Molted Exoskeleton Surrealism

GunmetalBlue · Post by **GunmetalBlue** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:12 pm

Hi guys, there was an earlier thread in which the intricacy of a molted exoskeleton was discussed. I have to agree that the molted shell is quite amazing as to detail - you'd think they were pre-sprayed with Pam, considering how perfectly intact they get out of their old carapace. When you first experience seeing it on the aquarium floor, you think, "Wow, whatever in the world is THAT thing?" Weirdly surreal and ghostly.

With NUMEROUS shrimp, do you usually see a bunch of molts on the floor at any given time? I only have two shrimp in this tank and mine seem to consume the molted exoskeleton (or at least it gets completely disintegrated) within about 3-4 days. BTW, please don't laugh at my plastic plant, lol.

Yum! What a delicious snack...

Care for some yourself?

This one's definitely MINE

Gee, I feel so naked...

-GunmetalBlue

bochr · Post by **bochr** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:11 am

Great pictures

I have 22 young RCS i one of my tanks. I only find empty shells in the morning. The shrimps eat them and they dissapear within 8-10 hours.

Pi · Post by Pi » Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:27 am

Amazing pictures

I have 1 wood shrimp and just recently purchased a few ghost shrimp. So far the wood shrimp has molted once and he and the ghost shrimp had a lot of fun with it. He didn't seem to eat much of it, but climbed back up on his perch and started filtering almost right away. But the ghost shrimp (about half his size) went after his molt. Talk about surreal- watching tiny ghost shrimp climbing inside the molt of a bigger shrimp. I wish I had a picture.

Pi

amber2461 · Post by **amber2461** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:41 am

Very nice shots, thanks for sharing!

GunmetalBlue · Post by **GunmetalBlue** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 11:06 am

> "I have 22 young RCS i one of my tanks. I only find empty shells in the morning. The shrimps eat them and they dissapear within 8-10 hours."

Bochr, they seem to molt when we're not looking, don't they?

Wow, your RCS crew sure eat them fast, they must all be sharing in the meal.

Hi Pi

My Bamboo shrimp hasn't molted yet, I got them the same weekend as yours. They are so much thicker and larger than the other shrimp, with fatter legs, so the molted exoskeleton must look really weird... especially if a little ghost shrimp is in there, snacking, hehe.

Hi Marge, thanks and you're welcome.

-GunmetalBlue