Do you still freak out over 'molts'?

[Alexraptor]

I've been in the SW hobby for a good 17+ years. I'm rather used to all the like-clockwork hermit molts that show up on a weekly basis from some random hermit, but I must confess, with some animals I still get spooked or do a double take.

Just today, I saw one of my two pom-pom crabs, looking pretty good, and then I saw another one sitting nearby, and noticed he was missing his anemones. My immediate reaction was: "Oh nooo, poor guy lost his nems!" Took me a minute until I realized: waaait a minute... the second one is looking awfully pale. And sure enough, it was just a fresh molt!

So how about you guys, do molts still freak you out from time to time?

 

[Bucs20fan]

Every. Single. Time.

 

[exnisstech]

My shrimp molts usually end up in the power heads so I know it's a molt. I did freak the first time tho

 

[jfoahs04]

I've been in the SW hobby for a good 17+ years. I'm rather used to all the like-clockwork hermit molts that show up on a weekly basis from some random hermit, but I must confess, with some animals I still get spooked or do a double take.

Just today, I saw one of my two pom-pom crabs, looking pretty good, and then I saw another one sitting nearby, and noticed he was missing his anemones. My immediate reaction was: "Oh nooo, poor guy lost his nems!" Took me a minute until I realized: waaait a minute... the second one is looking awfully pale. And sure enough, it was just a fresh molt!

So how about you guys, do molts still freak you out from time to time?

Definitely with the pom pom crabs. They're so small and the molts look exactly like a dead crab. Each time I cringe when I see one. Both of my pom poms have long since lost their nems, so it's even scarier. The shrimp don't bug me, it's pretty clear that the molts are molts.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Yes! I did today it nearly gave me a heart attack!

 

[KrisReef]

I'll never get used to it. Scares the stuff out of me when I come home and see my old skin still in bed.

 

[Johnz]

My wife told me that my coral banded shrimp died at least 12 times. Every time it molted, "your shrimp died". Thing had more lives than a cat.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

My wife told me that my coral banded shrimp died at least 12 times. Every time it molted, "your shrimp died". Thing had more lives than a cat.

My husband says the same thing when my fire shrimp molts! Lol

 

[Hjortsballe]

I think, I had my hermit crabs for about 3 days, when I saw two of them together and I
though that the one in the shell had pulled another one out and was killing it. So I took a
stick and got them separated, but it just floated around and I thought I lost it.
Later same day I counted 4 hermit in the tank and they were all there. It spooked me
the second time as well, but now they do it at least once a week.
Just got my cleaner shrimp a week ago, so now it waiting for it to spook me too.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I think, I had my hermit crabs for about 3 days, when I saw two of them together and I
though that the one in the shell had pulled another one out and was killing it. So I took a
stick and got them separated, but it just floated around and I thought I lost it.
Later same day I counted 4 hermit in the tank and they were all there. It spooked me
the second time as well, but now they do it at least once a week.
Just got my cleaner shrimp a week ago, so now it waiting for it to spook me too.

The cleaner shrimp are the funniest to me as in the flow, the molts look alive sometimes, lol. I'm like, wait where did that extra shrimp come from? LOL. Now my fire shrimp... different story. That guy molts very frequently, and his molts look legit like a solid dead shrimp. You have no idea how many times my husband has texted me while I'm at work, saying sorry but your red shrimp is dead. I'm like dude, look in the tang's cave - you will see his white feelers moving around).