twice already.