How often do Cleaner Shrimp molt?

[WallysWorld]

Just curious. I have two cleaner shrimp in a Reefer 170. I have a fresh molt about once a week. Seems like a lot to me, but then this is the first time I've had these. They've been in the tank for about 4 months and are significantly larger than when I put them in, everyone seems and looks healthy.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Depends on how much you feed them! Mine would molt every 2-3 months or so, but they sat in a prime spot to catch food entering the tank...that, and I feed them quite a bit, too

 

[trustmeimalawyer]

Mines molt every 2-3 weeks.

 

[Codym808]

My 2 fire shrimp seem to molt about once a week also, its been that way for almost 2 years now so I'm assuming that's normal?

 

[mikenestle]

About every 2 weeks for me as well.

 

[Coralreefer1]

Water parameters, food and iodine dosing all play a part in the molting time frame for crabs and shrimp.

 

[OutsideBrian]

Water parameters, food and iodine dosing all play a part in the molting time frame for crabs and shrimp.

What level of iodine should I have in my tank for one?

 

[Coralreefer1]

Iodine gets depleted rather quickly as a direct correlation between bioload and skimming. Follow the directions on the bottle so you don’t open up a can of worms by over dosing. If you are doing frequent water changes, that will also help to replenish lost iodine in your tank.

 

[jd371]

My Fire and the Cleaner shrimp in my main tank molt every month or two, both are big. The cleaner shrimp I just added to the anemone tank a few weeks ago has already molted twice and he's tiny. Looks like the smaller they are the more they molt and as they get larger the molting frequency slows down.

 

[jabberwock]

Do you guys remove the molts or leave them in the tank?

 

[Codym808]

I leave them in the tank, idk where the molts go (I heard the shrimp eats the molt) but they seem to decompose if anything. I've also seen my trachy eating the molt if it catches it.